Just a week ago, on Easter Sunday, churches in Sri Lanka were bombed as believers gathered to worship the risen Christ. Some churches are now urging their members to worship and pray in the safety of their homes.
This article from The Atlantic offers an intriguing explanation:
“The exact motivations of the attackers are still not known. But they may have targeted churches in part because these spaces are powerful symbols of the West.”
“Symbols of the West.” We can respond with the words of John Oxenham’s hymn (1908):
“In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north.”
Dear Jesus, let believers in Sri Lanka and everywhere be such glorious reflections of You that we outshine our cultures.
There is no safety anywhere,
so pilgrim, bring a gun.
You got it right, the world don’t care
for you, or anyone.
They say that blessed are the meek
and those who are in pain.
I figure, turn the other cheek
so you can take good aim.
They that think we are merely lambs
bred for the killing-floor,
but I was trained by Uncle Sam
to open hell’s back door.
Some take shelter with the Son;
me, I’ll waste ’em, one by one.
You have a way with words, Andrew. Not the same way I have . . . God has a big gift basket of talents, and we use what He gives us. You and me, for God’s glory.