Israel
Feast of Isaac Schereschewsky
Dear Brothers and Sisters
Greetings in the crucified Lord Jesus.
The attack of Hamas in southern Israel was radically evil. Whenever we encounter this, it is terrible and shocking. In this case, there is an inevitable echo of the pogrom and holocaust. We as Christians have a special responsibility to stand in solidarity with the Jewish people.
The attack cannot help but remind us, more recently, of ISIS. In the face of such a threat, Israel has a right to defend itself.
But as Christians there is more we need to say. We honor and respect the Islamic faith, and do not associate it with such abhorrent actions. We grieve with the recent victims. We pray for protection for civilians on both sides of the border. We intercede with the Prince of Peace for a swift end to the war. We continue to hold in prayer Christians throughout the Middle East. We hope that, in time, and by a path we cannot discern, the possibility of peace, both between Israel and the Palestinians, and more widely in the Middle East, might yet be preserved- ‘you intended it for evil, but God for good…’ (Genesis 50:20).
Shalom,
+GRS
