It’s easy to see that we live in a world full of violence and strife. A world that God created good, but has the curse of brokenness since sin disrupted God’s design. 

Yet we were given the clear mission as followers to be peacemakers, to be those who love our neighbor as ourselves and to be those who do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Jesus said we are to be salt and light – change agents in a world of decay and darkness. (Matthew 5, Micah 6:8)

In light of the suffering we see around us nearly every day, and the knowledge of the continual bloodshed in conflicts around the world, our posture should be to turn toward God and ask for guidance on how we can respond. This can be challenging to do because of the fear, anger, confusion and other emotions that surface so quickly when we experience disruptive events in our personal lives or in the local, national or global news. 

That’s why, in 2019 our Covenant Members discerned a process that we could follow when we experience events such as these. It has three parts: Repent, lament and act.

• Repent – turn toward God and confess that we are in need of forgiveness and healing for our own failure to live as image bearers of God. Those who were created good with the calling to love our neighbor as ourselves. 
• Lament – crying out to God and expressing the pain, sorrow and sometimes anger we have when we experience suffering and brokenness in the world. Asking God to move to make the wrong things right.
• Act – asking the Spirit to lead us to join in the redemptive work of God around us. How might we be those who live as salt and light until Jesus returns to restore all things?

When it comes to repentance, it comes down to letting God search your heart as to what you are in need of confessing. Sometimes a written confession can be helpful, like this one we have read together at Mill City over the years:

We confess that we are in bondage to sin and brokenness, and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole hearts, we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have ignored the pain of the world, and passed by the hungry, the poor, and the oppressed. 

For the sake of your son, have mercy on us. By your Spirit, O God, take possession of our hearts, so that not only the actions of our lives, but also the words of our mouths, and the smallest thoughts in our minds may be guided and governed by you. Cleanse us from all our offenses, and deliver us from proud thoughts and vain desires. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name.

Lament can be challenging for us as well, we can sometimes come to believe that we are to only bring our positive emotions to God. You can turn to one of the many laments throughout the book of Psalms (3-5; 9-10; 13-14; 22; 25; 39; 41; 42-43; 54-57; 69-71; 77; 86; 88, and 140-142). 

Also, Pastor Aashish created this lament playlist and experience that you can follow here: Guided Lament Experience 

The choice to act is a choice to trust God. Trust that God will lead you at the same time we know that we aren’t able to fix or heal the world – but we can join in God’s work in the world, and trust that someday it will all be made new. In the Kingdom of God, healing and restoration is not “now or never” it’s “now or future” – so we ask the Spirit to lead us each day to join in. 

Some questions that can guide you as you ask the Spirit to lead: 

• What do you want me to learn? 
• What skills do you want me to develop? 
• How might I use my voice? 
• How might I leverage my resources? 
• What powerful prayers might I pray to engage the spiritual realm regarding this situation? 
• What actions can I take that make a difference in my everyday spaces?
• Who are you calling me to forgive?
• How might I be a peacemaker?

Jesus told us that in this world we would experience trouble – but that he offers peace. He said we can take heart and have courage – because he has, he is and he will overcome the brokenness of the world.