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Always a better way

In times of violence, the Church must proclaim the Gospel of hope. 2 Samuel 11:1-15

Context

The advisory finding of the United Nations (UN) International Court of Justice (ICJ), published on 19 July, that “Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) is unlawful and that, consequently, Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible”, represents the latest attempt to address the conflict between Israel on the one hand, and its Palestinian population and neighbouring countries on the other: a conflict which has seen over 700 related UN Resolutions passed since the establishment of Israel in 1948. 

A positive sign emerged last Tuesday, with an agreement signed in China between Palestinian factions and longtime enemies Fatah and Hamas, plus 12 smaller Palestinian groups, “to form a unity government to govern the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip following the end of the Israel-Hamas war”. 

[Editor’s note: Warning – the following paragraph contains links to graphic images.]

It seems, however, that there is still a long way to go before the end of this war is in sight; and, whatever our opinions on the conflict, it is hard not to despair at accounts and images of the consequences of its violence.

Ideas for sermons or interactive talks 

The abuse of power is as old as power itself. The Bible takes little more than three chapters to build up to the first murder. The opening scenes of Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey depict a warring tribe of primaeval ape-men discovering that a bone gives their blows greater force. It sometimes seems that, for all the good they do, almost every discovery and invention, from fire and the wheel to nuclear power and the internet, has been abused by one person or group to assert control over another. From domestic abuse to international conflict, our media are full of reports of domination by violence. 

It may be hard not to despair; but while individually we may sometimes feel like giving up, despair is not an option for the Church community. When a Christian finds their faith faltering, their Church community is there to carry them through the dark time. When the nations are divided and at war, the Church community is there to demonstrate a way to live in peace, celebrating our differences rather than using them as excuses for conflict. That is implicit in its purpose, and if the Church fails to offer this hope, it is no longer the Church of Jesus Christ. 

We have been entrusted with the Gospel, and the Gospel assures us that no matter how bad things may be, sin and suffering can never have the last word. Not even death itself could terminate Jesus’s message of hope, and this is his – and our – gift to those in despair, whenever and wherever we encounter them. A silence shared or a word spoken may be all that is required to bring hope in a personal crisis. A donation made or a petition signed may be all that is required to bring hope in a time of conflict. 

The suffering of our friends and families cries out for our personal involvement in restoring hope. The suffering of the sick and injured, the excluded and the destitute, cries out for us to support agencies bringing hope where hope has been lost.

Questions for discussion

• Has our Church helped us in times of despair? If so, how? 
• How might we avoid making conflicts worse? 
• How might our Church become better at resolving its own internal conflicts? 
• How might our Church contribute better to resolving conflicts in other situations? 

 Robert Beard is an NHS worker and Church of England priest. 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

The summer holidays are here! Whilst many may be mentally letting our hair down and embracing the change of routine, today’s verses bring us crashing back down to earth with a kick of reality.

It may be a buzz kill, but it’s essential that we call out abuses of power.

Abuse of power is the misuse of authority to gain an unfair personal advantage. The most common way to achieve this is through deceit, twisting and manipulating situations and facts.

Researchers have explored why people abuse their power. What strikes me from their results isn’t to do with those committing the abuse, but their accomplices. Whilst many are fully aware of what is going on and allow it to happen, an even greater number either do not recognise it or are too scared themselves, accidentally becoming a passive accomplice.

Our passage this week challenges us on two levels. One is to not abuse our power like David, and the other is to speak up against those things that are not fair. When we see and witness abuse of power in action who do we advocate for? Let us not let the mentality of ‘letting our hair down’ turn us into passive accomplices this summer. Take a moment to consider what that looks like in your area.

Lindsay Wright is a freelance designer and writer at www.lwcreative.co.uk

Views expressed are the authors' own. Hypertext links to other websites are for the convenience of users only and do not constitute any endorsement or authorisation by ROOTS for Churches Ltd.

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