Over the last week, tensions have been high between the United States and Iran. Many people are anxious wondering what might happen next. Some are drawing lines and taking sides, calling those who disagree un-American and such. Like many of you, I am not an expert on Middle East politics and their many conflicts, nor am I an expert on military tactics and strategies. So, I have been doing a lot of listening to simply understand. I am listening to our missionaries in the Middle East, aid workers on the ground, our military leaders and our President. It is better to listen and seek to understand than to speak in haste and simply add to the confusion and divisions some try to exploit in our country.

And, as your pastor, it is my responsibility to help all of us think about and engage our world from a Christian perspective. The church has thought about war and violence and the proper Christian response for over 2,000 years. Seeing the growing desire for armed revolt in his day, Jesus urged his followers to turn the other cheek and to love their enemies. Listening to these commands of Jesus, most of the early church took a stance of non-violent pacifism. They would defy governing authorities when their commands violated the commands of God, but they did not engage in violence.

As time went on and Christianity became not only more acceptable in the Roman Empire, but also more influential in the Empire, the church thought deeply about the role of violence in maintaining the peace within the Empire and in defending the Empire from attack. Recognizing the role of government in defending the country and the peace in Romans 13, they developed what has become known as the “Just War” theory.

Originally developed by Augustine and reaching its final form in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Just War theory establishes several criteria for when to go to war and how to go to war. Following are my summary of these principles:

1. There must be a just cause to go to war, such as self defense or defending the innocent or preventing genocide.
2. The war must prevent more harm and suffering than the war will cause. It must be proportionate to the evil it is confronting. As a silly example, if someone shoots you with a spitwad, you should not shoot back with a .45. The response is not proportionate to the harm done by the spitwad.
3. The motives for going to war need to be in alignment with the Christian command to love. We cannot go to war for personal, nationalistic or politic ends.
4. Only proper authorities can go to war. The Congress can declare war against Canada as one example, but the governor of Michigan or the president of a condo association cannot.
5. There has to be a reasonable chance of the war leading to eventual peace. If there is no hope of bringing peace through the war then the war is not just.
6. Finally, all other options must be exhausted before choosing violence. Diplomatic negotiations, economic pressures, and so forth must be exhausted before choosing to go to war.
7. Once a war has begun Just War theory provides two primary limits in war: harm to non-combatants must be avoided whenever possible and can never be the intention of an act and the likely harm to non-combatants must be proportionate to the military gain.

Of course, even when people try to follow these principles, debates still remain. As an example, one long standing debate has been focused on the rightness of dropping the two atomic bombs on Japan to end WW2. Was it worth killing hundreds of thousands of civilians to protect the lives of thousands of soldiers? Seventy years later there is still some debate. War creates many difficult ethical issues for us as Christians that are not easily resolved. Ultimately, we all rest on the grace of our God as we do our best to be faithful to Christ in a dangerous and messy world.

There is one thing we can do and one thing we should not do to be faithful in this messy world. First, we should never celebrate the death of an image bearer of God. We must let the gospel that God so loved the world shape how we think about and treat the people God loves. All people, even our enemies, are loved by God and he grieves all death. So should we.

Ands secondly, we should all be praying for peace, for protection for all those affected by war, especially non-combatants (civilians) caught in the crossfire of a war they did not choose, in addition to praying for those serving in our nation’s military.

Connect to God
Have you ever waited for a new movie to come out only to be disappointed when you finally get to see the movie? Or, picked up a book by your favorite author only to discover this book is a spy novel and not a romantic story or vice versa? Or more seriously, started a new job that did not live up to the company’s sales pitch? We all have times in life when something we have anticipated does not quite match up to our expectations. The same is true for John the Baptist who came to prepare the way for the Messiah to bring God’s judgment and wrath, but then Jesus came humbling preaching about grace and restoration. John had to adjust his expectations to match the reality of God. We all do. This morning we meet Jesus at the Jordan River as he comes to be baptized among a sea of sinful humanity.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
Ruth Kuipers went to be with her Lord and Savior on Monday, January 6. Ruth was a charter member of Zion. Visitation will be held at Cook Funeral Home in Grandville at 3:00PM on Friday, January 10 followed by the funeral service at 4:00PM. Please pray for peace and comfort for her family during this difficult time.

A Memorial Service for Jackie Kolkman, also a charter member, will be held at Sunset Manor on February 29 at 10:00AM.

This week Sunday, our Middle School class will meet again from 4:30 to 5:30. As a reminder, there will be food, pop, and some great discussions about God and life. If you have a Middle Schooler, we would love to see them!

