If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

Luke 6:33 (NRSVUE)

Around the world, people are celebrating the release of Israeli Hostages in Gaza.

As someone who’s been praying and calling for peace in Gaza for a long time (including just last week) it’s important for me to stop and give thanks. Hearing that both Hamas and Israeli have agreed to a cease-fire is sadly nothing new. On the other hand, the hostages are coming home! This is a new development, and it took a lot of work to make it so.

We should celebrate the efforts of President Trump and the leaders of Israel and Palestine for signing on to this agreement. I know, I know, any mention of politicians you don’t agree with can be annoying. But the fact is, it’s happened! They did a thing worth doing. And I’m celebrating peace in Gaza as long as we have it.

Now comes the hard part

Now the various parties will have to find their way through the nitty-gritty or administering this peace. It’s no small task, and there are many different interests at play. I pray that everyone who’s been involved will continue to operate in good faith. We should ensure that the people there can embrace a lasting change.

Today I pray that aid will flow to those who need it, and that food and water will move through Gaza. There are so many children and families who have been so bereft. I also pray for all the hostages and their families, as well as the Palestian prisoners who were released from Israel to return to Gaza. No one who has been through what these folks have been through comes back unchanged. Some will return to find that they’ve lost members of their families while they were away. Heartbreak was, is, and will be a steady companion.

But the stakes are too high not to get it right. God grant us a lasting legacy of peace in the Middle East, starting today.