Just a thought on Victims

It is ironic that it was exactly 75 years ago this week that the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were almost totally wiped out by two massive atomic bombs, tragically with the loss of hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. And now just this week from the comfort of our homes we have watched on live TV the equally destructive force that was unleashed in a few seconds on the city of Beirut.

Just under a year ago, I walked along the waterfront in this beautiful city, which is so rich in history and yet the scars of civil war and centuries of religious and sectarian conflicts are still evident, but this tragedy is the last straw for Lebanon and even more so for the more than one million Syrian refugees who have escaped the devastating war in their own country.

My ‘Just a Thought’ this week is that we spare a thought for the thousands of innocent victims and please give a generous donation to the Tearfund Relief agency ‘Beirut Explosion Appeal.’

It is now the Lebanese as well as the Syrians who have suffered horrific injuries, lost family members, lost their homes and their livelihoods.

I am reminded of the words of Jesus who said whenever we feed the hungry, help the homeless, the sick or anyone who is suffering – “you are doing it as unto me!”

Ross Ferguson.
Richmond Community Church