December 15

Love your neighbor.

This directive seems so simple, yet so hard. Amidst all the suffering in the world we turn to Luke’s passage, and we see where the crowds ask Jesus, “What, then should we do?” and Jesus’ reply reminds us to help those who are suffering in our lives and in our communities in very concrete ways. The term disaster can be defined as something that unexpectedly overwhelms a community’s ability to respond. This has been a year of many disasters, from tornados, landslides, flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, school shootings and many more. And we know people are always experiencing personal and communal disasters too, from job loss, to overdose, incarceration, and many more.

When disasters happen, people’s lives are turned upside down. We are called to continue caring for those in our communities even when it feels hard. Disasters do not define us, but they do change us. As we love our neighbors, Jesus reminds us to care for all our neighbors. Sometimes the people that need the most help are the ones that you cannot see, or those who have been pushed to the margins for a variety of reasons.

I challenge you to think of disaster preparedness and response using the principles of harm reduction. We continue to show God’s unconditional love, by meeting the community where they are. These principles include working with communities to promote dignity and empower communities before disaster strikes and empowering them to have a voice in the recovery process. By learning lessons from those working in the Harm Reduction Movement about recognizing and responding to the intersectional forces shaping people’s vulnerabilities to disasters of all kinds, we can understand how to best support the needs of our communities.  We can prepare for whatever may come, and discover ways to love one another by reducing the harms disasters bring.

Prayer

While we are waiting, come Emmanuel:
awaken us to your presence already among us.

While we are preparing, come Emmanuel:
surprise us with love that can tend the unexpected.

While we are longing, come Emmanuel:
show us the dreams that grow in our aching.

While we are hoping, come Emmanuel:
abide with us in the long night. Amen.

Freedom Song

Music: “Love is Here”
Offered by: Lynice Pinkard