Terrorist Violence and Christian Hope

You’ve read and seen the news. Israel suffered a massive terrorist attack at the hands of Hamas, a Palestinian group whose one goal is the eradication of Israel. Hamas has been clear about this since their inception and they control the Gaza strip politically, economically, and socially. And polling data has consistently shown that the majority of Palestinians in Gaza support Hamas and their political goals.

For its part, since 2005 Israel’s policy toward Hamas has been one of neglect. Israeli leadership has thought that at the very least, Hamas has stabilized Gaza and offered structure to Palestinian society. At the same time, Israel has experienced internal political turmoil over the current Prime Minister’s plan to limit the power of the country’s judiciary.

All of that went out the window last Saturday, and the reaction inside the Jewish state is one of grief and outrage over the 1,200 people (at this writing) brutally murdered in a terrorist attack that stunned Israeli intelligence and the country’s politicians. As I’ve watched the news unfold, I’m reminded of how so many Americans, myself included, felt in the days following 9/11. While I know that there are two sides to every story, the wanton murder of so many civilians, especially children, is an unspeakable horror.

The hostages from several nations seized by Hamas remind me of the hundreds of Ukrainian children that Vladimir Putin and the Russian army took from their homes and parents in 2022. And like Ukraine, Israel has suffered a horrid attack from individuals bent on their destruction. In both Ukraine and Gaza, those hostages will be extremely difficult to free meaning that their suffering and the suffering of their loved ones will continue well into the future.

A bleak picture

It’s a bleak picture. Outbreaks of war and violence are never pretty and sadly, we are seeing them across the world. Even the country where I live, the United States, has become more unstable and divided. None of us who live today are immune from the consequences of the Fall of humanity described in Genesis 3 and indeed throughout Holy Scripture.

Yet God calls us to live in this world. I’m reminded of the prophet Daniel who not only lived in captivity in Babylon but thrived as God’s follower in that very world. Daniel understood that world, but he also understood the greatness of the Triune God that we Christians claim to serve. No matter what, no event can thwart God’s purposes for us, for humanity, indeed for his entire creation.

So, what can we do as we watch this horrid violence unfold? First, we speak. We condemn this horrid attack that has killed and injured thousands of innocent civilians. And in our condemnation, we look for ways to support the families of those who have been killed or taken hostage. There are good organizations like World Central Kitchen (one of my favorite relief organizations) who are doing yeoman work feeding those who are suffering in Ukraine, and in crisis spots throughout the world.

Second, we encourage our government to support just policies and oppose dictators like Vladimir Putin and terrorist organizations like Hamas. At the nexus of both of these wars is Iran. Iran is supporting Russia with military arms and supporting Hamas through all kinds of military and logistical means. Meaning that U.S. support for both Ukraine and Israel are critical at this moment. Too many cowardly politicians want us to withdraw from both places, why I don’t know. Perhaps it’s easier for them to sprout propaganda than deal with the reality of the world we live in. Write and call your congressional offices and encourage them to support the citizens of Israel and Ukraine.

Third, Christians must passionately condemn anti-Semitism wherever we find it. Anti-Semitism is once again growing in the United States and around the world. It’s a virulent disease that led to the slaughter of six-million Jewish people in the World War II holocaust. Do you realize that so many younger people in the U.S., Canada, and Europe do not even know what the holocaust is? How about you and your church. Is your congregation willing to speak about and condemn anti-Semitism? As Christians we need to speak the truth that all human beings are created in the image of God and that Christ’s sacrifice is for all who will embrace it. As the Sunday school song puts it, “Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in his sight!” I would probably add, “city and country, left and right” to the song as that reflects some of the major differences we face in the United States.

Prayer for hope and justice amidst suffering and violence

Finally, we must pray. We pray for care and comfort for all on every side who’ve been brutalized by this unconscionable attack. We pray for justice against the perpetrators. And we pray that we won’t be consumed by emotion and hatred toward others. And that is how I want to end:

Triune God, once again we witness the horror of violence and brutality.

We shocked by senseless death, and by the hatred of so many.

Our hearts break for the civilians, people who were living their everyday lives when the terror and violence came.

And our hearts break when we see anti-Semitism once again rear its ugly head on the streets of Israel and in the words and actions of people in our own country. The lies, the conspiracy theories all directed against people of Jewish descent; people whom you have called your people in Holy Scripture.

We desire justice. We don’t fully know what that looks like, but we do know that it involves the removal from power of those who perpetrated these horrific acts.

We desire peace, but a just peace–one that will allow people to live and work together; a peace that is not merely the absence of war.

We pray for Israel and its citizens. Please comfort and care for them in this time of their great need. We pray the same for Ukraine and its citizens, as they suffer through the consequences of what seems like endless war.

Triune God, we’re reminded once again how fragile our lives are and that we live daily in your gracious care. Help us to be aware of the sufferings of others.

And help us to speak and live by the good news of Christ’s gospel.

Amen