Feb | 25 | The Blunder of Blue on Blue

Key Word:- HOPE


Title:- The Blunder of Blue on Blue

Galatians 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
 

At Buckingham Palace, this day in 2004, Her Majesty the Queen awarded the ‘George Cross’ to Trooper Christopher Finney, who was then aged only 19 years. Imagine that!

The G.C. was instituted in 1940 by King George VI during World War II and is awarded only for acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage, displayed in circumstances of extreme danger. It is equivalent to the Victoria Cross as the highest military honour for gallantry in the British armed forces. The V.C. is awarded for bravery in the face of the enemy, while the G.C. is awarded for bravery in other circumstances.

So why was a soldier who displayed the utmost heroism in a terrible combat situation, given the George Cross and not the Victoria Cross? Well in this case, the soldier is honoured for saving a comrade from the flames in the Iraq war and the incident happened during a ‘Friendly Fire’ attack from US warplanes, near Basra in March 2003.

For less than a year Trooper Finney had been in the ‘Blues and Royals,’ based in Windsor, Berkshire, when in this combat situation he pulled his gunner, from the turret of an armoured vehicle as it was engulfed in flames and as he did this, both he and his colleague were hit and wounded. It should have been a V.C. but a G.C. was awarded because the terrible circumstances were one of gross miscalculation by his allies and not an attack of the enemy.

A ‘Blue on Blue’ confrontation is an accidental misfortune of gross proportions, when forces on the same side attack and kill each other. Misinformation, bad planning, nervous trigger fingers and even the general fog of war, unfortunately always lead to these kinds of casualties and even high-tech warfare has not eliminated them!

‘Blue on Blue’ encounters are very common in our churches, causing the death of many of a good relationship and the loss to scarring bitterness of wounded and offended folk. When this happens in the church, it is to be mourned, forgiven, healed and those lost relationships, where at all possible, are to be redemptively restored. There is something far worse however than the unfortunate turmoil caused by a ‘Blue on Blue’ conflict and that is to consider the possibility of a planned and purposeful attack by forces purportedly on the same side. This kind of outrageous coup, this insane ‘Civil War’ rarely happens in the world, but at the instigation of the devil, happens much, much more in the church of Jesus Christ.

Though the church should be the safest place on earth, it often is not. The apostle Paul’s evident and chief hurt are those blows he received from within the congregation of Christ. What do we do with Civil War? Well, if we survive it friends, it too is to be mourned, forgiven, healed and those lost relationships resulting from it, where at all possible, are to be restored. The example of this is the Cross of Christ. The medal of our redemptive love is the Jesus Cross. Do you have the courage to get it awarded to you?

Listen: - ….endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:3

Pray: - Heal us O Lord and we shall be healed. Amen.