Early Tuesday morning, a powerful tornado ripped through Nashville and other parts of Tennessee, leaving destruction in its wake. The tornado was part of a series of severe storms. At least 24 people have been killed, homes and other buildings have been destroyed, and thousands of people are without electricity. The worship space for St. John’s Lutheran Church of Nashville, an ELCA congregation, was crushed by the tornado. (quoted from an email update from Lutheran Disaster Response)

At times like this, we remember the words of the apostle Paul to the early Christian church in Corinth, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. (1 Corinthians 12:16). As we gather for worship this weekend, we will hold the congregation of St. John’s and their surrounding community in our prayers. As we sing, pray, gather around the Lord’s Table and proclaim the good news of God’s love, we will do so mindfully of our brothers and sisters without a place to worship. The church is not gone. The church is, of course, the people. That said, we know that those people are grieving the loss of their sanctuary.

It seems fitting, therefore, to spend a moment this weekend giving thanks for the witness of the Lutheran church that extends far beyond just our own congregation here at Abiding Presence. Lutheran Disaster Response, our domestic disaster response agency, is already on the ground in Tennessee assessing needs, working with local partners and responding with immediate relief. In the information sent out to congregations this past week, Lutheran Disaster Response suggested that “given the extent of the destruction, recovery is expected to take years.” They are committed to being present “to address survivors’ needs over the long haul.”

At the same time, we are collecting supplies during Lent for Lutheran World Relief, our international disaster response agency.

These two organizations—Lutheran Disaster Relief and Lutheran World Relief—enable Abiding Presence to be part of a response much larger than ourselves, bringing hope and good news into the world.