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In the last devotion, there was mention of the situation in the Central African Republic. A severe conflict cast as a battle between Christians and Muslims is going on. In the midst of this, groups calling themselves Christian militias are hunting down and killing Muslims by the thousands. Muslims are trying to flee the country but often cannot find the means to get out and have no where to go outside of the country.

While the Christian militias are anything but Christian, there are other Christians who are making a bold statement embodying the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In one community, a newly ordained Catholic priest went out looking for Muslims and invited them to come to stay at his church. He went door to door and out into the bush to offer sanctuary to the Muslims in his region. Some seven hundred people have accepted his invitation. Father Xavier-Arnauld Fagba explains, “When the Muslims were attacked, the people didn’t help them. That’s when I decided to look for them and bring them here. I did it in the name of my faith. My faith asks me to transcend the most difficult obstacles.” Amen to that! What an incredible witness to the Gospel. Father Fagba’s actions are not popular with the town’s people who are also Christian. His life has been threatened.

In another town, Catholic sisters have taken in more that five hundred Muslims giving them food, water and medicine in addition to sanctuary. In another bold witness, Roman Catholic Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga invited the president of the Islamic Community to come and stay with him. Imam Omar Kobine Layama accepted the offered hospitality. The Archbishop explains, “I live alongside him and I ask Christians to do likewise. Love should be a characteristic of Christians. You can’t call yourself a Christian if you kill your brother. You can’t call yourself a Christian when you hunt him down.”

While the dire circumstances in the Central African Republic have brought out the worst in people, and the worst from Christians, the conflict has also brought out the best of Christianity in the courageous hospitality offered to those who are being persecuted. Drastic situations often do that – either bring out the best or the worst from us. Lent is a time to prepare ourselves spiritually to be strong and true, bold in love and generosity, when we are put to the test.

Prayer: We pray for the people of the Central African Republic. We give thanks for those who are making an inspiring witness to the love that is at the heart of our faith. We pray for all who are victims of violence as well as those who are perpetrating violence. We pray for the strength to make a bold witness for love each and every day in our context whatever that may be. May Jesus be our teacher and our guide. Amen.

Information and the direct quotations in this devotion came from:

Christian militias take bloody revenge on Muslims in Central African Republic
By David Smith, Monday March 10, 2014, theguardian.com

War-torn churches shelter Muslims in Central African Republic
By Fredrick Nzwili, Feb 20, 2014, 2014 Religion News Service, at christiancentury.org

The Central African Republic, a small country in the middle of northern Africa, has been wracked by violence. Just about a year ago, the Seleka, a rebel Muslim group, organized a coup and installed the first Muslim president in a country where the vast majority of the people are Christian. This Muslim take over involved terrorizing and killing Christian men, women, and children.

What is the Christian response in such a situation? Jesus was attacked and he did not respond with violence. His followers were targeted and they did not respond with violence. They did not defend themselves or fight back. They were followers of Jesus. So, they emulated his example. They did not seek vengeance. They did not seek retribution. Their goal was forgiveness because that is what they saw in Jesus and he was their teacher. The early followers of Jesus sought non-violent reconciliation when they were attacked and put to death.

This is hardly the case in the Central African Republic. Most of the Christians are filled with hatred for the Muslims and are viciously seeking vengeance. Christian militia groups are killing men, women, and children. The children are not being caught in the cross fire but specifically targeted. Thousands of Muslims are desperately trying to flee the country. Evidently, the Christian militia groups would rather see the Muslims dead than gone. What kind of expression of Christianity is that?

Here we see the question which eternally rubs Christians: Are we to believe in Jesus or to follow him? The answer could be both. But more often than not, I think Christians today are more concerned with believing in Jesus than living like Jesus. Believing in Jesus involves accepting a set of propositions about Jesus. For some, these may include: That Jesus is the divine son of God. That Jesus physically rose from the dead. That Jesus reigns over the earth with God. And, perhaps, most importantly, that believing these things makes you square with God so that you will spend eternity in the presence of the Divine. In this conception of believing in Jesus, the stress is on what you think about Jesus. The emphasis is not on following his example and living by his teachings. It could be that the members of the Christian militias in the Central African Republic believe all of these things about Jesus and it in no way interferes with their killing spree.

