Bells and bush fires

'To you, O Lord I cry. For the fires have devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees and fields. Even the wild animals cry to you because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness. Joel 1:19-20
Bells have been a part of human life for many years. I recall some years ago the arrival of the bells to complete the set at St Saviours Cathedral in Goulburn, our Mother Church. They had been brought to Goulburn on the back of a semi trailer to be installed in the bell tower. They were all named after the ships of the First Fleet and now summons people to worship and on occasions of celebration and on times of  drawing a community together.  I can think of bells as church bells,dinner bells,school bells, fire bells, all used to gather people. In these terrible times when our country is on fire and lives, property, fauna and wildlife are perishing in unprecedented fire storms and mega fires,we lost the  church of St Saviour's  at Quaama near Cobargo. It had stood there for over 100 years a place of gathering, but the one thing that was left standing was the bell on its bell tower. I see this as a real symbol of hope. It will ring again in the future to gather people of that community  when the crisis is past,to grieve all the losses and to bring comfort and hope. How special is that. The one thing that gathers God's people has survived to gather yet again.
Let there be hope - let there be love.
Anne, servant of the Lords.

The bell --Retreat center Mittagong