Those fires!
Those fires
As I write, Los Angeles burns.
Initial figures are staggering. Upwards of 24 people are dead, 180,000 are evacuated, 10,000 properties destroyed, billion dollar bills escalate, and there is untold damage to fauna, flora and the environment. Night after night, our TV screens are dominated by scenes like a filmmaker’s version of the last judgement.
We Australians can identify with this, even if we have not recently seen scenes of urban destruction like those in LA. Our memories are still raw with effects from the summer fires in 2019/2020.
How do we make sense of these fires and their destruction?
The local blame game has already started. Doubtless there will be multiple committees of enquiry with multi-factor analyses. And then the lawsuits and legal evasions will start – a bit like a game of dodgem cars.
What can Christians say about all this?
In one street the only untouched house reportedly belonged to some Christians. Someone claimed that they were spared because of their faith. Perhaps. But what of believers (even in the same street) whose houses were burned? Or what of unbelievers whose houses were untouched? Or what of factors like building materials, sprinkler devices, wind changes and the availability of firefighting resources? This line of argument is a cruel dead-end trail.
Other may see the fires as God’s judgement on the God-denying and God-defying community of LA. Consider the local film industry that openly mocks Christianity and promotes godless lifestyles. Perhaps. But what about other parts of the USA that equally deny the gospel that has been so freely preached? And what about other nations that equally shake their fist at the true God? And what about believers who perished in the fires or lost life as they knew it?
Such speculations are not helpful. The distant rear-vision mirror is a better than the windscreen when offering interpretations. However, we can see God- sent opportunities in these fires and in other natural disasters.
There is an opportunity for Christians and churches to show grace-motivated and grace-enabled love of neighbour. When fires, floods, earthquakes and such strike we can open church doors to house the homeless and open the treasury to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Individual believers can share the spare room, spare car and unwanted toys.
There is also an opportunity to learn. Natural disasters shake our self-sufficiency. LA is not the only guilty culprit here, for we Australians are notoriously proud in our self-reliance. Things like fires and floods remind us how powerless we are before God’s creation. They are an opportunity to ask what is of lasting importance as earthly possessions fall under the mournful liturgy of ‘ashes to ashes’.
Finally, the fires are a reminder of our own mortality. This is a prompt to what the Bible calls the fear of the Lord. Are we ready to face our maker? Do we rely on our own good deeds and persuasive charm to avoid his just judgement? Or have we knelt before his appointed rescuer, Jesus the Son, in confession repentance and faith?
David Burke
Moderator-general
January 2025.