Tragedy Hits When Least Expected

 For those of you Sisters of the Spirit who attended the worship experience last evening and were present when I received the news that the firefighters that were prayed for during the concert were all dead, I cannot thank you enough for the way you supported my grief. Your love, you support, your understanding how deeply I was in grief and shock all at the same time, and your ability to hug me, to cry with me was amazing. I am so blessed to have ‘sisters’ who care so deeply.

Thank you for the words spoken to me, “I love you.” “I am so sorry.” Thank you for the shoulders I cried upon. Thank you for encircling me not just with your bodies, but with your love.

Pam thank you for your ability to sob with me was you felt my grief, and again I apologize for practically screaming that they were all dead. I wanted to scream. I wanted to just fall on my knees and cry “Abba, Father.”

The names have been released now and there were none who Marty personally knew yet we are still in shock, as is the whole EMS community now. For those of you who have Facebook you can check this link to see the page that was created yesterday for the 19 brave, souls who died. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/357941024332032/

 

As I lay awake last night trying to make sense of all of this, I began to think about what I shared with you all yesterday…that no matter what we go through there is a melody that Jesus gives us, which sees us through EVERYTHING we experience in this life. I cried out, what song could there possibly be playing in my life now in all this weight of sorrow. And then I remembered back to a time long ago at another time when my young 12 year old heart was broken and bruised, attending church camp I chose to sing a song for talent night, and that song became my life song which has carried me through each moment of my life ever since. The song is How Great Thou Art. It carries me right now through this experience as well.

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

I can just see the 19 firefighters walking in their line, through the woods and forest with those big boulders. I see the birds taking flight and the creek beds dry as the hot breeze blows through the trees. And I see Jesus in that line with them, Just as he was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. The 20^th person in that hotshot crew was Christ.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

I believe with all my heart that our loving God did not allow the firefighters to suffer, regardless of how we think they died. God was there to take them home to heaven in an instant of time.

Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Christ came yesterday to take them home, and I can see them as their spirits rose from their bodies up heaven bound, and their eyes were on Jesus, and joy filled their hearts. “They could, released from the bodies that kept them earthbound, now truly look at our Savior and singing, “My God How Great Thou Art”

They died doing what they were not just called to do, they died doing what they loved….fighting fires.

It is hard to think of all the lives that are left behind, all of those in our community who are in shock, the families who are grieving so at their loss.

How can we find God in this? I say how we can NOT find God in this. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our shoulder to cry on, and our blanket of peace.

We grieve, we cry, we break down as our knees shake and we crumble to the ground under the weight of the grief of our community.

And God gently places his arms around us, and comforts us, give us the peace that passes all understanding.

So today, as we await the names to be released, as we wait for the memorial at 4pm today, as we begin the long process of healing, I share my song out to those in the depth of sorrow ‘My God How Great Thou Art’

Thank you all, for your love and prayers, as we grieve with our EMS family.

Rev. Charlotte