Dear Saints in Santa Fe, and other far-off places:

Greetings in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ!

Six stone jars filled with water.

I am jarred by the news of the fires in Los Angeles. My old home and church are on the line between an evacuation order and a warning. It might depend on the way the wind is blowing on whether or not my old home and neighborhood is spared or will remain only in my memories. An old friend who sang at my installation service in 2012 told me a few hours ago that he has never been more terrified as he looks out from his front yard in Encino to a raging fire 1 ½ miles away.

How can six stone jars help? They stood by the entrance of the wedding that took place in Cana in Galilee, our scripture this Sunday (John 2:1-11).

If they were only filled with water they would hardly help at all. Fires laugh at such efforts. But if they were filled with water that turns into wine, into something life-giving, and lead to joy, like a wedding banquet, now we are on to something. What if …

The first jar turns into courage. Where we don’t run away, or freeze and hide, but run towards the fire, to places of fear and despair. Jesus did that.

The second jar turns into community. We need each other. We are at our best when we take care of each other. We are hearing these stories coming out of the fire. Jesus told stories like this.

The third jar turns into action. We can’t just sit around and wait for the fire to overwhelm us but find ways to counter it, to resist it, to transform it. We can’t wait for someone else to step up. Jesus stepped up.

The fourth jar turns into prayer. What do we do now? What does our breath sound like? What is our soul’s urging? What path before us leads to health and wholeness for us and for everyone? Jesus always found a time and place to pray.

The fifth jar turns into hope. This one is hard to open. We have all known moments when the lid seems too tight. But as long as the jar stands there, hope is present. It’s within our grasp. Jesus called it the Kingdom of God.

The sixth jar? Let’s keep it the way it is. Preserve it. Keep the water line high, up to the brim. We’ll need it, I am afraid. We never know what the future brings, what people will do or not do, what our society will discard and what it saves. Water is cleansing. Jesus quenches life. Jesus talked about such water.

It will be good if we keep talking about six stone jars of water and the life we find in Jesus.

Grace and peace, and prayers for those in the path of fires.

Harry