Letter From Barry Milner – Churchwarden of Otley Parish Church
As I was leaving church in the late afternoon one day a few weeks ago, the peace of a spring day was shattered by the roar of a jet engine. Looking up, I saw a low flying military jet crossing over the town.
As I walked on, I mused that although I had been startled by the unusual loud noise I hadn’t been terrified, I hadn’t felt the need to hide, to find the nearest safe shelter.
What must it be like to live in a country where a plane going overhead would be a terrifying experience, or perhaps worse, to live somewhere where the noise of military hardware had become commonplace?
Let us give thanks to the Lord that we live in a peaceful democracy where despite political differences we do not resort to strength of arms.
As I walked home thinking of all the war-torn countries in the world: Ukraine, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen – a seemingly endless list – I felt powerless in the face of such inhumanity.
I thought of Jerusalem, a disputed place for centuries where violence is again breaking out in a city claimed by many religions to be a sacred place. The endless cycle of retaliation continues in what seems the most intractable conflict on earth.
I feel certain that most people living with conflict want peace, just the ability to get on with their normal lives, go to work, educate their children, practise their religion freely. But again and again lives are turned upside down by the actions of a few who believe violence is the only means to their ends.
As a Christian, what could I do in the face of all this terror and injustice?
I could lobby my MP, write to the papers, go on Twitter… or maybe I could pray!
Jesus spoke of ‘turning the other cheek’ and ‘my peace I leave with you; my peace I give you’.
In the book of Isaiah is the verse ‘They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore’.
The esteemed Russian sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich produced a bronze sculpture entitled ‘Let Us Beat Swords into Ploughshares’ depicting the figure of a man holding a hammer aloft in one hand and a sword in the other, hammering the sword into a tool to till the land. In 1959 he was given the award ‘People’s Artist of the USSR’ and the sculpture was gifted to the United Nations. If only the current Russian regime would follow this creed.
Through the period from Ascension Day to Pentecost we have been taking part in the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer initiative. Our building is always open as a place for prayer but during this period we joined together with churches of all denominations to pray to the Lord. To all dictators and despots around the world the message is not ‘your kingdom come’ but ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ – a King who came to serve, not to be served.
We are entering a time of change in our church life as Aaron guides us to develop youth work, pastoral work, community links, improved discipleship, and more inclusivity. So, let us all pray for discernment and guidance, for His will to be done.
