Last Saturday morning, almost seventeen months after the twin towers crumbled to the ground, most of us again sat transfixed in front of our television sets in a state of disbelief and deep sadness. Though the names of the crew were not familiar before, we soon came to know Husband, Anderson, Clark, Brown, McCool, Chawla, and Ramon through their co-workers and friends. Our hearts ached especially for their family members but also for the international and scientific collaboration they represented. President Bush hastened from Camp David to deliver brief remarks from the Capital at 11:30am west coast time. He spoke the words we knew to be true. "The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors." On the suggestion of his trusted, semi-retired advisor, Karen Hughes, Bush included a quote from the prophet Isaiah. "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing." Bush concluded by saying that the "same creator who names the stars also knows the names" of the crewmembers. I don't always agree with everything that is said by President Bush, but that day I felt he was right on the money. God that we know through the Exodus story, the Psalms and the Prophets and the ministry of Jesus is majestic naming the stars in the sky but also intimate reaching out to be in relationship with each one of us. God heard the groaning of the Hebrew slaves and responded to rescue them. Through the psalmist God said, "I knew you in the womb." "I will never forget you," God said through the prophet. God knows the names of the Columbia astronauts and the names of the four soldiers who died in the helicopter crash near Kabul last week and Sarah Todd, who died last month. God knows your name and my name and promises never, ever to forget us. Sometimes it is hard for us to believe.

The quote from Isaiah used by Bush is chapter 40, verse 26. Coincidentally, the prophetic reading from the three-year lectionary cycle for this Sunday, today, is the one read this morning which includes that verse, the passage Isaiah 40:21-31. The people of Israel, living in exile in Babylon at the time of Isaiah, also found it hard to believe that God cared at all, much less knew each one of them by name. They had been ripped away from their homes and businesses, captured and relocated far from the center of their faith life. In a wise strategic move, King Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and exiled the elite, the nobles and business people, taking thousands of them to Babylon. Not confined as we might think of captives, the people of Israel were encouraged to become part of the local city life — start businesses, raise families, settle in and become part of a community that worshipped other gods, Marduk and Nebo. They had little economic hardship and more advantages than those who remained in Jerusalem where the city and homes had been destroyed. The captured king of Judah, Jehoiachin, was invited to dine regularly at the king's table and the defeated people were encouraged to assimilate, threatening the loss of their culture and identity. It is into this situation that Isaiah, a person of great faith and vision, of passion for the spiritual life of the people and community, struggled to remind them of God's presence and concern. We know only Isaiah's side of the conversation but based on his words we can imagine that the Jewish people were questioning the value of worshipping the God of Israel. God hadn't rescued them from capture or saved their beautiful temple, the home of their faith life. Perhaps they should worship the local gods who were obviously more powerful and probably dominated the area where they now lived. Or perhaps God was punishing them for past sins or maybe life is ruled by fate, that whatever people do cannot change the future so why not indulge in the moment and not worry about gods. To this, Isaiah responded sounding almost exasperated, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? It is God who sits above the earth and beyond the sky; the people below look as tiny as ants. God stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; God brings down powerful rulers and reduces them to nothing." Isaiah's message throughout his writings was that life is not driven by arbitrary forces but is guided by a loving God who remains true to a universal plan of justice. All creation is to be restored to God's intended wholeness and Israel has an important role in that restoration. After reminding them that God calls the stars by name and not one is missing, he goes from cosmic to personal, God is majestic and also intimate. Isaiah calls out, "Israel, why do you complain that the lord doesn't know your troubles or care if you suffer injustice? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is everlasting God…God gives power to the weak and strengthens the powerless…those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength, they shall rise up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

During the past seventeen months, most of us in the United States have felt as if we have been in exile, exile from safety and security, from a protected life free from worries of terrorism or war, exile from our true selves. Things are different now. As New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd said, "The country is in a constant state of stress."¹ This is new to us though people of other nations have experienced it for years. On September 11, 2001, the loss of 3,000 lives reminded us of our own vulnerability though intellectually we knew that people die all over the world - that 200,000 people died in war in Guatemala and tens of thousands are dying of AIDS in Africa. However, when our nation was hit, we began circling the wagons, finding the loopholes in our security systems and willingly submitting ourselves to changes in lifestyle, as the tension ratcheted up a few levels.

Taliban, Al Quida, Iraq, North Korea, terror alerts — in the midst of our exile it is easy for us to wonder where is God in all this? In our fear, it is difficult for us to balance reasonable and needed security measures against a pull within us to find a god that will protect us whether it be neighbors and mail carriers spying on each other or implementation of systems that track our every purchase and email communication. How do you deal with it? We can hope for a Cyrus to conquer Babylon for Persia and release us back to our secure homeland, but will it happen as it did for the people of Israel? We worship God of Justice who cannot ignore evil and we worship God of Love that cannot abandon the lost child, not even one. So we take our responsibility seriously. We follow the news and discuss with each other. We stay aware, we pray and we make our thoughts and wishes known to our elected officials who are in decision-making roles. Day by day, when we feel faint and weary, powerless and exhausted, God invites us to be recharged us in a way that we can't do alone. Isaiah reminded those in exile, "God gives power to the weak, and strengthens the powerless, they will run and not be weary, walk and not faint."

God is cosmic and majestic, intimate and personal. From the Columbia, Ilan Ramon said in an interview from space, "We flew over Jerusalem. Israel looked so small and beautiful." Laurel Clark emailed to her family telling of how beautiful Mount Fuji looked from space, and the Sahara Desert, and the stars, up close. In Isaiah's words, "Because you are precious in my sight and honored, I love you." (43:4) In the assurance of these words may we break out of the feelings of exile and know God's peace as we pray. We remember Columbia's families and we pray for them. We remember the families of the helicopter crew and we pray for them. As our nation prepares for war, we remember the people of our armed services and all their family members and we pray for God's strength to be with them. We remember women and men and children of Iraq and all countries that could be drawn into war and we pray for them. They are all equal in God's sight, equally precious, loved and cared for.

This week as Westminster's interfaith medical mission teams depart for service in Guatemala, we pray for the people of the villages and cities who will be served. As they prepare for the team's arrival, as they walk or take buses from their homes to the medical sites, we ask God to be with them. Today, the team asks your prayers as we travel. As you depart this worship service, you are invited to take the name of a team member and hold that person in prayer through the next two weeks. On March 30, the team will be in worship to share stories of the people of Guatemala and the medical work.

We are all precious in God's sight. We are named by God and not one is ever missing. May God's peace and strength be with you, this week and always.

1. Dowd, Maureen, New York Time Newspaper, February 9, 2003