Consequences. Rarely do we really think about the consequences of our actions. Today I live with the consequences of my actions from my days on the farm. We never thought much about hearing protection when I was growing up on the farm and helping out with the farm work. All the grinders, choppers, revved up tractor engines, etc. There was a lot of noise on the farm. I didn’t think about the potential damage it was doing to my inner ears. Yet today I am dealing with the reality of damaged hearing that has worsened in the last six months. Thank goodness for the technology that goes into hearing aids. It helps. It can’t and won’t restore my hearing to what it used to be, but it is helping me overcome the issues I am currently dealing with.
Even more rare is the thought about the long-term impact, or the consequences, of our actions affecting generations later on. Is it really possible that my actions today could impact my children, my grandchildren, my great grandchildren, or even my great great grandchildren? The truth is, in my ministry experiences, I have seen behaviors passed down multiple generations and yes, this impact can be both positive and negative.
Today, once again our world is witnessing the consequences of actions from centuries and generations in the past. This past Sunday morning many of us woke up to the news that attacks had been carried out by Hamas against Israel. Yes, Hamas is a Palestinian Militant group that many nations, including the USA, consider a terrorist organization. Please know that not all Palestinians are represented by or believe in Hamas. Not all Palestinians are Muslims; some are Christians. Not all Palestinians can be lumped into one, just as all Israelis cannot be lumped into one, just as all American’s cannot be lumped into one.
The last time Nancy and I were in the Holy Land we had dinner with a wonderful Palestinian family. The food was great, and the conversation was filled with hope, love, laughter, and friendship. In fact, one of my treasured pieces from that trip is a chalice (made from wood) with the scene of the “Last Supper” carved in it.
So, the consequences that I am thinking of today goes back to Genesis 16 in which Abram is promised to have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky…by his wife, Sarai, who is unable to have children. Yet, God has made the promise to Abram about his future and his extended family. Sarai takes matters into her own hands and takes her Egyptian servant and tells Abram to have children with her. The thought is the child will be Sarai’s because Hagar is Sarai’s servant. Abram unfortunately says yes to this arrangement. Hagar does bear a child, but then Sarai despises the child, Ishmael, and treats Hagar and the child with contempt and abuse. Then Sarai becomes pregnant. By this time God has renamed her Sarah, and she gives birth to Isaac.
Long story short and simplifying things a bit, Ishmael and Isaac live very different lives and in constant tension. From Isaac comes the nation of Israel and from Ishmael comes the people we today refer to as Palestinians. And the consequences, tension, and even hatred that started so long ago is still being lived out today. My heart breaks…lives are lost on both sides…and the circle of meaningless violence continues on.
Today may our prayers and our actions be for that of peace in our world. In great part, God’s Kingdom is about peace; the lion and the lamb lying down together. Isaiah 11 and 65 both speak of this image as a part of God’s new creation, God’s new order, and God’s Kingdom made real. May the consequences of our actions, short term and long term be about bringing God’s peace here on earth. As the song says, “Let there be peace on earth…and let it begin with me.”
Pastor Keith