Winners & Losers

I was preparing the list of those who need our prayers this week and I needed more space than usual, as too many floated to mind too quickly. The unrelieved horror of the situation in Gaza is punctuated by the despair and brokenness of children held in detention, or by the ongoing recovery situation in Ukraine.

The Psalmist in this week’s Psalm cries out
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

So much of what is happening is from our desire to be victorious – to beat the other person. Whether we are talking to Russian separatists or Israel’s apologists, or to the spokesperson for the Immigration Department, it’s about beating the other person down – the enemy.

And what is the cost?
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

Is there anyone who really believes that the battle in Ukraine is worth the lives of all those innocents – those on the plane flight amongst them? Is there anyone reading this who truly accepts that our policy on asylum seekers is justified when children are beating their heads against concrete walls, ingesting poison and dreaming of suicide?

Is there a person amongst us who accepts that firing rockets into Israel or bombs into Gaza schools and hospitals will achieve anything more than obscene death and a new generation of hatred?
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

Our journey during August is with Jacob the trickster, who, from the moment of delivery is declared a character not to be trusted and certainly one to watch. He intends to win at all costs – even his brother’s trust, his father’s love, his own integrity. It is only after his critical, crippling, encounter with God that Jacob becomes capable of new life and reconciliation.

The modern day tricksters, the spin doctors, would have us believe that we can justify war, imprisonment and punishment, because winning is the only game in town. War brings peace and the collateral damage of children and other innocents is the way of the world.

I refuse to believe that.
I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;
Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.

When the Old Testament speaks about God, it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We are inheritors of this story, descendants of Jacob. This God who popped Jacob’s hip sends us limping into world, speaking of a different way, believing in an entirely different victory.

The laurels of triumph lie not with Caesar, but with Christ.

At this moment, our prayers are all we are able to offer into many situations – apart from donations to those who are offering support to those in need – but we can articulate our hope in Christ. When we are near despair, we can trust that the cross still speaks, we can challenge all our political leaders who use economics and other false arguments to justify the suffering of children.

When we hear about Gaza, we can live out forgiveness and reconciliation in our families and communities and talk about other ways of resolving crisis than the paradigm offered by those who believe revenge equals justice.

When we grieve with families who have lost those they love in Ukraine, we can talk about grief and unfathomable loss and wonder together how we might once again find hope and the possibility of life. And then eventually forgiveness.

We are not inheritors of Caesar’s empire. We are children of the crucified and risen Christ. In the crises before us, we will sing that song.