The Bus

“In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.”

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light!’” Do you hear the creative authority in God’s voice? “Let there be light; and there was light!” Do you hear the life-giving authority in God’s voice? “And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.”

“Listening to the wail of air-raid sirens, a mother and her 9-year-old daughter raced through the Ukrainian capital’s early morning darkness on Thursday to a clinic, where a bomb shelter promised escape from another Russian missile barrage. But the clinic was locked, the authorities said. After explosions roared and the dark night sky lit up from a missile explosion, the woman and her daughter were found dead among green trees and broken glass, just outside the door. So was another woman, and dozens were injured. ‘People were knocking, knocking for a very long time,’ the husband of the third victim, who gave his name as Yaroslav. ‘There were women and children and nobody opened the door.’ The latest casualties of Russia’s punishing and relentless campaign on civilians.”

In that war story do you hear the authority –not in God’s voice this time –
but in a human being’s voice? First – someone somewhere with authority ordered that air strike. Someone somewhere with authority ordered the bombing of that children’s clinic – a children’s clinic- underneath of which was a shelter. Somewhere across enemy lines someone with authority decided to send a bomb to kill, to maim, to destroy. Second–and to make matters even more horrifying and confusing – someone with authority let the doors to the bomb shelter be locked or perhaps another possibility is that someone in authority either forgot to unlock the door or people in authority created a policy that exists for keeping the shelter doors locked for some reason. Nevertheless – all of these decisions were made by people in authority – decisions that kill, maim and destroy.

And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate from the waters.” Do you hear the creative authority in God’s voice? “So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.” Do you hear the life-giving authority in God’s voice? “God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.”

Now I invite you to listen to a first-hand account of what life is like in Ukraine, and as you listen, be on the alert for the authority in this man’s voice – a different kind of authority from that which destroys and kills and maims – an authority that is affirming. This is from a Ukrainian named Misha Vavelios who is a writer and photographer.

What has changed in these months? Ourselves. There has never been such unity among our people. Everyone is helping and supporting anyone who’s in bigger need than themselves. We have begun to pray a lot, because we believe that God’s protection can stop the missiles that hit our homes.

We have been learning to be more thankful: for electricity a couple of hours a day, for warm radiators in the house, for a hot meal. We are thankful for the people from abroad who donate generously and try their best to support us. I am amazed at the fact that worldwide; people have united to keep Ukraine alive through this cruel war. And then he quotes the Bible. The Bible says: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21). I’ve never seen so much evil and so many good deeds as I have over this past year. Our belief is that good will overcome evil.

Do you hear the creative, life-giving authority in his voice – the power in his conviction that good will overcome evil, that those in need support those in even greater need, that gratitude is possible even when the object of your gratitude is a few hours of electricity or a warm radiator, or a hot meal? Do you hear the authority in his voice in the midst of such danger – that good will have the last word – that evil is best eradicated with goodness?

And on the third day, God spoke and created earth, seeds, and plants and every kind of vegetation, and God saw that it was good. And on the fourth day God spoke and created days and nights, seasons and years, and God saw that it was good. And on the fifth day God spoke and created swarms of living creatures, birds of the air and fish of the sea, and God saw that it was good. Do you hear the awesome wonder of God’s words? Do you hear the benevolent authority in God’s voice? Do you hear the life-giving creativity in God’s voice?

And on the sixth day God spoke and created humankind in God’s image. In God’s image humankind was created, and God blessed them and God saw everything God had made, and indeed, it was very good. Do you hear God’s confidence in your goodness? Do you hear God’s love for you in God’s voice?

Indeed, it was very good. God says, “let there be light” and there was light! God’s word is creative action. God’s benevolent voice of authority made all that is good and God’s benevolent voice of authority is passed on to Jesus. From our gospel reading, “And Jesus came and said to the disciples, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” Then Jesus runs with it and passes it along when he says with authority to his followers, “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations…go, therefore, for I now pass on this same benevolent authority now to you, my followers, my disciples, the people of Holy Trinity and Bristol Trinity.

From God the creator, to Jesus the Savior, to the Holy Spirit descended upon you and me, it is now up to us to be that benevolent, creative, good, life-giving voice of authority in a world torn apart by war and hate and suspicion, and a to a planet that was once so beautiful but is now under siege and groaning in pain.

I take you back to the war with another personal reflection of what it’s like to endure in a space rocked with both so much evil and so much goodness at the same time. Here’s what a pastor named, Volodymyr Brychka wrote; I will always remember the first weeks of this war, when thousands of people needed to be evacuated because Russian troops were destroying our towns and villages, and we were doing our best to help as many people as possible get out of that horror. One time, we were evacuating children from an orphanage. The route was dangerous due to constant shelling. There wasn’t enough space in the bus for everyone, so each person had a terrified child on their lap, who they were trying to calm and comfort.

Each person had a terrified child on their lap. In a war zone, riding in a bus, constant shelling all around them, yet each adult in that bus created a safe space for a terrified child. That’s God life-giving, benevolent, good, safe voice of authority in action. For whom do you create safe such spaces? For whom do our churches create such safe spaces?

How is the church like that bus – a bus courageously steering its way through a war-torn world and inside that bus are God’s people confidently and faithfully holding a terrified child – hold one who is hurting – safely, gently, and lovingly?

And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light! How do you share God’s light? How do we share God’s life-giving light to the world? How do we as communities of faith shine God’s light in the darkest places of the world? And Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” How does the Spirit come alive in you, in us, that we would have the courage and the fortitude and the confidence to hold a terrified child on our laps in a war zone?

Finally, brothers and sisters (from our second lesson for today) let’s begin anew right here, today as St. Paul invites us with gentle authority in his voice. “Finally, brothers and sisters…listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Amen.

Sources:
Premier ChristianityThe U.K.’s leading Christian magazine
The New York Times