Thought for the Week
Hello,It is with horror that I read the headlines this week of the bombing of a children’s hospital in Mariupol in war-torn Ukraine.
It reminded me of something that happened around the time of Jesus’ birth. King Herod, who ruled in Judea at the time, learned of some of the prophecies about Jesus and saw Jesus as a threat to his power. In a shocking display of cruelty he ordered the death of all male children under the age of two in an effort to kill Jesus. This terrible atrocity was named “the slaughter of the innocents”.
What hope is there for the innocents caught up in war? For the children who die before their time, or who lose their home, their family and their childhood to the harsh reality of conflict?
We can hope and pray for peace, but what our hearts really desire is more than peace – we want healing. We want to see the physical, mental and emotional scars erased. For the nightmares to end. We want the dead to live again.
This is sadly beyond humanity's reach.
But the Gospel message is that nothing is beyond God’s reach. Jesus, God’s Son, gave his life so that one day our hearts' desire will be fulfilled. The time is coming when the dead will rise and all our tears will be wiped away.
To those in Ukraine: our thoughts and prayers are with you. There is hope for those who have been lost.
We have a redeemer, and his name is Jesus.
Warm regards,
Gavin
