A desperate plea from the frontlines of God’s Mission during the ongoing war in Ukraine. As this relentless full-scale russian war grinds on, we, the tired and vulnerable and broken volunteers, call out to Christians everywhere to think about what such wars mean and about our sacred duty inside God’s Mission of love and compassion and justice.
Standing in front of this suffering and this destruction, we put a question to you and to ourselves: how do we become a bridge of humanity and dignity and vulnerability toward the Mission of God, in a world being shattered by violence carried out in the name of so-called traditional Christian values?
Scripture reminds us that every one of us is created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and that every human life is precious and sacred, in russia and the United States and the collective West, and in Ukraine as well. As the apostle Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, NKJV). That truth requires us to recognise the dignity of every person caught in this war, whatever their nationality or ethnicity or politics.
What is actually happening here goes past comprehension. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and maimed, millions more have been driven from their homes with their lives permanently broken, thousands of cities and towns and villages have been reduced to rubble along with the infrastructure that kept them alive, and countless families have been torn apart with no idea what comes next. The trauma inflicted on the people of Ukraine will leave scars that take generations to heal, if they heal at all.
In the middle of suffering that does not let up, the words of Jesus come back to us: “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40, NKJV). As followers of Christ we are therefore obliged to be a tangible and steady presence of His love and compassion inside this war.
Our vulnerability, and yours as well, is a necessary part of serving that Mission rather than a weakness in it, since Paul was told, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NKJV). By accepting our brokenness and our limits, both you and we open ourselves to the renewing power of God’s love and become more usable vessels of His grace.
The bridge of humanity and dignity and vulnerability that we are trying to be rests on the hope of the Gospel, and as we serve God’s Mission through this war we hold on to the promise that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4, NKJV).
May we, as the global Body of Christ, come together in prayer and in solidarity and in selfless action, and be a source of hope and healing for everyone this war has touched. May we be willing to cross that bridge, trusting God to bring redemption and restoration to a broken world, whatever it costs us. We are paying our part of the cost, and we are inviting you to pay yours. Forgive us for the invitation, and for asking you to carry the cost of the Mission of God alongside us, in the middle of death and of life.
In the end this concerns the lives hanging in the balance far more than it concerns us, and those lives are waiting for you, for those of you living in peaceful places, to be the hands and feet of Christ during our darkest hour.
Peace be with you regardless. We wish you a silent night and a peaceful sky, the ones the children of Ukraine no longer have.
Taras Dyatlik, Ukraine
747 days of the ongoing full-scale russian war against Ukraine, waged to protect traditional Christian values by killing us in the name of values stripped of any person
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