Pastoral letter from the heads of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the UCC

Post-tsunami letter

Epiphany, 2005

Dear Partner in Christ,

During these past days we have held our partners in Southern Asia in heartfelt prayer as we have watched the news reports of the tsunami’s devastation and as we have heard from some of you about the impact on your communities. We are profoundly grateful that through your ministries the Church of Jesus Christ is present amid the suffering, bearing witness to the compassion and the hope of God. Know that we pledge to you our continuing prayers and our generosity as members of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) share their resources with the ecumenical community that is mobilized to work with you saving and rebuilding lives. Through our colleague, James Vijayakumar, we stand ready to respond to your requests for assistance not just in the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, but through the many months, even years, of reconstruction.

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ are already actively engaged in supporting the relief efforts being undertaken by Church World Service in Indonesia and Action by Churches Together (ACT) member churches and organizations throughout south and southeast Asia.

At Epiphany we recall that the Gospel began to be proclaimed to all the world. While you have important concerns for the members of the church who are struggling with grief and loss, we celebrate the fact that God’s love is poured out in these days upon all people who suffer. As foreigners came to adore the Christ, and as strangers offered hospitality to the Holy Family in their flight from Herod, so may this Epiphany season be a time for people of all faiths to encounter each other as neighbor and to experience together the grace and hope that is to be found in our sharing of the creation.

On the first Sunday of the New Year many of our congregations joined in the following prayer:

“In the celebration of Your incarnation the icons of the season mingle with horrific images like so much flotsam in the wake of Tsunami’s indiscriminate destruction:

Rachel’s weeping over lifeless bodies of lost children unable to cling to boats and branches; the desperate flight of families rich and poor – each one holy – racing the deadly embrace of waves reaching for this generation’s innocent; the weak and the vulnerable survivors waiting for food, water, shelter, but even more for some consolation like the ancient survivors Simeon and Anna of old.

Our hearts break, O God, even as our minds resist comprehending the enormity of sorrow spread across southern Asia’s vast beauty and poverty.

Amid so much that is superficial may this grim spectacle of loss prompt us to cling ever more closely to all that is precious in our lives, and may it stir in our oft deadened hearts a great generosity of tears and treasure borne by modern magi moved again by cosmic disruptions, gifts worthy of Your epiphany that can even now render this year’s terrifying season holy. Amen.”

May it be our common prayer as we cling to the mysterious hope of the incarnation amid the painful realities of the Cross. May God grant you strength and courage for the demands you now face. Above all, may you know of the joy we feel in our partnership with you during these challenging days.

Sincerely,

Rev. Dr. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President,
United Church of Christ

Rev. Dr. Christopher Hobgood
General Minister and President,
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Rev. Dr. David Vargas
Co-executive,
Common Global Ministries of the
United Church of Christ and the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Cc: Rev. Dr. James Vijayakumar
Area Executive for Southern Asia,
Common Global Ministries of the
United Church of Christ and the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)