As Americans are busy thinking about Black Friday sales and Christmas shopping, Putin looks forward to American disinterest in Europe –isn’t that what we did in 1940 when Hitler was invading countries? In response, the Nordic countries and Germany have prepared booklets and internet information on preparation for war.
Unlike some of our ostrich-minded politicians, they look possible disaster square in the face. We have short memories. WW2 was not just defending Europe. We, too, were attacked and after 9-11 NATO countries sent troops to help us in Afghanistan.
Using the theme of “Prepared people cope better,” the information ranges from knowing where civil defense shelters are located to planning ahead for major disruptions in our ordinary lives. Looking seriously at its 830-mile border and Putin’s aggression, the Finnish site puts it bluntly: “Would you survive 72 hours?” Would you? Would I?
Prayer for the Day
Looking forward to Christmas, we often forget Advent,
A time of preparation, a time of remembrance;
Stores full of their wares beckon us to forget our worries,
To ignore the fears and warnings of others.
But you, O God, call us to a different kind of preparation,
One that is more than tinsel and lights.
In the name of the One who breaks into our lives,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
We live in an increasingly turbulent world, affected by climate change, digital threats and “in the worst case, acts of war.
From Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection
We live in uncertain times. Armed conflicts are currently being waged in our corner of the world. Terrorism, cyber-attacks, and disinformation campaigns are being used to undermine and influence us.
From Sweden’s Public Information Office
For you have forgotten the God of your salvation,
And have not remembered the Rock of your refuge;
Therefore, though you plant pleasant plants,
And set out slips of an alien god,
Though you make them blossom in the morning that you sow,
Yet the harvest will flee away in days of grief and incurable pain.
Isaiah 17: 10-11