War is in the news. Thousands of people are dying. In our church many members from the Congo are lamenting the start of new conflict there. I met a pastor from Ukraine last week on my retreat. He was on a mission in Germany when the Russian tanks rolled in to his country. His church was destroyed. Family members and church members were killed in the initial attack. He worked for weeks to get his wife and two children over to Germany to join him. Who will answer for the people who have been killed in Congo, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, and Palestine?
God, who created life, keeps track of life. As Abel’s blood cried out from the ground, the Lord heard and held Cain responsible for his actions. God is keeping track of the blood that is shed around the world. Someday, all who are responsible will give an account to God for the lives they have taken. What is the penalty for shedding blood of another? The murderer’s blood will be shed. As Jesus put it, “Those who live by the sword will die by the sword."(Matthew 26:52). This should make those who take lives tremble.
Why does God even care? God cares because humans were created in his image. In Christ, God came down and allowed his own blood to be shed to cover our sins. This kindness should lead us to repentance. God continued his vote for life when he told Noah and his family to be fruitful and multiply and increase upon the earth. Life emerged from death.
Life is in the news. My new pastor friend sat with me on a porch looking out over the hill country of Texas, literally watching deer and antelope play. He told me how he has planted a Ukrainian church in a small town near Cologne, Germany. Millions of Ukrainians who lost their family members, friends, and churches have become exiles all over Europe. In a country where 10,000 German churches close every year, my friend is seeing new Ukrainian churches forming and his people coming to know Jesus. What is happening in his country is not good. But God is bringing good in the lives of the broken people who run to him for life. As he spoke to our group, he showed no interest at all in the political conversations, though I am sure he has deep convictions. Instead, he fixed his eyes on Jesus, who endured the cross, scorning its shame. With him I pray for peace and restoration of what has been lost in Ukraine. And I pray that the whole world will be evangelized and re-evangelized with the good news of Jesus Christ so that we become disciples of Jesus, alone.
