Beloved sisters and brothers:
The escalation of war in the Middle East today is a source of fear and grief for our Anabaptist family around the world. For some, this is a new reality, for others it adds to the burden of violence carried for years or decades from local conflict. We see all of those who are being crushed under the machinations of the mighty; we mourn and we ask for God’s merciful presence among them. We condemn any justification of war as part of God’s will.
We invite our prayers to move us to action. And we invite our actions to be our prayers.
Our allegiance is not to presidents or kings but to the Prince of Peace. As members of a Historic Peace Church – that is, a church dedicated to the ways of peace – we follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who calls us to radical love of enemy.
- This love trains our hearts to see God in the human “other” whether enemy or friend.
- This love gives us the courage to seek justice.
- This love calls us to pursue right relationships interpersonally, at the level of organizations, among states and peoples, and with the rest of creation – all of which suffer harm amid conflict.
The power of Christ’s love rallies us not to pride that defends nations or ideological purity but to compassion for those who are suffering – regardless of national identity or political affiliation.
The teachings of Jesus remind us that the enemy is not the other person but our own instinct to create barriers and fall victim to enmity itself. We pray that as we find the courage to love, God’s transformative power would break cycles of violence that divide, oppress and kill.
Justice must accompany peace. Indeed, peace can only be present when justice that is restorative, truth-seeking and reparation-oriented is embodied. We confess our failure to seek a just peace. We ask the Holy Spirit to teach us humility and equip us with the courage to love. We ask for the wisdom to recognize and speak truth with prophetic clarity and self-giving love. We ask for the boldness to confront injustice despite risk to ourselves.
We resolve to speak out – whether to governments or fellow citizens – to question uncritical support to sources of ongoing violence and death.
As a global Anabaptist communion, we renounce violence – as Jesus did. We commit ourselves – as Jesus followers – to transforming unjust systems through active nonviolence. We call for states to cease investing in war and instead to begin the hard work of seeking the ways of peace – a peace that does not come through guns, missiles, or violent force – so that all may flourish.
Our words seem small and inadequate in the face of the crisis, yet we reaffirm our conviction that
“The Spirit of Jesus empowers us to trust God in all areas of life so we become peacemakers who renounce violence, love our enemies, seek justice, and share our possessions with those in need.”
(Shared Conviction 5)
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In the name of Jesus, Prince of Peace, amen.
Henk Stenvers,
president,
Mennonite World Conference
Previous comments from MWC
Other MWC resources
Other resources
https://sabeel.org/category/wave-of-prayers
https://mcc.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/palestine-and-israel
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