I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them,
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24 But let justice roll down like water
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Over the weekend torrential rains in Texas caused rivers to rise at a catastrophic pace, with up to 500 millimetres falling in a few hours. For perspective, we get concerned when the forecast called for 30-40 mm in a day here. The Guadalupe River rose about nine metres, or roughly the height of a two-storey building. Those who were in the path of this murky, tree-filled rush of water didn't have a prayer. So far we know of 100+ deaths but dozens more are still missing, including children from a Christian camp along the shore of the river. One woman was swept 30 kilometres down the river and somehow survived but her family didn't.
Texas is prone to flash floods and flooding happens around the world but these events are becoming more frequent and severe. The heat of climate change supersaturates the atmosphere and what goes up comes down in the form of intense rainstorms.. The average number of storm related drownings annually in the United States is about 115. The deaths from this one weekend storm will likely exceed this number.
The president of the United States is a climate change denier and so is the governor of Texas. Apparently both of them are praying for those who have lost just about everything including their lives. Honestly, this infuriates me because the time for prayers has passed for these precious souls. Lots of people including climate scientists are wondering if the drastic cuts to the National Weather Service meant that early warnings weren't issued in time to save lives. I can hardly believe that government officials are pointing fingers at the NWS rather than getting on their knees and begging for mercy. The prayers should be of contrition and repentance.
I'm waiting for someone to describe this terrible storm as an "act of God."...wait the White House has now described it as such.
In scripture rain is both a blessing and a curse, literally and metaphorically. The prophet Isaiah praises what we would now describe as a balanced hydrological cycle, bringing precipitation in a timely and seasonally balanced way to describe God's faithfulness. Another prophet, Amos, warns against false religion that ignores the plight of the vulnerable and warns that God desires justice and will wash away hypocrisy.
As Jesus said, those who have ears to hear, let them hear.
3 comments:
Absolutely heartbreaking about what happened in Texas. Infuriatingly, when Trump was asked if he still wants to phase out FEMA, he said he wouldn't answer at this time because FEMA was busy working. But Trump has made it very clear his contempt for FEMA - an organization that doesn't just assist at the time of the emergency but continues for many months afterwards.
These climate-change deniers are unbelievable. Trump's daily incoherent, mindless messages(whether verbal or written with puzzling random capital letters) are so stressful to me, but I have found a way to deal with it. I am going to give a shout out to Lawrence O'Donnell from MSNBC, and Senator Adam Schiff, both of whom put out almost daily talks about Trump and the moronic GOP. I watch them on Youtube and feel instant relief listening to these two intelligent, articulate men. Oh, and Rachel Maddow too!
The endless weasel words of this administration is staggering. You're wise to search out the adults in the room in this colossal mess, and they definitely aren't in the White House. Good observations Roger. Keep an eye on those turtle eggs!
Yes! to Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC. So rational and coherent. KB
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