Proper 22, Year A
October 16, 2005
Christ Church, Covington
“We always give thanks to God for all of you… remembering before our God and
Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our
Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 1:2-3).
In the aftermath of the storm, people just showed up. I’ve got to name some
names here; please forgive me if I leave one or two or three out. Will Smart
blew through on the afternoon of the storm, helping to plug a hole and bail;
Jerry Dobbs came the next day to rig a tarp or two; Fran Paddison came to use
the intact land line and to bring coffee, and brownies for a birthday party that
was ambushed by Katrina. Robert Petersen helped me formulate a plan for my first
post-Katrina day; while Don Duggan, Dale Roddy and the Bauerschmidt boys cleaned
up debris at the church so that people could park the following Sunday. Michael
Willis cut a path for us at our house so that we could reach the street. Randy
Turner and Tom Jacks came through and put in a day’s work so that the rain
couldn’t get in. John Seago showed me how to use a chainsaw. Greg Homer
formulated a plan to re-open Christ Episcopal School. Steve Holzhalb kept
Christwood open and the kitchen grill fired-up. Bill Horne played the piano in a
church without power; LaVondra Dobbs sent beer; Susan Griffis brought a lantern.
Evacuated parishioners called and reported in. And each week, people have
continued to show up.
A lot has been said about the “kindness of strangers” in connection with this
storm (that’s a quote from Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, and let
me tell you, it’s hardly flattering to folks in Louisiana: Blanche Dubois talks
about relying on “the kindness of strangers” as she’s being carted off to the
mental institution), and heaven knows we have received so much from people we
don’t know; but I’m here to tell you that in a community we rely on each other.
I bet your “storm story” includes items like mine, a litany of names of those
you’ve relied on. Extreme situations, like the storm, remind us of things that
are true all the time, though we often forget them. After the trauma and
disorientation comes some reflection and awareness. I’ve come away from this
experience with a deep sense of how much we need to rely on God and each other;
of how connected we are in Christ. We’ll need to work together to get the things
we need to do done.
In the early Church, people were aware of their connection. What does Paul say
in our reading? He gives thanks for the Thessalonian Christians’ “work of faith
and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ”. There’s
the recipe: “work of faith”; “labor of love”; “steadfastness of hope”. The
people in this community are working together, working hard in the face of
challenges, and relying on God’s grace.
This is good news for us. We too are faced with great challenges and with great
obstacles to overcome. There’s a lot of work to be done, so Paul’s metaphor of
steadiness, work and labor is right on. We’re going to need every ounce of faith
and hope and love that we can muster. One of the ways we’re going to be
challenged this year is in our stewardship, in every area. Time, talent, and
treasure are at a premium in this post-storm environment. I know we will have
enough to accomplish the things that God wants us to do, but it will take some
hard work and some looking within. We’re in all kinds of individual
circumstances, so we are going to have to pull together in order to move ahead.
So here we are, weeks later, come through the storm and still here in Louisiana,
not too far from the Gulf Coast and the great city to the south. If nothing
else, I hope we’ve found how important and valuable our community of faith is.
God’s at work in it, and each one of us, giving grace for us to accomplish the
tasks ahead. The “kindness of strangers”?: I guess we’ll take whatever help we
can get. But I think that we’ll find ourselves relying on God and on the people
that God has given us, our friends and neighbors and fellow parishioners. Look
around, because God is at work in you.
John Bauerschmidt is Rector of Christ Church, Covington.
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