Serve the World
Jibit Asha sent a year end update on their ministries in Nepal recently, following are some highlights and a couple of prayer requests:

1. Each of our church planters shared the gospel through Christmas celebration. Many of them did open-air outreach. More than 1000 people heard the Gospel directly.
2. Some of our church planters are under the police radar due to their aggressive outreach and Gospel sharing.
3. People are receiving Christ and coming to faith regularly. Around 10 people have received Christ, four have taken baptism, more are ready for the baptism. This all took place last month.
4. Planters are reaching out new places and starting new fellowships. At least 3 new fellowship has started due to outreach. New fellowships are in need of spaces to meet.
5. Extreme cold in Nepal has made life hard in many parts of the country. Remember for the planters’ good and safe health. Help is needed to provide basic warm blankets for these poor people.

Together, we are making a difference in our community in the name of Jesus. Thank you.

Administrative Details
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.

Fiscal Year to date budget: $354,938.24
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $338,379.72

Currently, we are as close to the year 1990 as the year 2050. In 1990, I was a junior in High School. By 2050, I will hopefully be retired at 76. Life goes by pretty fast. Where will you be?

When you are young and just starting out, you think you will climb some big mountains and anything seems possible.As you get older the limits of time, capabilities, and opportunity become more obvious. A friend of mine just turned 50 and commented that at 40 you can pretend you are not quite halfway, but at 50 you know there are fewer days ahead of you than behind.

Each day we get 24 hours. Each week we get 7 days. Each year we get 365 days. And for most, less than 100 years. Some people spend those days trying to keep other people happy, others spend them trying to earn more money or get more stuff, others go through life trying to avoid pain and find pleasure. How are you spending your days?

Before he left his disciples, Jesus gave them a very simple command: Go and make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded. What might Good do with a group of people who spend their limited days doing this one simple thing?

Connect to God
Someone once said Christians claim God came as a baby because no one would be scared of a baby. The Biblical account begs to differ. Immediately, the rulers of the day felt threatened by Jesus and his family find themselves fleeing as refugees to Egypt. Herod driven by the fear of losing his power, uses that power to violently oppress his people. God, having all true power, sets it aside and chooses to stand with the poor and vulnerable of our world. The love of God leads to setting aside power and instead lifting up and standing with the least of these. In Matthew 2, we are reminded Jesus looks at the world form the bottom up.

This Sunday, we will celebrate communion, also called The Lord’s Super or the Eucharist. This is the family meal of Christians.  We invite all committed followers of Jesus Christ to partake of this sacrament: those who are baptized members of a congregation that proclaims the gospel, who are at peace with God and with their neighbor, and who seek strength to live more faithfully for Christ.  If you are not a Christian, or if you are not prepared to share in this meal, we encourage you to spend this time in prayer.  We hope that this time is helpful to you as you consider your relationship with Jesus Christ and with His people, the church.

We will also welcome several new members (Dan and Ashley Copron and Debbie Coke) and celebrate the baptism of Odin Copron.

If you would like a copy of the worship service, you can receive a complete copy by contacting Tom Verbrugge or you can find the weekly messages on our website.

Grow in Community
Continue to pray for Thelma VanderZouwen as she undergoes rehab at Brookcrest and for those in our congregation who deal with ongoing health issues.

Congratulations to Rob and Sara Olger on the birth of their daughter Riley Irene.  Riley arrived at 2:51am on Christmas morning weighing 6lbs 12oz. Praise God for this wonderful gift!

Congratulations to Chris and Katie Bremer on the birth of their son Parker James. Parker was born at 34 weeks on December 27 weighing in at 3lbs 11oz and was 16.5” long. We praise God for his life and give thanks for a safe delivery. Prayers for the family are appreciated as Parker continues to grow and develop in the NICU at Spectrum Hospital.

Jackie Kolkmans went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 31st. The family is planning a memorial service to be held in February. Details will be shared when they are available.

Serve the World
Last week, I received a Christmas card from the Jenison Public School Parent Liaisons, they wrote: “Thank you so much for your outreach team partnering with JPS through the personal care pantry. It has already been such a bless to our Jenison families. We also look forward to our upcoming partnership through Kids Hope.”

Together, we are making a difference in our community in the name of Jesus. Thank you.

Administrative Details
We continue to thank God for his provision of all of our needs and for the generous support of our congregation with their time, talent, and treasures.

Fiscal Year to date budget: $343,846.42
Fiscal Year to date contributions: $330,398.84

12-29-19 Bulletin