A Word from Pastor Nathan

On Sunday evening, May 5, 2002, an F2 tornado ripped through the small panhandle town of Happy, Texas, (yes there is such a place). During the 6 p.m. worship service at First Baptist Church, in the middle of the sermon, the tornado siren blared, and members and I immediately rushed to the western doors. We saw the weather phenomenon on the ground and heading east toward town, and we evacuated the church. The building sustained heavy damage, and two people, not affiliated with our congregation, lost their lives. Eighteen days later, when a new roof was near completion, the southwest corner caught fire, and flames engulfed the entire building in less than 15 minutes. I arrived in time to watch the steeple collapse inside the sanctuary.

The live-streaming of the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and especially the collapse of the center spire at the transept, made my heart sink. On Sunday, the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, the largest church in the Western hemisphere, had to relocate its Palm Sunday services outside because of a fire in its basement. In late March and early April, an arsonist set fire to three historically black congregations in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana: St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. In the case of the fires in Louisiana, hate and racism fueled the flames. In New York and Paris, the fires were accidental.

The evangelist of John ’s gospel tells us of the crucifixion, saying, “Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her. Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then Jesus said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” These words from Jesus indicate that we are responsible for our neighbors from our doorsteps and to the ends of the earth. We grieve with those who mourn, and we wait with those who find hope impossible.

Early in John ’s gospel, Jesus responds to questioners, saying, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” You ’re receiving this article as we hold vigil. Let us keep watch for the Spirit of God who raises Jesus. It is the same Spirit that resurrects the Church.

Peace abundant,

Nathan