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Beloved,
Our Episcopal leader, Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, has written a message in response to the current crisis in Gaza and Israel. I commend it to you. Also, in this message you will find the prayer Pastor Ben lifted on October 12, 2023, the day after the renewed active conflict in that region and in observance of Indigenous People’s Day. It is a powerful prayer in these difficult days.
By God’s grace, may we be a people of peace, making gentle our bruised world.
Peace,
ginger+
October 12, 2023 | A Message from Bishop Easterling
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God. — Matthew 5:9
Beloved of God,
I greet you in the name of our Savior, Jesus, who lived, died, and is resurrected for the sake of reconciliation and peace. As many were concluding the Jewish festival of Sukkot on last Saturday, Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israel, killing more than 900 individuals and injuring thousands more. The carnage was exacerbated as individuals were taken hostage, brutally attacked and terrorized. This reprehensible act was wrought by air, land, and sea, harming many innocent civilians, including women and children. In response to this violence, Israel declared war against Hamas.
The world rose to condemn these heinous acts, as it should. There simply is no justification for such loss of life.
And the full truth requires an acknowledgment of the multi-faceted issues and longstanding conflicts in this region. The conflict is deeply rooted in a complex web of historical, political, social, and territorial issues. There has been aggression, violence, and bloodshed at the hands of both Israel and Palestine. Both claim rightful ownership of common land. Palestinians argue against what they perceive as Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, including the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel asserts that Hamas poses a security threat to them, including ongoing rocket attacks and suicide bombings. They also believe the disputed lands to be theirs without question or need for compromise. Both sides claim Jerusalem as their capital, resulting in a major point of contention. Further, religious sites such as the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque continue to be a source of debate and protest.
Multiple administrations have worked tirelessly for a two-state solution, one Israeli and one Palestinian, with neither side being willing to compromise to bring this plan to fruition. That unwillingness has cost countless lives and frustrated efforts for peace since World War I. As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., very aptly stated, “It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.”
We all weep with the families who have lost loved ones, both Israeli and Palestinian, and we pray for peace.
And we must weep for those around the world who are also living through war, prolonged violence, and terrorism. As we have been called to pray for the conflicts between Israel and Palestine, Ukraine and Russia, there are myriad armed conflicts in the world right now. According to Global Citizen, over 2 billion people currently reside in conflict-affected areas. These areas include Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and Mexico. Innocent lives are being lost, individuals are being dispossessed of their homelands, hunger is leading to unbelievable atrocities and rape is regularly being used as a weapon of war. I lament that we seem to call attention to pain in some parts of our world while ignoring the suffering and devastation in other parts. While God detests violence anywhere, God holds all life sacred everywhere.
There is not a single mainstream religious tradition founded upon the notion of hate, domination, or hierarchies of human worth. All those who believe in peace and the right for every human being to reach their highest potential must work together for an end to violence of any kind. The World Council of Churches invites all religious communities to embrace an embodied ecumenism that will “never seek to divide or conquer, to exploit or humiliate, to overwhelm by violence or enforce unity, nor to collude anymore with the inequalities of the world.” I join them in rejecting politics shaped by deepened individualism, dangerous nationalism or increasing militarism.
The United Methodist Book of Resolutions is clear on this subject. It states, “Peace is not simply the absence of war, a nuclear statement or combination or uneasy ceasefires. It is that emerging dynamic reality envisioned by prophets where spears and swords give way to implements of peace; where historic antagonists dwell together in trust; and where righteousness and justice prevail.” As the children of God, we believe this prophetic vision is not just a dream or a passive prayer; rather, it is our calling. We are called to acts of mercy, peace and justice.
As Mother Teresa stated, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” May we remember our common bond, common calling, and common Creator and may we be willing to sacrifice for peace.
Blessings and peace,
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling
Baltimore-Washington Conference and Peninsula-Delaware Conference
The United Methodist Church
October 12, 2023 | A Prayer from Rev. Ben Roberts
Holy God,
Who molded the dirt and rocks into mountains and plains, who drew the coastlines, and carved the depths of the seas. You who brings life through word and breath. We come in prayer seeking your presence this day.
We hold a collective breath as we see escalations of violence. We hold on to hope that better ways of life together are possible.
We pray for those who feel trapped between warring powers. We pray for those in Gaza and those in Israel. We prayer for those in Ukraine and those in Russia. We pray for Yemen, for Libya, for Mali, for Niger, for Burkina, for Syria, for Somalia, for Haiti…
God we pray for places where people live in fear, for children caught in crossfires, for all who seek peace but are subsumed by the chaos around them. God be help amid the danger.
We pray knowing that the land we inhabit is not land we own, not land we’ve earned, but land that was taken by force. It is land that is sacred but treated in exploitative ways. Help us in living these days to continuously unravel colonialism’s violent hold. Show us those places where we still contribute to the endurance of destructive forces while helping us to release our part in it.
We give our thanks for the rising sun, the promise of new life. We give our thanks for the warmth of summer that encourages growth. We give our thanks for the sacred darkness of night that gives us rest. We give our thanks for the time of winter, that helps all creation lay still. Help us be courageous in every season of life.
Amen.
Rev. Ben Roberts
Associate Pastor/Executive Director of Programs and Justice Ministries
Foundry United Methodist Church
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