The picture above is of Gaza in 2024, but it could so easily be of a whole host of different places around the world, I confess to getting increasingly depressed, and overwhelmed by the sheer destruction of so many cities around the world. Apart from the destruction of property, what upsets me is the humanitarian cost of all of this, the piles of rubble in the picture in the picture above was once the homes of people, shops, businesses, maybe churches, hospitals, not wrecked because of an earthquake, but because sustained bombing in the name of war.
Over the last few weeks, I have listened to several debates on the BBC’s Question Time, and it is difficult to know who is right, and who is wrong, certainly, the current conflict began on Saturday 7th October 2023 when members of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas laid siege on Southern Israel around the Gaza strip and war ensued. There are calls for a ceasefire, but at the moment, that feels to be an impossible dream.
At my most negative, I find it depressing that if and when this situation is resolved, another conflict will arise somewhere else in the world and there will be another significant loss of lives, people will be displaced, fleeing their homeland, more lives will be lost as people attempt to cross the English Channel and more innocent lives will be lost, more cities will lay in ruin, industries will be lost, economies will crash, and I feel helpless.
Time and time again, I come back to my faith, the five most precious words to me are “God so loved the world” I am reminded of the creation story and how God looked at the world he had created and was pleased. How his heart must break when he looks at places like Gaza today.
The set Gospel reading for today Sunday 5th May 2024 is John 15: 9-17 and it is worth reading if you have a few moments, Jesus had demonstrated to his disciples what love in action looks like, he had gone out of his way to include the people that the world rejects “as I have loved you, so you must love one another” sorting the conflicts in the world is way beyond my capabilities, but I know this. If just one person reads this passage of scripture and changes hatred for love, then we take the first step.