Out of Africa
The recent pictures accompanying the news coming out of Nairobi are far too horrific to display here and sadly far too common a sight. After an uplifting Hogmanay Watchnight Service in Glasgow Cathedral launching Hope 08 in Scotland the reality is that in many places in the world there seems to be anything but hope as human beings tear one another apart. Is there a solution? I firmly believe there is but it doesn’t come cheap.
I’m not referring to the money stashed in government coffers or private banks or personal savings schemes. Though much of the unhappiness prevalent around the globe would be remedied by a fairer distribution of the world’s abundance, the issues go deeper than having enough food to put on the table. I am conscious that is easy for me to say when I don’t have to worry about whether I will eat tonight or not.
As much as feeding the poor, healing the sick and protecting the vulnerable is a core responsibility of the follower of Christ the issue of much of the unrest that is demonstrated across the globe is due to something that even Christian believers struggle with: the need to forgive. Only forgiveness can break the cycle of revenge and Kenya will need to experience this as Rwanda and South Africa have had to do before this.
As I watch with horror and profound sadness at what is happening in Kenya my prayer is that those who have been brutalised will find another way to respond other than seeking revenge. The only way I know that can happen in truth and honesty is by experiencing the forgiveness that Christ offered in his dying words to those who brutalised Him. It is not a cheap fix, it’s the costliest of them all.
Jack Quinn