SYRIAN CLERICS VISIT AL-GOLANI: three lessons for 2025

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the rebel leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent the last few years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaeda and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. In recent days, the insurgent even dropped his assumed combative name and began referring to him by his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa.  The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test.

With his power consolidated, al-Golani set in motion a transformation that few could have imagined. Replacing his military garb with shirt and trousers, he began calling for religious tolerance and pluralism.

He appealed to the Druze community in Idlib, which the Nusra Front had previously targeted, and visited the families of Kurds who were killed by Turkish-backed militias.

On Tuesday, 31 January 2024, Ahmed al-Sharaa (alias Abu Mohammed al-Golani), advanced his commitment to minority rights by meeting with senior Syrian Christian leaders in Damascus.

“The leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa, meets a delegation from the Christian community in Damascus,” Syria’s General Command said in a statement on Telegram.

The statement included pictures of the meeting with Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican clerics.

Since seizing power, Syria’s new leadership has repeatedly tried to reassure minorities that they will not be harmed, although some incidents have sparked protests.

On December 25, thousands protested in several areas of Syria after a video circulated showing an attack on an Alawite shrine in the country’s north.

A day earlier, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in Christian areas of Damascus to protest the burning of a Christmas tree near Hama in central Syria.

Before the civil war erupted in 2011, Syria was home to about one million Christians, according to analyst Fabrice Balanche, who says their number has dwindled to about 300,000.

FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

For the Church in Syria, this moment represents a watershed event; a pivotal turning point that will not only shape the future of faith in Syria but could also serve as a beacon for the entire Middle East. This significant juncture required three key components, which can also serve as valuable reminders to the Western Church as we approach 2025—a year that promises both opportunities and challenges.

COURAGE

Mark 13:9  “You must be on your guard. …. On account of me, you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 

The courage of Syrian clerics to meet with Ahmed al-Sharaa at a time when motives and intentions are still unclear reveals a boldness in Christ that is to be honoured, admired, and emulated.

Church leaders could have waited for the dust to settle down before they met with the new Syrian leader but their courage reflected the spirit of the early church that moved in obedience, inspired by the Holy Spirit and focussed on the Kingdom of Grace.  Their aim was not to condemn, judge or defend, but to display the beauty of Christ as witnesses to all who were present.

May this same courage to be witnesses of His beauty become a trademark of the global church in 2025.

VISION

Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” (KJV)

The vision of the Syrian Clergy is as phenomenal as it is modest.  They understood the Kairos opportunity that will not present itself again.  They responded not only with courage, but also with Vision

BUT – vision is probably the most misused and abused concept in the Christian vocabulary. Vision is not, as many motivational speakers would like us to believe, simply coming up with new ideas or thinking ‘big’ and ‘outside the box’.  Vision, for the Syrian Christians, is not starting new initiatives and hoping for a revival and church growth.  Vision is thinking inside God’s box.  The word “vision” in scripture refers to a revelation; a Godly oracle.  The word vision in Scripture does not imply that the Church should think BIG, but that the Church should think REDEMPTION.

The focus of vision is found in Ezekiel 8:4 “And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.”

Let’s be honest. Most of the time when people speak about having a vision, it involves a road to ‘greater things’ in one form or another. We evaluate the importance of the vision by the size of the planned outcome. According to Scripture, however, generating vision will always focus on the name of God (that it may be glorified), the Kingdom of God (that it will come), and the will of God (that it will be fulfilled). Vision will embrace the glory of God, nothing more, nothing less.

May this same vision to be witnesses of His Redemption become a trademark of the global church in 2025.

TRUST

Psalm 20:7  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

This is not about faith, it is about trust.  To have faith is one thing; to trust is a completely different matter.

There is still much uncertainty about whether Ahmed al-Sharaa is sincere in his motives or whether he is simply gaining trust before referring back to his days as an Al Qaida fighter.  He is either a great deceiver or a true liberator.  Only time will tell.

For the Church in Syria, their trust is in God, not in people, circumstances, or possible outcomes.  Their trust is in the unseen, not the seen

Oh, how we need to embrace 2025 with a spirit of trust.  We need to stop telling people that our FAITH is in Christ and start showing people our TRUST is in God.  We need to stop complaining about our political leaders, all the violence, corruption and exploitation.  We need to look into the unseen with a trust based on the already achieved redemption on the cross.

It’s like watching a rerun of the World Cup final where our team has won.  We know the outcome, we can watch with a knowledge that the victory is secured.  It was fulfilled!

To our brothers and sisters in Syria:  We salute you for your courage, vision and trust.  May we, as your fellow brothers and sisters in the West, take these lessons into 2025.

Pray for us as we pay for you

This information on the visit was produced by AFP. For more information go to AFP.com.