Refugia

 But whoever takes refuge in me
shall possess the land
and inherit my Holy Mountain.  Isaiah 57:23c

"Refugia (re-FEW-jee-a) are places where life survives, against great odds, in a crisis. A wildfire destroys most of a forest, for example—but not all of it. Some patches survive, maybe on wetter slopes or across a river. Even in the burned parts, some critters are able to crawl into places of safety or flee to different ground—they find refugia. And start again." Debra Reinstra

"Take refuge in me." Life survives against the odds. Take Refuge in me. After the wildfire, the volcano, the flood, there is a place a safety, a tiny pocket of hope. Take refuge in me. They start again, greening begins, life begins. Take refuge in me.  We are in tender times, times of unrelenting crisis - political, social, environmental. These tender times invite us into a way of being with and in God as the place of refuge, security, safety. God is the shelter from all that is wrong. To take refuge in the Holy One, calls on us to live in the shelter of God's presence, to live our lives always in God. Take refuge in me. Can the church to become that small patch of survival, the place of safety? There are many of us overwhelmed with grief and anger about the ways we are killing life on earth. We are searching for a place to pour out our grief and anger. We are searching for a place to find safety, hope and refuge. Church is meant to be a safe place, a refuge, a place where we can let out our emotions and know that God is there to hold us, to shelter us, to challenge us. Take refuge in me.

My hope for the church is for us to become places of refuge. Places where we can come to lament - cry out to God. Places of Comfort - where if for a moment we hear you, we see you, we acknowledge you, to speak of how God is always with you. Places of Hope- a place where you can be nourished to dream the dream that helps change the world, your piece of the world, your community. Take refuge in me - as part of my dream, my call from God to ministry I have wanted to create a worship place where we can passionately express our anger and grief about human-caused climate change, and a place to create collective action to heal our world. In my congregation, the United Church of Christ Fremont we are partnering with our interfaith friends to create time to  pray, sing, and experience the hope that only community can bring when we join together to work for a common vision, a sustainable community. 

Take refuge in me. May you join a group that is your place of refuge, that is your place of safety and hope. May you find a people who are also taking refuge in God.