Dear friends,
It’s been almost two weeks since I promised to follow up on your brainstorming about how to effectively fight, using the weapons of Christ, for the coming of God’s Kingdom. In particular, I challenged all of us to look for ways to put our money where our mouth is, to think about how we can use economic action like strikes and boycotts to put backbone in our symbolic and spiritual acts, our protests and prayers.
I’m glad that I waited to hear Sam’s message last week on “Embracing the Messiness of Peacemaking” before getting back to you because her message is an important part of this; as you may have found if you tried to research the issues that God has placed on your heart, this stuff does get messy fast. As soon as you start talking about using money to pursue justice you step into muddy, muddy waters.
We’ve got to accept that. Mistakes will be made and barriers encountered, but we muddle along and do our best because for those walking in Christ’s way doing nothing in the face of so much suffering and destruction is impossible. Of course we try to find as much clarity as we can, and one good way to do that is to look at local issues and local power players, to call for local action.
So what have you seen? What do you know? It doesn’t have to directly relate to preventing warfare, although of course that is a hugely important concern. Is there a gas station famous for ignoring its leaking fuel tanks? Is there a hospital famous for overcharging and hidden costs? Is there a nursing home where people are mistreated? I invite you to reply to this email with your knowledge and your concerns. Together we can make a difference here in the New River Valley. If we find the right tipping point, if God is with us, even a small stone can start an avalanche.
May God bless us with the awareness and the eagerness to be that small stone.
God’s peace be with and through you all,
Andrew