SYRIAN WISDOM FOR ANC POTHOLES
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to … (3) provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
Mhardeh, one of only a few Christian towns in Syria, has not only been inspirational in my walk of faith, but transformational in my expression of faith. It holds a key so precious that even writing this article leaves me wary, knowing that the way of the cross for the church in the west is often a road less traveled. Yes, our theologies are uncontaminated, our sermons are magnificent, our worship celebrated, and our buildings splendid – but in Mhardeh the wisdom of faith is found in the explosions of mortars, the absence of ruins, and a culture of redeeming.
Located in Rif Hama near the Orontes, this Antiochian Greek Orthodox town in Syria has a population of nearly 18,000 people – most, if not all, being Christian. Rebel attacks have killed 97 civilians and injured nearly 200 more over the past 12 years but most of Mhardeh’s almost exclusively Christian population has remained in Syria. This was encouraged by priests and senior members of the community who feared that, if locals fled, they might never be able to return, to an area where Christian communities have lived for nearly 2,000 years.
As we walked through the streets of Mhardeh we were greeted with laughter, joy and generous invitations to join the locals for a cup of coffee or even a meal. This was not strange to our experiences in other towns and cities in Syria. Broken by a twelve year war, the Syrian people were humbled into an awareness to welcome strangers, knowing all too well that if one member of the community suffers, all suffer, and if one is helped, all will benefit. Even passing through more than 70 roadblocks during our first visit in 2019, the soldiers would always greet us with words of welcome, some asking for prayer.
But Mhardeh was different. Obviously and conspicuously different. As we roamed the streets there were no signs of war, no ruins, no destroyed buildings. It seemed like the town escaped the brutality of war. This was in stark contrast to places like Homs and Aleppo where more than 60% of the cities were destroyed – and stayed destroyed. Did God simply spare this village because it is Christian or was there something else at play?
Our curiosity eventually got the better of us, so we asked the question to one of the local Pastors. “Were you spared during the war?” we asked.
“Oh no my brother” she answered surprised “nobody was spared! Muslim, Christian, Kurd, Yazidi’s; we all suffered the same fate, indiscriminately. Bombs do not fall on non-believers only. God’s people are as vulnerable as everybody else during a war. During the past twelve years more than 10,000 bombs hit our small village. Being a Christian village actually made it worse. We became target number one for the rebels, ISIS and the freedom fighters. We have lost many friends and family. Fortunately, we were not spared. How else would we have been able to share in the pain of everybody else.”
“Then where are the ruins and the rubble?” I asked. “Homs is destroyed, Aleppo is gone, Jaramana is no more – and all the cities bear witness to that. Nothing, nothing is restored to its former beauty – why is Mhardeh different?”
She smiled. “This is our culture brother. When a bomb hit a building, the whole community gathered together and immediately started rebuilding and restoring – even more beautiful than it was before. BECAUSE, AS CHRISTIANS, THIS IS OUR CULTURE BROTHER – we make new, we restore, we redeem.”
It felt like I heard those words in slow motion as they were etched in my heart.
BECAUSE, AS CHRISTIANS, THIS IS OUR CULTURE BROTHER – we make new, we restore, we redeem
I immediately thought back to home. There is this new trend on social media to place pictures of people who paint the letters ANC next to potholes. There are countless complaints about those who litter our cities, without feeling the inner conviction to do something about it. We boycott our municipalities because of a lack of service and refuse to pay bills. With good intentions, we join the ranks of the enemy whose culture it is to steal and destroy, instead of redeeming and renewing. This is a counterculture to what we believe and what we confess. This nullifies the culture that Christ embodied to always redeem. Even on the cross.
Redeeming is not what we do, it is who we are. We follow the supreme example of the man we call Redeemer, Restorer, Saviour. Matthew 5 provides a transformative template to redeem violence, restore dignity and liberate oppression. It explores a redemptive retaliation by making beautiful what the enemy came to steal. It provides a third option for those who are discontent with being passive spectators but at the same time refuse to be resisting aggressors. It solidifies a culture of making new, and doing it beautifully.
Gratefully, this too is found on social media. One post showed a man filling up a pothole and using his own resources to do so. Not only did he restore and rebuilt, but he renewed and redeemed what the enemy sought to destroy.
He understood the wisdom of a small Christian village in war-ridden Syria:
AS CHRISTIANS, THIS IS OUR CULTURE BROTHER – we make new, we restore, we redeem