Scripture: 2nd Thessalonians 3:16
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.
Thought for the Day: I sat in a room recently and heard many in the circle lament about how our world was crumbling. They spoke with deep anguish about all the violence, some even suggesting it as a sign that the end was close. The news sure gives that impression, and there are so many horrific events – both close to home and in far away places – that absolutely break my heart. But to claim that our world is getting worse is to ignore the facts. Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker has done studies that others have confirmed – studies that clearly show a dramatic drop in the number of deaths caused by war and violence. In fact, just in the last 100 years it has gone from 300 deaths for every 100,000 people in the world to around 1 death for every 100,000. That is not an insignificant drop.
We ache every time we watch the news…another bombing; another civil war; another lone shooter. Yet recently, I was reminded about the Holodomor (a Ukrainian word that means: ”Extermination by hunger”). In the early 1930’s the Soviet Union put into play an intentional process by which a genocide was created through systematically planned starvation. Part of it was to demonstrate power over rebellions, but it also occurred because the Soviets wanted to show off their ability to build a subway system. It required a lot of workers who required a lot of food. It also required the means of purchasing foreign-built machinery. This meant taking the Soviet Union’s grain harvest from the farming regions and leaving the people on the farms to starve. Conservative estimates put the genocide at 5-7 million, other say it could have been as high as 10-12 million in a three year period. Those numbers are simply mind boggling.
I do not wish for us to feel overly good about where we stand today as I believe there are some around the globe who would seek to kill thousands, if not millions. But the trend cannot be ignored. There are many theories for why we’ve seen such a dramatic drop, but I tend to think it is rooted in the belief that one person can make a difference. Across nationalities and religions, there have been amazing examples of peace-making and nonviolent alternatives. Voices of reason and calm have often been pushed to the side, but never fully silenced. There is this beautiful tenacity among people of faith to seek a world where violence is no longer the first or second choice. As one young person recently said to me, “We claim to believe in God, but we appear to have no faith in God’s ability to find creative paths toward peace.” From my vantage point, there remains many who believe in the ability of God and God’s people to find that creative path.
Prayer: Lord, you offer us peace, while also yearning to see us become the models for peacemaking. Provide us faith, so as to believe that you can show us the way. Amen.
SUNDAY’S SERMON
Leap Before You Look
1 thought on “Ecclesiological Etchings: 06-04-15”
Very good devotional today. Thanks