Perplexed
25“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in heaven will be shaken. 27Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near.” Luke 21:25-28, The Life Application Bible)
Blessed Sunday family. Today wraps up the long Thanksgiving holiday for some of us Americans. Amazingly, this was the first time in four years that I was “off” for the entire weekend. While I had intended to lay low and get some reading done, I was invited out everyday and felt the need to continue to develop the interpersonal bonds forming on this deployment. This weekend marked the start of the “Christmas Market” in Wrocław, Poland. With busy weekends coming up, two friends and I decided this was the weekend to travel to Wrocław. It was quite an experience.
Wrocław is Poland’s third biggest city. It is like taking a train trip into some strange universe. Now, keep in mind Poland is my first experience in Europe, so I am blown away at how history and modernity clash into each other in these bigger cities. Wrocław is simply stunning. Architecture that is over a thousand years old on one block. Modern hotels and housing apartments on the very next. Futuristic street cars zoom along the iron tracks in the streets. Tens of thousands of people walking about. Hundreds of restaurants and shops offering experiences from countries around the world. And the graffiti. Graffiti everywhere. I am not sure what the obsession of ruining the facade of every building is here in Poland, but it seems like hooligans love tagging every piece of real estate they can.
The Christmas Market matched our expectations: close to a hundred booths with delicious smelling food and cute souvenirs, alpine themed bars offering keepsake ceramic boots steaming with hot chocolate and amaretto. There was easily a hundred thousand people in the huge historic square last night. There were so many people it got to a point where it was too crowded. And I was on edge by what could happen at a large gathering like that. Like any big event, everyone there is a target from any extremist who might want an easy body count to make a bold statement. And with all that is going on in the world, what should have been a joyous event was marred by the reality of what could happen.
As I carried that concern in the forefront of my mind, I considered the perplexity of this time we live in. Here is Poland, one country away from a horrible war, and all these thousands of people carrying on as if their neighbor to the east was not getting destroyed and constantly battling for their sovereignty. It is no wonder that the War in Ukraine feels so distant to everyone back in the US. It seems like the Polish, despite being physically close, are distancing themselves from the horrors of that reality more and more. I feel guilty of these wonderful experiences I have been privilege to these last few months because the reality is that I am only here because young men are dying in Ukraine for a senseless war. The AP ran a story today covering some of the Russian soldiers’ conversations about this bloody conflict. Click here to read that important article. It is worth reading to remind yourself of these current disasters. Oh how it would be wonderful to celebrate the joy of Christmas when the world is at peace. To gather and lift up the remembrance of the Miracle in the Manger, without the reality of ignoring the massive suffering happening around the world. I do not think this world will ever know peace until the Son of Man, the King of all Nations, returns in all His glory. Perhaps that time draws nearer. Perhaps we still have a long time to go. Either way, the time to start looking up might be now.
Common Sense Reborn 