A different way to race
Have you ever wondered why Jesus sent out his disciples two by two? No phones, no maps, and no bags – just each other and their annoying habits. Watching th...
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‘You will hear of wars and rumours of wars’, Jesus told his disciples as he neared his crucifixion (Matthew 24:6). In the darkness before his return, humans would tear one another apart again and again. This week, our news feeds have brought us not just rumours but high-definition footage of war. Israel and Iran are bombing each other.
The speed with which media outlets now deploy the word ‘war’ is telling. Born in the mid-90s – the so-called ‘end of history’ – I grew up with softer terms: ‘conflict’, ‘crisis’, ‘targeted strikes’. War felt like a relic, distant and abstract. But it never truly left. It has always lived in the human heart. We were merely insulated – by borders, privilege, and language.
That insulation has worn through. After Ukraine, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, and Sudan, euphemism no longer suffices. When heavily armed nations strike each other’s capitals, a spade must be called a spade. War is not returning. It was always here. Some of us just stopped saying so.
And yet, writing from a comfortable train in sleepy Cheshire, part of me still asks, ‘What’s it got to do with me?’ That’s partly a defence mechanism, a wilful hope that ignoring the pain will stop it touching me. But it’s also complacency, a failure to draw the line between rockets smashing into Middle Eastern apartments and the day-to-day world I inhabit.
In one sense, the web of finance, politics, and power that produces war is highly complex. But in another, the thing that causes people to kill is bone-headedly simple: we humans crave peace and security, and we can be scared, greedy, vindictive, and foolish. The fact that there’s food in my local Morrison’s and money in my bank account doesn’t mean that isn’t true of me. That I don’t know where I’d shelter from a rocket attack is just a matter of circumstance.
When we hear news of war, our response should start with supporting those directly affected, whether by praying for a just end to conflict, lobbying those in power, giving to aid agencies, or welcoming refugees. But it shouldn’t stop there. We need to be peacemakers in our own daily lives. We need to invite the Holy Spirit to root hatred out of us. We need to demonstrate Christ’s sacrificial love, fostering a culture of trust and selflessness in the UK’s workplaces, streets, and communities.
As the church, we must carry God’s grace into every sphere of our society – because as the bombs drop on Tel Aviv and Tehran, there but for the grace of God go we.
Josh Hinton
Head of Communications, LICC
Amen!!
A deep felt heart for all humans.
It’s what Jesus gave his life for!!
Pray for the peace of the leaders of the nations, that we may lead a peaceable life!!
Thanks Josh – this is really helpful. Like you, I experience a sort of cognitive disconnect between the images I see on the news and the leafy reality of my current daily life – even though I try really hard to stay informed about international conflicts and to do what I can to call for a more peaceful world.
Twenty years ago a million people took to the streets of London to protest at the Iraq war, and for many years before that, huge crowds would turn out for peace rallies, particularly around nuclear disarmament, and Christians were often prominent. Such things do still take place, notably for Palestine, but too many of us still leave the protesting to others. Protest on its own is not enough, but it is still a vital part of making a difference.
As the number and severity of international crises has risen in recent years, often with the UK playing a somewhat ambiguous role, has the voice of Christians also risen? I think we have some way to go.
It is so easy to think war is someone else’s problem, but this is a reminder that we have to be peacemakers in our own sphere of life.
This struck a chord with me. I have been saying for many years that I can only have a limited impact on the world in other places (but must still try). However I can have a really impact on my immediate world by trying to be both peaceable and a peace maker. The more we all do this, the more the world will travel towards true peace – not the absence of war but the active presence of all that is life-giving.
Amen
As far as possible, be on good terms with everyone. What do you do when someone is determined to kill you for no good reason?
Let’s remember there are many people from war torn countries living among us and in our churches. How can we love them well this week?