"Love Wins!"

It has been a bad weekend for those hoping for a simple and quiet life.

The outrages in the Nairobi Shopping Centre, in Kenya, and the suicide bombers at All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, have killed many and shaken many more. And many of those killed have been Christians.

I was at a conference over the weekend, bringing together people from many cultures, seeking to respond positively to Muslim people in Britain. One of the delegates has family in Peshawar, and he discovered that 4 of his wider family were killed in yesterday's attack. We prayed for him and his family, and for the beleaguered Christian community in Pakistan. 

But how do we respond in the face of these terrible events? 

How do we react to the hatred and violence of others? 

What would Jesus do? 

What might it mean to imitate God?

St. Paul had to face just these sorts of questions, as he was nearly killed many times, and himself been a persecutor and aggressor towards Christians. 

'Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. (Romans 8.35-37)

At our conference, as we shared Holy Communion together yesterday, we were reminded that because Jesus' body was broken for us, our brokenness can be healed, and our own lives can be mended. 

The job isn't finished yet, but the resurrection of Jesus tells us without a shadow of doubt that, at the end of everything, "Love Wins!" 

Or as St. Paul put it, 'And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8.38-39)

And this Good News is worth sharing with our friends and neighbours. 

So we can invite many to join us this coming Sunday, as it is 'Back to Church Sunday'. 

Pray that people will come and discover that 'Love Wins!'

Best wishes,

Richard