The Bible Interprets Our Story

After returning home from Europe, I was home five nights before joining our youth on the Mission Trip to Asheville, NC.  Needless to say, I think my body is just now figuring out what time zone we are in. The mission trip was amazing and the youth from St. Luke are incredible. Their willingness to stretch and serve brothers and sisters, who were strangers, on the other side of the nation, was inspiring. I was also impressed with their flex-a-bend-ability (as our host coined the term) and their willingness to empathize with the struggle of others.

While in North Carolina, we reflected on the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Jesus not caring about status quo, his image, nor the dirtiness of the job, stoops and serves. He holds, pours out, and washes each disciple. Jesus is not the only character worth considering in the scene. We reflected on the disciples in the story too. It’s hard to be in need. Peter’s pride demonstrates that in the story. “You will never wash my feet!” It’s hard to be in need and to receive service. Grace is needed throughout.  

Often, though it’s not a choice. The need is a reality that requires surrender. We traveled through communities and saw some of the water lines from Hurricane Helene. It felt unreal. Especially because we were not near an ocean. For the record Asheville is only 100 miles closer to the ocean than Spokane. So comparable would be: Moses Lake is to the Pacific Ocean, as Asheville is to the Atlantic Ocean.  We stood in awe as scenes that you only see on the news were in front of us. One house standing and another washed down the river. Roads that dead-ended at a cliff and the new road is nowhere close. And that is two years after the hurricane/storm! Seeing those sites, meeting people who suffered from the natural disaster and the compassion/empathy was motivation for service.

Then we returned home.

After the youth slept in their own beds one night, about one third of the group had to evacuate. What was sympathy/empathy became lived experience. Roles changed. We were the ones going to do service in an area affected by natural disaster. Now, we have 1,500+ personnel from over 20 states coming here to serve Spokane. It will be palpable for these teens as they reflect back on this summer. What was empathizing with unimaginable devastation, became coming home and live it. Spokane and many in our congregation and community sit with great need. We are literally covered in the dirt, grime, ash, and loss if this disaster and need the generosity of others to begin healing.

My immediate family was not evacuated but were near enough the lines that we packed the cars. Curyn and I tried to keep the scariness of the fires away from Peyton, so that she wouldn’t worry. But we also needed to communicate about the realities and talk on the phone with friends and family. Needless to say, Peyton figured it out.

Part of her processing meant some quiet time to paint. She broke out her watercolors and painted the red sun that we’ve been seeing. Instead of blue, she mixed brown and yellow to paint the smoky skies. And then she carefully painted a rainbow in the center of the page and raindrops on the side. When she was done, she explained each detail.

The rainbow in the middle was like the rainbow for Noah. God promises to be with us even through storms. And the rain is our prayer for the fires right now. She was the preacher in our family.

Bible stories interpret our realities. The more we know them, the more we seem them interpreting us.

I spoke with Sandy yesterday, in part about all that St. Luke is doing and where there has been loss. And I can tell you this…Christ is alive and washing feet.

You are stooping to listen to the needs of those who have lost so much, or who are displaced from their home. You are holding the grief, loss, and pain that clings like dirt and ash to the feet of family and friends. You are pouring out to soothe and fill the needs of those who have lost so much and to support fire crews literally dusty from fighting fires.  

And you are fiercely clinging to the hope of new life on the other side of this storm.  Hope like the rainbow as the Noah story promises (thanks for the reminder, Peyton). There is new life on the other side of all this. And there will be more stories, biblical and personal, that help us journey through the present.

You are living story. And the Bible knows you.

Praying for Spokane.

Pr. Taran