After weeks of building up troops and assembling the machinery of war along the border with Ukraine, Russian troops were ordered in to invade and occupy a sovereign country. This is an act of naked aggression carried out by the bully who is President of Russia. Innocent civilians will be killed and wounded, homes and businesses destroyed, economies around the world disrupted so that Vladimir Putin can enlarge Russian influence and burnish his image as a conqueror.
It has been remarkable to see how many people and nations have put up resistance. Putin has ended up bringing many parties together across the world in order to call for an end of this military action. It is heartening to see.
As those who follow Jesus Christ, we cannot condone or ignore such behavior. Here are some ways we can take action: We can pray for the people who are most immediately threated and those who have experienced the violence firsthand. We can pray for God to be at work to bring an end to the conflict and let diplomacy and common interest for peace prevail. We can support the efforts of the U.S. and other nations bringing sanctions and economic interests to bear to bring about a peaceful and just resolution even if we may involve some personal sacrifice in the short term. And we can offer support to relief agencies that will be providing assistance to the people of Ukraine and the refugees fleeing the conflict. The United Methodist Church is active with many congregations in Ukraine and UMCOR has set up several ways to give either directly to these churches or through projects in the area. See https://www.bwcumc.org/news-and-views/ways-to-give-to-ukraine/.
This is a rapidly changing situation but we know that Christ always calls us to be peacemakers, to love rather than hate, to find ways to constructively engage with other rather than to choose violence.
Blessings,
Pastor Steve
A reminder: I hope you will join in the Lenten Study conversations starting Wednesday, March 9 at 7 pm. We will not be offering supper this year, but we will open the doors at 6:30 pm for those who might want to come early and enjoy a chance to visit with one another before we start the session. We will be viewing a lecture series on The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I have purchased some extra “slightly used” copies of this book and will have them available for any who want a copy.