Ukraine
We have created this page to give you guidance and information during this time of severe unrest and sadness.
Friday 24 February 2023 marked the one year anniversary of the war in Ukraine
Click here for prayers.
Friday 24 February 2023 marked the one year anniversary of the war in Ukraine
Click here for prayers.
Hope
With so much heartache and terror going on in Ukraine, we have to look for positives- we'd like to share this page with you...we must have hope.
Useful Links
Revd Sue Bradley has found some useful information points for those who might be supporting arrivals from Ukraine.
The sites are all being updated regularly as policy is progressing so please keep checking back if you are kindly offering support.
Sanctuary Foundation Supporting New Arrivals from Ukraine: www.SanctuaryFoundation.ork.uk
Work Rights Centre:
www.workrightscentre.org/solidarity-with-Ukraine
and local information
Melton Borough Council:
www.melton.gov.uk/Ukraine
There may be lots of other sites, but these are excellent on the detail of helping.
If you are one of the many reaching out to help, well done and thank you.
The sites are all being updated regularly as policy is progressing so please keep checking back if you are kindly offering support.
Sanctuary Foundation Supporting New Arrivals from Ukraine: www.SanctuaryFoundation.ork.uk
Work Rights Centre:
www.workrightscentre.org/solidarity-with-Ukraine
and local information
Melton Borough Council:
www.melton.gov.uk/Ukraine
There may be lots of other sites, but these are excellent on the detail of helping.
If you are one of the many reaching out to help, well done and thank you.
A Christian response to warfare
Revd Sue Bradley spoke on a Christian response to warfare following the terrible situation in Ukraine. Read her words below:
As we look on at the events in Ukraine, the terrible suffering of her people, and the apparent invincibility of Russia, we are presented with an image of suffering and temptation, threat and fear - something which most of us never dreamed would happen so close to home in current times. It seems sadly appropriate that we should have just entered Lent as this atrocity has broken.
It is very serious and as Christians we have to consider our response. We can and probably are responding in action by giving – money and supplies, but this morning I want us to think of our spiritual response. To do that we need to see how such events might be viewed from a spiritual perspective – what is it that is happening beyond the human realm – and how can we respond?
It is clear in the gospel we heard today that evil is not just some abstract miasma or force. Evil is personified in the devil – a specific spiritual being who arrives to provoke and tempt Jesus whilst he fasts in the wilderness. And Satan is not alone so we understand – in Revelation it talks of Satan and his angels being thrown down to earth. There they wage war against God’s people and God’s creation.
Now I don’t want to get into deep theology here – what I am saying is that when we look at events such as those in Ukraine and Russia as Christians, we do not see just a human conflict. We see the forces of good and evil behind the actions of mankind. There are two levels as it were – we have humans who have free will and choice, and we have the spiritual battle which rages behind them. Paul tells us in Ephesians to put on the whole armour of God: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Paul clearly sees the spiritual dimension of world events, and we must too. It is all too easy to feel fear, to feel confusion, and to wonder what on earth can I do in the face of such as President Putin and his armies. But it is time to stand up and be counted as God’s children.
In fact it is a critical time to be a Christian – we do not fight flesh and blood, but the powers and authorities in the heavenly places.
We may feel we can do nothing, but we can pray. My little voice of prayer, and your little voice of prayer, joins with all those across the globe also praying – and we can effect things in the heavenlies. The Holy Spirit uses our prayers to pray on behalf of God’s Kingdom of compassion and love. Our prayers are part of the spiritual battle taking place.
Perhaps you don’t believe this? But I hope that you do! We are all children of God called to play our part in the bringing in of his Kingdom and the overthrow of our spiritual enemy.
And of course we are not alone. Christ withstood the temptation of the devil so we might be free of the clutches of evil. Free to be God’s children, free to take part in the spiritual battle confident of victory because Christ overcame then, and continues to overcome now.
His death and resurrection put paid to the power of the enemy, but of course we don’t see that fully yet – it is the ‘Now and not yet’ of God’s Kingdom. But we stand in that resurrection power and proclaim the Kingdom of God into the heavenlies, and into the lives of those for whom we pray. In the reading from Romans Paul is very clear as to our position: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
This confidence gives us power - “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Now I know as well as you do that we are saved both for this life and for eternity. And sometimes this life is shorter than as humans we would wish – but God is ultimately interested in eternal lives, in saving people for that eternal life to which Jesus was raised – to share with Him at God’s wedding banquet in the new Jerusalem.
Many people are dying and will die – but we must continue to pray – to cry out to God that in His mercy this conflict will be short, and will not spread, and that evil will not triumph.
We may not be able to see how that can be, but that doesn’t matter – the process is in God’s hands.
