43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
These red letters are as provocative today as they were when Jesus first uttered them in the 1st century. A profound revolutionary instruction so challenging and so counterintuitive that if one followed it, the world would surely change. A world filled with little to no reverence for God as the source and standard of goodness by which all evil is contrasted. Instead, human-sourced ethics and obscure moral calculus drive us into common conflict, intense vitriol, disproportionate responses, and an endless loop of retaliation.
What if we responded to evil with something that isn’t innate to human nature or grounded in humanism? What if we were so compelled by an otherworldly supernatural kind of love that it would transform our world? Yes, this superlative of love means a radical open posture toward falling victim to subjugation and violence. It not only looks foolish—it defies human understanding and man-centered convention. Everyone in their “right mind” can understand a vendetta and anyone can empathize with the resolute feelings of vindication, but what we need is a renewal of our minds. Not just a clear vision to distinguish truth from falsehood or the wisdom to discern right from wrong, but a paradigm shift in our souls—which yields new thinking and feeling.
Can you love your enemies enough to pray for them and earnestly seek their good? If so, would there finally be peace in the Middle East?
Seasons offer us a look at the recurring cycle of life as it is found in nature. It is a window to further theological re-thinking and worth one’s consideration. Natural revelation reveals to us a Creator intimately involved in the minutia of creation, reflecting both His character and unique signature for those seeking to find.
Take, for instance, the Autumnal season, which conjures up thoughts of the fallenness of mankind—a fundamental flaw deep in our DNA, resulting from the freedom to choose, or more precisely, the freedom to love or not love. Jesus’ timeless ethical prescription to love your enemy is set universes apart from any societal standard of ethics or moral consensus through the generations.
I was recently chatting with my father about the war in the Middle East, and we talked about Jesus’ teachings, particularly this very passage. He then recited a Filippino idiom based on these teachings, “Pag binato ka ng bato, batuhin mo ng tinapay.” When translated to English, it means, “When you get stoned, throw bread.” What would change about the escalating conflict in the Middle East if either side “threw bread” instead of stones—thousands of care packages instead of rockets?
Look to the Middle East, and you will also see the effects manifesting within our neighborhoods…
Deep seeded hatred in hearts
Nationalist fueled dehumanization
Confusion over the facts further obfuscated by cultural/political spinrooms
Mounting tensions between Western and non-Western ideologies
Propagated and, at times, unsubstantiated crimes on either side
Oppression leading to escalated retaliation, barbarism, and unspeakable atrocities in the present and throughout the history of the conflict
Reluctance to be precise with language
Misappropriation of incendiary rhetoric
Tribalism in support of either side of the conflict
Supposed neutral voices show their true colors
Evoking holy war in no uncertain terms (whether by charter or public address)
What will be the outcome?
Where do we even start to address any of this?
Jesus’ person and work offer reconciliation and peace between mankind and God. But it doesn’t stop there! Such Shalom (peace) deep within results in the everpresent potential and sheer possibility of peace between individuals—warring factions, tribes, and nations.
Praise and Prayer
Reasons to praise the Lord this Autumn:
Our third child and second son, Shilo Ruah, is healthy and developing very well through these first two months of life!
We got to meet with a Walsall City Councillor (elected official) and two prominent leaders who work for the City Council in the voluntary sector.
They spoke of the history of the Delves estate and some of the specific issues plaguing the area. There are excellent opportunities to create programs for young families, youth work (after school programs), etc—Redemption Hill will be in position to engage in these particulars.
Mary, a woman I met and got to pray for at the Food Pantry, is now attending our Alpha Course on Thursday nights!
Join our family and ministry partners in prayer:
Pray for health for our family as we head into a busy season.
Pray for my consecutive weeks of service (in order) from October to December:
Lead worship
Lead worship
Host service
Preach
Setup and A/V
Lead Worship
Preach
Pray for sustained ministry partnerships and provision from the Lord through the generosity of his people to address any deficit in our funding.
Pray for more intentional Gospel oriented interactions with Anne-Marie, Awatif, Jordan, Mary, Moira, Thomai, and Trevor (just to name a few) from the Food Pantry.
Pray for more inroads to new partnerships with local contacts in South Aston and Walsall. We’re aiming to serve the community by establishing services such as openning a branch of the Places of Welcome.
The temperature in Birmingham
As the war in the Middle East continues to rage and fill many a heart with sorrow and outrage, we’ve found that residing in Birmingham has offered us an interesting vantage point. As many of you know, our charitable/ humanitarian work involves regular interactions with Muslims of various ethnic backgrounds. So far, not very many who attend the Food Pantry have brought up the war in conversation. It has mostly been non-Muslims who have broached the topic after exchanging pleasantries and a warm cuppa tea offered as part of welcome and hospitality.
If you were to drive a quarter of a mile down a street in South Aston, you would surely see a Palestinian flag atop a terraced home or on the bumper (or side) of a vehicle. We’ve seen protests in London that have gotten pretty rowdy, as well as inflammatory news segments calling for Britons to treat Hamas supporters like they did Al Queda supporters. I personally haven’t seen any reason to suspect danger or even conflict where we work and do ministry, but I have heard that those who support Hamas or Hezbollah assume a neutral posture.
This reminds me of a viral video that circulated on social media over a decade ago, which has now found new interest among those researching the history of the conflict. It was a scene from my Alma Mater, the University of California San Diego, back in 2010. Dr. David Horowitz, A Jewish author and conservative activist, engaged in a Q&A session with students after giving a lecture. A student who was part of the MSA (Muslim Students Association) began asking Horowitz about the supposed link between the MSA and the Jihad terrorist networks. He began his answer with a question about whether the student condemned Hamas.
To cut through her evasiveness, which was marred with jargon and red herrings, he intensified the question:
“I’m a Jew. The head of Hezbollah hopes that we will gather in Israel so he doesn’t have to hunt us down globally. For it or against it?”
The student’s response:
“For it.”
The audience was left stunned.
Pray that the Lord’s work will be done in South Aston and Walsall as it is in Heaven! 🙏🏽
Join the community by becoming a paid subscriber and get access to our entire archive, exclusive content, and the ability to post comments.
