“On October 7th, the world grieved with Israel as 1400 people lost their lives and over 200 others were taken hostage by Hamas. With a backdrop of centuries of anti-Semitic hatred and death, the world stood in solidarity with Israel and our Jewish friends across the globe. In the days since Oct. 7, we have seen grief turn into war. We’ve seen hatred lead to more hatred and violence beget more violence. We are now watching, praying, and protesting the spiral of violence as we see the State of Israel killing thousands of people in Gaza. Over 9000 people in Gaza have been killed, and nearly half of those are children. About 200 kids a day are being killed in Gaza, about one child every 10 minutes. These are desperate times, desperately in need of “light in the darkness.” It is a reminder that our work as Jesus followers is ongoing, and urgently needed at “such a time as this.”
At the heart of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is this idea that we are called to be peacemakers – to love our enemies – to overcome evil with good – to refuse to return harm for harm. It is holy work. As Jesus followers, we seek an end to the escalating violence in the Middle East, and a rise in hate crimes around the world. As Jesus followers we continue our steady work on all fronts to proclaim and embody the good news of Jesus – that there is a God who is near to the poor and oppressed, a God who is near to the grieving and the vulnerable.
It is a terrible day… but thanks be to God, we are not alone as we do this work. We have each other, and we have a God who has a special affinity for the ‘least of these.'”
(Adapted from a statement by Shane Claiborne, Co-founder of Red-Letter Christians)