We have been reminded for the past five years a terrible storm came from the gulf and nearly demolished our city. Yes, today is the fifth anniversary of the worst disaster in American history. In remembering the storm named Katrina, I am reminded of the grief the Israelites experienced when their beloved Jerusalem lay in ruins. In the biblical book of Lamentations, the people are crying out in their misery. "We are overwhelmed", they cried. "All our towered mansions are brought down, our strong holds are in ruins. There is sorrow upon sorrow. We are a place of assembly in ruins. In darkness, there is no light. We are like orphans. We must buy our own water to drink, our own wood can only be had at a price. We are weary and are given no rest. We risk our lives in the scorching heat. Joy has fled from our hearts, and our dances are turned to mourning. We are sick at heart."

Five thousand years later we spoke and experienced those same laments immediately after Hurricane Katrina. We, too, were bewildered, wounded, astounded....what power descended on us to nearly wipe our city off the map?

For as long as the earth has been here, there have been storms, earthquakes, floods, blizzards, lightening fires, all the raging elements that keep our planet earth alive and healthy. We as humans just happen to build our towns and cities in places where these destructive forces are most likely to occur. And so we learn to expect storms, we learn to expect chaos to rain down upon us at any given season. Many of us have lived through enough hurricanes to know the destruction, yet to know also life goes on as well. Storms are no respecter of persons. Storms are there to do their job...making planet earth a viable place for us to live.

Storms in our personal lives, if seen in perspective, make us more viable humans, and far more humane.

As history as shown us, after every chaos, every kind of destruction, creation begins anew. So, five years ago today, people here in this room lost everything....houses, cars, possessions, heirlooms, cherished photographs, money, jewelry....a way of life. Indeed, the destruction was stunning.

Yet look what happened. For the first time in memory churches around our nation opened up the doors of their sanctuaries and encouraged their people to leave the comfort of their own safety and come to the coast to labor with us in the heat and the despair. People answered the call by the thousands, and many are still doing so. Little by little, the rebuilding began and continues still today. Yes, Katrina was a disaster in many, many ways. Yet a blessing beyond measure in other ways.

Stangers became friends. We learned to care for one another in ways never offered to us before...we opened our homes to everyone not worrying about whether the carpets were clean, or indeed if there were any carpets at all. We shared whatever food any of us had on hand and cooked it together usually outside on a battered grill and it was fun, it was intimate. We were all in the need for a hot bath yet our sweat and dirty clothes did not dimish us in each others' eyes. We learned to live together, solidifying relationships on more personal and loving levels. We accepted each other's quirks without condemnation.

Truly, out of chaos, came love, compassion, generosity, caring, sharing, and yes, even laughter. And yet, when we began to rebuild our homes, churches, and businesses, we once again built up the walls of separation that the storm had blown away. It saddens me that once again the condition of our homes seems to be more important than the conditions of our relationships with one another. When our need disappeared, so did some signifcant quality of life experiences. After the storm we were all humbled. We all shared the disaster, so that arrogance disappeared, prosperity was not what was important. Lack of prestige and prejudice made us better humans. Why have we forgotten that?

Perhaps that is the way of the world, and the way of being human. First there is generation (we build up, we grow, we gain), then there is degeneration ( we experience problems and chaos, and loss), but then there is regeneration (when once again we build up, renew, regain)....however, all too often in the regeneration period we forget the lessons learned during the degenertion period, the period of loss. Yet we must not do so. When we rebuild we must not rebuild just the facades of life, we must rebuild, solidfy the compassion and love, the relationships, first and foremost.

If we are to spend today "celebrating" Katrina I only hope that we remember the lessons she gave us by re-adjusting the priorities in our lives, realizing sometimes we are better humans when we don't have so much. When our possessions no longer own us. When people are more important that things, prestige, personal power.

When we experience personal storms such as deaths of loved ones, divorce, children in trouble, financial woes, or the next hurricane, I pray we will remember there are people who care. There are people who share. There are people who provide, encourage, give, and love. And the lesson is this: we, you and I, are to be those caring, loving, compassionate, generous people, who are far, far more concerned about one another (even our enemies) than the polished exteriors and interiors of our homes, the newness of our cars, the size of our bank accounts, and our realm of influence.

Commit all we do to the Lord, and our own lives will have abundance. Amen