By Lani Lanchester

The morning of the Flour Massacre, February 29, 2024, I sat in my kitchen with tears streaming down my face. In my mind’s eye, I saw myself hauling sacks of flour from my pantry, ripping tem open on the pavement outside church, and pouring red paint through the white, so every worshipper stepping inside would see what I had seen: starving people shot as they reached for food.

I didn’t do it. I told myself I’d be “too disruptive,” that friends might not understand, that someone might call the police. I called it caution. In truth, it was fear, and my silence that day shielded the  oppressor.

Instead, I went to church and wept, in prayers that never named the horror, in songs of redemption,  in a sermon about mercy that offered no mercy to “the least of these.” That same morning in Gaza, 112 people were killed and over 700 wounded, shot by Israeli soldiers,  as they waited at an aid delivery site.

That horror was not an accident. It was a wound pattern. When Jesus says, “I was hungry and you gave me no food…whateveryou did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matt 25:35-42), these words sear into the truth before us. Every shot that ripped through flesh touched Him. Every pang of hunger echoed in His heart. Our worship is proven in the breadline, or it isn’t worship at all.

Neutrality is Not an Option

Christians often wish to stay “neutral,” but neutrality doesn’t exist. Standing by while children starve, suffer, and die is to choose, unwillingly, yes, but still actively the side of the oppressor. Jesus doesn’t ask our opinions; He asks our actions. Did you feed? Clothe? Welcome? Visit? Or did you refuse?

Neutrality protects our comfort, but abandons Christ. To give is to serve Him. To ignore the hungry is to deny Him.

Where Jesus Stands

Christian Ethics in one sentence: welcome the child or you resist Christ. Jesus took a child into His arms and said, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Mark 9:37). He identifies Himself with the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned. If Christ is there, that is where His church must be.

What Love Requires

Today, children in Gaza are dying from blast wounds, hunger, and disease. These are not anonymous statistics but Christ’s own body suffering. To follow Him is to act: to give, to speak, to call, to refuse policies and weapons that make children targets.

Neutrality is not an option. The only option is love. Love that gives bread, love that tells the truth, love that stands where Jesus stands: with the least of these.

Here are some ways to Activate Right Now:

For individuals (start this week) Give monthly to child-centered relief: UNICEF (nutrition/water), PCRF (Medical care/evacuations), or a local partner like NECC/DSPR-Gaza (family support). Even $10/month matters. Call weekly (2 minutes): “I’m a constituent and a person of faith. Stop arming attacks that kill and starve children. Open crossings, restore aid, and halt weapons until international law is followed. I’ll be watching your votes.” (daily calls would be even better) Bear witness kindly: When a dehumanizing post appears, name it, verify, humanize and add one constructive action (donation link, call script). For congregations: Pray together for the “least of these.” Be aware and identify the needs of those who are suffering. Sponsor care: Back a PCRF pediatric case or therapy sessions for child amputees. Partner with ANAR (Beit Sahour) to train Palestinian caregivers and teachers in “rechilding” – trauma-wise practices that restore safety, play, and secure attachment for children living with violence and fear. Public witness: Adopt a church resolution urging your representatives to condition or halt arms used in civilian harm and to cooperate with investigations into shootings at aid lines and starvation-as-a-weapon. Public responsibility: Contact all offices (House & Senate): call, email, and show up at town halls. Ask for ceasefire, unfettered aid, and suspension of U.S. weapons. Vote your prayers: Let Matthew 25 guide ballots, budgets, and endorsements. Consider what you buy: Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) is a powerful way you can stand up for “the least of these” as you choose products that do not contribute to genocide.

Follow Lani Lanchester:

Journey of Faith & Desert Beauty (website)
IG: @lanilanchester
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Tiktok: tiktok.com/@lanette.lancheste
Learning to Listen to Palestine by Lani Lanchester