From: Jon Eide (MTW Ukraine Country Coordinator): We all have before/after moments in our lives. Things that are so big, so ground shaking, that they change what happens after, and redefine everything that happened before. The moment you heard the diagnosis, experienced the traumatic event, or went through death of someone close. These are life defining moments, and rearrange our priorities and reorient our lives. In the same way culturally 9/11, the Great Recession, and covid have defined (or re-oriented) American life in the past quarter century. These also represent a before/after moment, but for us corporately.
650 days ago, that Great Reorientation took place in Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Tracy and I were in Ukraine recently, and I asked a pastor from Odessa if he has had any conversation in the past 1.5 years that has not been somehow related to the invasion or war, he paused and replied; “no”.
Just like cultural events redefine our country, and personal events redefined our lives; the war in Ukraine has been both a 650 day national and personal tragedy. In that time every Ukrainian has heard an explosion, knows someone fighting, or has been to a funeral.
The invasion and subsequent war will reverberate in Ukraine for generations to come, but its effects remain daily. Kyiv, a city of millions, recently crossed the 1000-hour mark of air raid alert time. That’s 1000 hours of wailing sirens (often in the middle of the night), 1000 hours of incoming missiles or drones, 1000 hours of bomb shelter time … and 1000 hours of fear. That, coupled with the power outages, the worries about the son/uncle/nephew/daughter serving in the army, the constant appeals for donations for the war effort, the loss of freedom for those who cannot leave the country due to the draft (most men) and the destruction on a scale we have not seen since WWII … does not do good things for the soul.
Enter the church.
As I talk with Ukrainian pastors, I hear that a theology of suffering, coupled with a theology of hope are what is needed; a recognition that both crying out to God for the suffering, and trusting in Him for the hope are both part of the Christian message. The last verses of Habakkuk are exactly that – finding hope in hopelessness. Habakkuk says: “Though … there be no fruit be on the vines … and the fields yield no food … yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” The Psalms have become so relevant, and comforting, to Ukrainians that they are read as if they were written yesterday.
This is the message of the cross as well, that Christ died to conquer the brokenness, suffering, and death as well as sin so that one day it would no longer be ours. One day it would all end, and until then we’ve been given the Holy Spirit to comfort, strengthen, persevere, and give peace; even in the midst of war.
This does not change the daily reality for those in Ukraine. Just last week Russia launched 75 Shahed drones on Kyiv in just one night. The equivalent of 75 compact cars filled with explosives flying through to air to your city, imagine that. The church building in Kherson was damaged recently by a similar attack. The reality doesn’t change, but it does change the eternal hope through which we see it. There is no doubt that Ukrainians are suffering greatly at this moment, and we can pray and give to come alongside the suffering. We can also pray for the church of Ukraine to faithfully persevere in offering that hope, even and especially during the war.
Voice of Ukraine 