This Sunday I am returning to the beautiful little church in the village of Shipton Bellinger on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border. I received such a warm welcome there last time, the church was physically warm and well lit, and gentle sacred music was playing in the background.

I have to confess to having a bit of a crush on a certain Ukrainian leader. You, and my husband of almost 25 years, will be glad to hear that it is not a romantic or even lustful crush, rather it is something to do with the moral courage and spirituality of a man in the face of an overwhelming super power.

The invasion of Ukraine has shocked us all; it seems to have happened so fast. Only a fortnight ago I discovered that Ukrainian Christians had been meeting at 7am to kneel in the snow to pray for their country, now they are sheltering in railway stations, or have sought refuge across borders. There is nowhere left to kneel, but prayers are continuing.

Prayers are continuing, but so is the action of resistance. From a distance, (and sadly the UK has really distanced itself with a need for visas and other paperwork) we do what we can: we kneel in prayer for those who can no longer do so, we gather supplies and send money, and we lament. We hold our heads in our hands and weep for the children travelling long distances alone to find safety, our hearts break as families are torn apart as men stay behind to fight, we grieve over the dead and dying and the homes that have been destroyed. We are not alone, the rest of the world laments too, even the people of Russia who protest against this war. Jesus weeps. Just as he lamented over Jerusalem he weeps over Ukraine and laments over Russia.

On this second Sunday of Lent it is traditional to enter into a place of lament. The Bible readings set for today, are full of lament, balanced with hope: Abraham laments his childlessness, the Psalmist is surrounded by enemies, Paul laments the persecution of the Philippian church, and Jesus laments over wayward Jerusalem. The hope for Abraham is God’s oft-repeated promise that he will have as many descendants as stars in the sky – too many to count, the Psalmist finds security in God’s presence, the Philippians are encouraged by the hope of heaven and the example of Jesus.

It is Jesus, in the gospels however, who doesn’t show hope, so much as determination.

The gospel passage begins with a warning to Jesus, delivered by a small group of Pharisees. We are so used to Pharisees being the ‘bad guys’, those who set traps for Jesus, who try to trick him into blasphemy, the ones who eventually have him arrested and set up his trial and execution with Pilate, but here we are reminded that not all Pharisees were power crazy zealots. Here we meet a group of Pharisees who go out on a limb to warn Jesus that Herod is after him: Herod the bloodthirsty king who had his own children murdered so that they couldn’t steal his throne from him, now has Jesus in his sights. Jesus will not be deterred from his mission: he has work to do, casting out demons, performing cures… and then, then Herod can have his way. Herod can have his way because it is actually God’s way. In this culture of sacrifice that has developed since Adam and Eve were removed from Eden, Jesus has come to be the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus laments over Jerusalem, because this is the heart of the Israelite faith, or at least it should be. Here people come on pilgrimage, at least once in their lives, here Jesus was presented as an infant and prophesied over by Simeon and Anna, here he, as many other prophets before him, would be murdered.

Jesus knows this and he laments for a city that is so far from God that it is the only place where Jesus can endure death, the only place where his sacrifice can be made. Jesus does not lament for himself, but for all who will be caught up in the actions of Holy Week. Jesus laments for a holy city that has lost its way. There is hope in Jesus’ words, but it can only be understood when we look back from the other side of resurrection,

Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work

Luke 13:32

From this side of the Easter story we know that those three days refer to Jesus’ death, the time he spent hallowing hell, and finally resurrection day itself. With an Arnie approved ‘I’ll be back’ message, Jesus leaves Jerusalem for the last time until Palm Sunday. Between now and Holy Week Jesus will not stop casting out demons and performing cures, he just won’t do it in Jerusalem. He will be back however, for the ultimate battle with death and destruction, the ultimate cleansing and curing, and that is where we find hope.

For Ukrainians, an underestimated nation of pride and faith, there is lament and grief, but there is also hope and determination in their faith. For us, as we reel from one tragedy to the next, it is OK to lament, it is godly and spiritual and Lent is the perfect time for laying ourselves bare to God; it is important though, that we do not forget to keep holding on to hope with a determination that all will be well.