Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

One of the earliest and most powerful acclamations of the Church was this: Kyrios Iesous, Jesus is Lord. In the Roman world, Kyrios was not a neutral term; it was a title claimed by the Emperor himself. Caesar is Lord was the creed of the empire. So when early Christians declared, Jesus is Lord, they weren’t merely making a theological statement, they were making a profoundly political one. Jesus, not Caesar, is Lord.

This simple but defiant confession cost many their lives. In the first centuries of the Church, countless believers were martyred for their unwavering witness to the Lordship of Christ over every ruler and regime. And in every generation since, Christians are called to do the same, to bear witness to the supremacy of Christ over every government and governor.

This does not mean aligning the Church with a political party or partisan platform. But it does mean we must not shy away from critiquing the structures and actions of the state when they depart from God’s justice. With wisdom and courage, the Church must call civil authorities to fulfill the higher purpose for which government was ordained: to promote the good, restrain evil, and uphold the dignity of every human being made in the image of God.

The situation unfolding in Gaza has gripped the attention of the world and pierced the hearts of many in the Body of Christ. The images of rubble, smoke, wounded children, grieving families, these are not abstract tragedies. They are reminders of the deep brokenness of our world, a world groaning under the weight of sin, violence, and human pride.

As people committed to the authority of Scripture and the Lordship of Jesus Christ, we cannot look away. And yet, neither can we be swept along by the currents of simplistic political narratives or the fevered rhetoric of social media. Ours is a higher calling: to bear faithful, compassionate, gospel-shaped witness in a world of blood and sorrow.

Let us be clear: every life bears the image of God, Palestinian and Israeli, Christian, Muslim, and Jew. The deliberate targeting of civilians, the use of human lives as shields, and the cycles of revenge and retaliation are not just tragic, they are offenses against the holy Creator who made us all.

At the same time, Scripture reminds us that peace is not merely the absence of conflict. True peace, shalom, is the fruit of righteousness (Isaiah 32.17). And righteousness cannot be manufactured by diplomacy alone. It must flow from hearts transformed by the Gospel, just governance, and the pursuit of truth.

What then is our Christian response?

First, we pray. Not as a last resort, but as a first instinct. We pray for the innocent, for the wounded, for the displaced. We pray for just restraint. We pray for those in authority, that being guided by Providence, they might seek peace so that their people may dwell securely in peace; that they might act with wisdom, courage, and compassion. We pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in the region, often overlooked, that they may shine as lights in the darkness, bearing witness to the gospel of peace.

Second, we remember. Our hope is not in princes or political solutions but in the One who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and who Himself is our peace; Jesus Christ, who broke down the wall of hostility through the blood of His cross. The day is coming when every sword will be beaten into a plowshare. Until that day, we proclaim Christ, seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.

Third, we lament. There is space in our theology for groaning. The Psalms give us the language of sorrow, even confusion, before the face of God. We do not have to be overwhelmed by what appears to be a humanly unsolvable situation. Rather, we name the grief and helplessness we feel, holding it before the Lord, trusting that He is Sovereign, that He is near to the brokenhearted.

Finally, we advocate. Soon after appointing Bishop Julian Dobbs as my International Emissary, I asked him to travel to Israel on the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks in southern Israel. I asked him to sit with grieving families; those who had lost loved ones or still awaited news of the kidnapped. I also asked him to visit Palestinian Christian families, whose lives have been caught in the crossfire of conflict. The message we wanted to send was simple but vital: You are not forgotten. The Church remembers you. The Church stands with you.

We humbly acknowledge that we do not possess all the facts, nor can we fully grasp every nuance in the midst of war. Every conflict is shrouded in the fog of war – clouded by misinformation, obscured motives, and the tangled web of human intention. Much remains hidden from our view and beyond our understanding. Yet even in that fog, we cling to what is certain: the sacred worth of every human life, the mandate to seek peace, and the call to bear faithful witness to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

We are blessed to live under representative governments, a privilege many in the Middle East do not share. And with that privilege comes the responsibility to speak. To remind the world that every human life is precious, bearing the image of God. To speak to our leaders calling them to pursue, with the leaders of the world, a just resolution of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the Middle East.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, send forth upon all who hold political office throughout the world the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice. Grant that, with steadfast purpose, they may uphold and advance the dignity of every human being. May their leadership promote peace, protect the vulnerable, and secure justice, that all people may dwell in safety and hope; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In Christ’s love,

Abp Steve