What we must do is pray, pray and pray and pray. Our prayers release the powers of heaven here on earth. Our prayers will protect and save people. Our prayers will enable good to triumph over evil in the world. In Luke 10 we are told that when the disciples came back to Jesus after being sent out and told him all they had accomplished in his name he replied: “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. ‘
That is our calling and our response in times like this.
We are told that the enemy will roar like a lion to threaten God’s people, but we must stand firm and resist. We have a role to play and we must gladly take it up.
Who knows – except God does – who knows what our prayers will achieve? Let us stand firm as Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:(14-16)
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
So we must not be afraid. We are in a sense being tested – do we trust God, are we committed to Him and the ways of the Kingdom? Are we willing to do our bit in fighting the heavenly battle on Jesus’ side?
Let us follow in the footsteps of Christ and as God’s beloved children seek His face, listen to His call, and pray.
Amen
Readings
Romans 10:8b-13
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Luke 4:1-13
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ ”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
As we look on at the events in Ukraine, the terrible suffering of her people, and the apparent invincibility of Russia, we are presented with an image of suffering and temptation, threat and fear - something which most of us never dreamed would happen so close to home in current times. It seems sadly appropriate that we should have just entered Lent as this atrocity has broken.
It is very serious and as Christians we have to consider our response. We can and probably are responding in action by giving – money and supplies, but this morning I want us to think of our spiritual response. To do that we need to see how such events might be viewed from a spiritual perspective – what is it that is happening beyond the human realm – and how can we respond?
It is clear in the gospel we heard today that evil is not just some abstract miasma or force. Evil is personified in the devil – a specific spiritual being who arrives to provoke and tempt Jesus whilst he fasts in the wilderness. And Satan is not alone so we understand – in Revelation it talks of Satan and his angels being thrown down to earth. There they wage war against God’s people and God’s creation.
Now I don’t want to get into deep theology here – what I am saying is that when we look at events such as those in Ukraine and Russia as Christians, we do not see just a human conflict. We see the forces of good and evil behind the actions of mankind. There are two levels as it were – we have humans who have free will and choice, and we have the spiritual battle which rages behind them. Paul tells us in Ephesians to put on the whole armour of God: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Paul clearly sees the spiritual dimension of world events, and we must too. It is all too easy to feel fear, to feel confusion, and to wonder what on earth can I do in the face of such as President Putin and his armies. But it is time to stand up and be counted as God’s children.
In fact it is a critical time to be a Christian – we do not fight flesh and blood, but the powers and authorities in the heavenly places.
We may feel we can do nothing, but we can pray. My little voice of prayer, and your little voice of prayer, joins with all those across the globe also praying – and we can effect things in the heavenlies. The Holy Spirit uses our prayers to pray on behalf of God’s Kingdom of compassion and love. Our prayers are part of the spiritual battle taking place.
Perhaps you don’t believe this? But I hope that you do! We are all children of God called to play our part in the bringing in of his Kingdom and the overthrow of our spiritual enemy.
And of course we are not alone. Christ withstood the temptation of the devil so we might be free of the clutches of evil. Free to be God’s children, free to take part in the spiritual battle confident of victory because Christ overcame then, and continues to overcome now.
His death and resurrection put paid to the power of the enemy, but of course we don’t see that fully yet – it is the ‘Now and not yet’ of God’s Kingdom. But we stand in that resurrection power and proclaim the Kingdom of God into the heavenlies, and into the lives of those for whom we pray. In the reading from Romans Paul is very clear as to our position: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
This confidence gives us power - “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Now I know as well as you do that we are saved both for this life and for eternity. And sometimes this life is shorter than as humans we would wish – but God is ultimately interested in eternal lives, in saving people for that eternal life to which Jesus was raised – to share with Him at God’s wedding banquet in the new Jerusalem.
Many people are dying and will die – but we must continue to pray – to cry out to God that in His mercy this conflict will be short, and will not spread, and that evil will not triumph.
We may not be able to see how that can be, but that doesn’t matter – the process is in God’s hands.
What we must do is pray, pray and pray and pray. Our prayers release the powers of heaven here on earth. Our prayers will protect and save people. Our prayers will enable good to triumph over evil in the world. In Luke 10 we are told that when the disciples came back to Jesus after being sent out and told him all they had accomplished in his name he replied: “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. ‘
That is our calling and our response in times like this.
We are told that the enemy will roar like a lion to threaten God’s people, but we must stand firm and resist. We have a role to play and we must gladly take it up.
Who knows – except God does – who knows what our prayers will achieve? Let us stand firm as Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:(14-16)
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
So we must not be afraid. We are in a sense being tested – do we trust God, are we committed to Him and the ways of the Kingdom? Are we willing to do our bit in fighting the heavenly battle on Jesus’ side?
Let us follow in the footsteps of Christ and as God’s beloved children seek His face, listen to His call, and pray.
Amen
Readings
Romans 10:8b-13
But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Luke 4:1-13
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ ”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.