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"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
Though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains tremble with its tumult." (Psalm 46:1-3)
Our hearts grieve with those who grieve,
Our lips pray with those who pray and lament,
Our spirits and lives are connected with the people of Japan,
and those living around the "Ring of Fire."
One morning, life is pleasant and busy, in the afternoon, the ocean plate floor moved.
Catastrophic earthquake, followed by tsunami that gobbled up lives, houses, trees, everything,
and now meltdown threats; the earth changes, the Japanese people's lives are forever changed.
Is there life after the 8.9 quake and village-eating tsunami?
Is there life when your family is gone?
and your city is deleted from the map?
I have no words…I am not in Sendai…but humanity and creation are groaning…
Silence...shock…hope…faith…prayers…rescue…relief aid…prayers…solidarity…mission...harmony.
Yes to life!
I see God's present help, among others, in the international and religious communities
that send emergency help, search and rescue, reconstruction, and solidarity.
"Where there is life, there is God."
I see God's strength in the determination of Japanese people to rise up, help one another,
and be calm in the midst of chaos and utter loss.
Because I believe God is our refuge and strength, I will not fear.
Because life is precious and fragile, I will not take anything for granted.
Because we are interconnected, oceans and air are borderless, we are all in this together.
May the God of Life and Spirit of Comfort, our refuge and strength, shake us together in love.
The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth S. Tapia
Theologian
Parsonsfield, Maine
(Used with permission)
Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
Date posted:
Mar 17, 2011
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