“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” – Matthew 25:1-13

“Every disaster is a local disaster.” – Emergency Plan Standards Notebook, King County

Beloved of God,

There we were, Bob Wightman and I, with 40 other faith community and non-profit agency reps in King County’s Emergency Planning “war room.”  When disaster strikes, be it earthquake, tsunami, seiche[1], flood, lahar, landslide, pandemic, fire, or large-scale human caused event, (the possibilities, alas, seem endless…) this is where it will all shake out.  Coordinated response in an emergency of this order is vital so that life and property can be preserved, and resources can go to where they’re most needed when they’re needed.  The logistics of accomplishing that in the face of an event such as a major earthquake is mindboggling. 

It was an impressive space, the room we inhabited, with clusters of desks equipped with computers and monitors; three huge screens dominated the room to the front and large scale maps with colored markers at the ready covering the walls.  Throughout the day we did what most people try to avoid at all cost: imagine the worst scenarios of natural or human-caused disasters, and how we might respond.  I came away more grateful than ever for the people who give careful thought to planning for situations such as these, as well as for those who put their lives on the line when those disasters come. 

It was a great learning experience for me personally, and got me thinking about the role our congregation and our facilities could potentially play in the event of a community emergency.          And it raised scores of questions for which I had no ready answer: How might we prepare individually and as a congregation for such an event?  What can and should we do to get ready now?  How might we serve as an asset to the neighbors who surround us?  What kind of services could we be prepared to offer?  The whole exercise took us behind the scenes and into the minds of the emergency managers and first responders. The idea, of course, is to do as much thinking and anticipating and planning as one can beforehand rather than at the moment disaster strikes.  It makes perfect sense.  Yet planners acknowledge that no planned response will be executed perfectly because the very nature of disasters is that they are complex and unpredictable.  So what do you do?  You devise the best protocols for communication and action you can get your minds around, knowing that they are bound to be imperfect and will require adjustments and creativity when the actual event arrives.

This month our worship life flows from the commemoration of All Saints on the first Sunday to Christ Reigns Sunday, and, this year, ends by opening the door of Advent.  The texts for these Sundays have to do with last things, and a high level of urgency undergirds each one.  The parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13) is a case in point; a text that would make any emergency planner sit up and take notice!  Be prepared, Jesus tells us.  “Keep awake, for you don’t know the day or the hour.”

For the first generations of faithful Christians, major shifts in the world as they knew it seemed seismic indeed.  Massive social/political/religious rifts were causing the world to move in ways that they’d never before experienced.  What was faith supposed to look like in such a landscape?  Earlier in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus had called on his followers to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves,” and now, as midnight approached and the hour of his crucifixion drew near, he cautioned them to be wise rather than foolish.  But of course, hindsight is 20/20, and when you’re entertaining a whole truckload of alternative scenarios for what disaster could look like and where it might strike, being wise is easier said than done. 

One of the scenarios we talked about in the workshop was that of an “active shooter.”  Lord have mercy—we’ve witnessed so many of these now! God help us, when will it stop?!   We try to cull some learning from the evidence of each violent incident, and still, each new episode leaves us shell shocked, bleary eyed, and looking for answers that elude us.  In the aftermath of the recent tragedy at Pilchuck- Marysville High School, the church is once again proving to be a place where people can find solace and the community can be served.  But as important as that role is, I believe the church has more to offer.  Part of that “something more” has to do with our role as advocates within the larger society.  Two gun initiatives on the November ballot offer stark alternatives.  In an imperfect world, taking action—even when that action is imperfect or incomplete—is far better than continuing the policies of a failed status quo.

                “Jesus Christ who are the light of the world, the light no darkness can overcome.”

What does being wise look like?  There’s no formula that works in every scenario, just as no one strategy for disaster response can be applied to every possible situation. But wisdom starts, it seems to me, with investing ourselves and our resources in the role we inhabit when we’re at our best—serving as light bringers when darkness is at hand.  The light we bring does not originate with us, of course.  But we confess and Scripture affirms that through the power of Christ’s death and resurrection we have become children of light!  In these days of growing darkness, may our lamps burn bright!

Ever yours in hope,

Pastor Erik