Sadly, I think that most Christians are content with a faith of theological tenets rather than a faith of theological tenets inextricably linked with ethical demands. I believe that true Christianity must involve a theological commitment and an ethical commitment. Our faith requires both. And if our faith is truly grounded in Jesus then we cannot condone or accept violence as a method of working for justice in the world. The means do not justify the ends. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see complete consistency between the means and the ends. That is the only way to live as a Christian with integrity and honesty. We may fall short of our intentions, but we still have the intention. It can be easier to change your mind or your thinking than your behavior. It can be easier to say and sing something about Jesus in church on Sunday that give up your job developing guidance systems for drones.

This Lenten season is a time to examine our faith commitment. What do we believe about Jesus? How are we following him? In what ways can we bring those two commitments closer together?

Prayer: We offer our prayers for the people of the Central African Republic. In the spirit of Jesus, we pray for the Muslims and for the Christians. Surely there is pain in the heart of God over all the killing that has taken place. We pray that the Christians find a path to forgiveness, the heart of the Christian life. We pray that they find true freedom in non-violence. We struggle as well with our desire for retribution and the use of violence to resolve differences. We pray that we, too, may find the path to forgiveness. We pray that we may find true freedom in non-violence. May we believe in Jesus enough to truly follow him. May we follow Jesus enough to truly believe. Amen.

I recently got an email from the Red Cross asking for donations of clothing, etc. After the information about when they would be picking up in our neighborhood, there was the following description of the work of the Red Cross:

Every day the Red Cross assists people who’ve lost their homes due to fire, floods, and other emergencies. We are all powerless against the forces of nature, of war, of life-threatening accidents or of diseases. Through the Red Cross, we are all empowered to change lives. Thank you for your support as the Red Cross embarks on this new initiative to further provide service in our community.

Powerless. That word caught my eye. Powerless over the forces of nature? Powerless over war? Powerless over life threatening accidents? Powerless over disease? This is a far too apathetic view of life for me. I think human beings have been given a lot of power and there are many ways that we can influence all of these things. We are not simply hapless victims.

Scientists tell us that many of the weather related problems that are experienced today are indications of global climate change which humans are definitely able to influence and impact. We are not powerless.

World leaders, diplomats, church leaders and others have the ability to guide situations of conflict and seek peaceful solutions. Humans have created war. People perpetuate war. There is much room for human influence when it comes to war. We cannot say that we are powerless over war.

And what about life threatening accidents? Yes, many tragedies occur that are accidents pure and simple. But many things also happen that could be prevented such as deaths from drunk driving. Or operating faulty equipment. Or failing to take proper safety precautions. Or not changing the battery in a smoke alarm. There are so many ways that life threatening accidents can be prevented or certainly diminished. We are not totally powerless over such occurrences.

Now we turn to disease. Yes, people get random illnesses and diseases that cannot be accounted for. It happens all the time. But medical science is helping us to understand the many ways that we can prevent disease and health problems involving diet, exercise, and healthy habits. When someone who has smoked cigarettes for decades gets lung cancer, it is sad, but can we say that the person was powerless over the disease? No.

Terrible tragedies occur. Things happen that we have no control over. Yesterday I mentioned our son’s friend that was hit by two cars and killed. That is a heartbreaking catastrophe. But there are many ways that we can exert our power as individuals and as a society to foster life and well-being. As the Red Cross says, “we are all empowered to change lives.” We do not need to accept powerlessness. In fact, our faith teaches us that we should not accept powerlessness. Our faith tradition promotes proactive agency and involvement. We all have power. A lot of power. This Lenten season is a time to think about how we can use that power for good in the world.

Prayer: We pray for all those who suffer the ravages of war and weather, disease and devastation. May we reach out to those who are suffering with love and compassion. Help us to recognize our power to change the world, to work for good, and to take care of ourselves and one another. May we love ourselves, each other, and the world as we are loved by God. May we care for each other as God’s precious family. Amen.