Last week our Sonoma Valley was briefly filled with smoke from the Wildfire burning at the coast.  A sobering reminder that fire season is upon us.
This week our prayers are especially with those in the Spokane, Washington, area, where one of the most destructive wildfire events in that region's history is unfolding. More than 700 homes, businesses, barns, and other structures have already been lost. Tens of thousands of people have evacuated. Over a thousand firefighters from across the country are working around the clock, and many families still do not know what they will return home to. Even as firefighters have caught a small break from the weather, hotter and drier conditions are expected to return.
For many of us in Sonoma, stories like these are not difficult to imagine. They are memories.
We remember October 2017:  hurricane-force Diablo winds turned multiple fires into a regional catastrophe. The Tubbs Fire devastated Santa Rosa neighborhoods like Coffey Park and Fountaingrove. The Nuns Fire swept through Glen Ellen, Kenwood, and the Sonoma Valley. Across Sonoma County, 24 people lost their lives, thousands of homes were destroyed, and countless families found themselves evacuating in the middle of the night with only minutes to spare.
Nearly nine years later, many of us still pay attention when the wind picks up. We notice the smell of smoke. We glance at the hills during Red Flag Warnings. Some memories never completely fade.
Perhaps that is not entirely a bad thing.
Memory can deepen compassion. Because we remember what uncertainty feels like, we are able to pray with greater understanding for those who are living through it today. Because we remember neighbors helping neighbors, churches opening their doors, volunteers serving meals, and strangers becoming friends, we know that community is one of God's greatest gifts in times of crisis.
Faith does not remove uncertainty. It never has. Jesus never promised that storms—or fires—would not come. What faith does offer is the assurance that we are never abandoned. God's presence often arrives through ordinary people: a firefighter, a shelter volunteer, a neighbor with a trailer, a church that knows how to care for one another.
The fires of 2017 also taught us something practical. Being prepared is not an act of fear; it is an act of wisdom. If you have not done so recently, take a few minutes to make sure you have a "go bag" ready with medications, a few days of clothing, phone chargers, and basic necessities. Keep important documents—identification, insurance information, passports, and medical information—in a place where they can be gathered quickly, or store secure digital copies. Review your family's evacuation plan, and make sure everyone knows where you would meet if you had to leave home unexpectedly.
We pray that these preparations are never needed. But if they are, they can bring a measure of calm during a chaotic moment.
As a church, let us hold our brothers and sisters in the Spokane area, and throughout the northwestern United States, in prayer this week. Pray for families who have evacuated, for those who have lost homes, for firefighters and first responders, and for all who are weary from smoke, uncertainty, and waiting.
And let us remember what we learned here in Sonoma: the fire does not get the final word. Faith, resilience, generosity, and community endure long after the flames are gone. By God's grace, they are often what carry us home.

Grace and Peace, Pastor M@