Jesus and the riots

Over the last three days I've been watching the news about the riots in London with a mix of confusion, anger and despair.  I've written the first paragraph of at least a dozen blog posts on the subject, but none of them were quite right.  Then this evening I was challenged to get my thoughts written, so here goes.

Where would Jesus be in this?
I think he'd be in the middle of it all.  Speaking to the rioters and trying to understand their reasons.  Speaking to the police and calming their fears.  He would not hide behind the safety of television coverage; He would be involved, in the middle.

How could Jesus help?
Jesus would stay calm, he'd understand the issues and emotions and he would not be afraid to get straight to the point.

What would Jesus say to the rioters?
Jesus would understand their motives and see the reasons for their behaviour.  He would name the reasons; be they past or current, deep or superficial.  Then he would work to heal those wounds.  He would tell them that they are loved, valued and cared for by God.  He would help them understand that this is not the right way to act.  He would use their own language and social examples.  He would be a beacon of hope in lives of hopelessness.  He would heal.

What would Jesus say to the Government?
Jesus would despair at the ineptitude.  He would ridicule the lack of understanding and contact with society.  He would condemn the talking shop of government and ask what can be done.  He would tell the leaders to start following the path of love; leaving power and money behind.  Jesus would show the right path; of care, compassion and justice.

How can we be Jesus' hands and feet?
We can blog.
We can attend.
We can clear up.
We can tweet and share.
We can forgive.
We can try to understand.
We can pray.

We can work to enact change in a society where love, understanding and forgiveness take a back seat to greed, selfishness and power.