For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. Ephesians 2:14

Bullets into crosses. Artists of the West African country of Liberia have found a way to point to hope through an object of death.

For much of his growing up years, Liberian Joseph Kebbie lived as a refugee.  Between 1989 and 1997, war ravaged his homeland, killing 200,000 and displacing half the population. Joseph kept track of the war by listening to the BBC on a small solar powered radio. But he found hope in Jesus by listening to a powerful Christian radio station.

Today Joseph brings this hope to his fellow Liberians through a community radio station he founded called VoxFM. The station began in a shipping container, jokingly called Vox in a Box.

To this day, says Joseph, spent bullet casings from the war are still common to find. But what is uncommon, is the gift Joseph gives to friends of VoxFM. From a tiny, velvet-lined box, Joseph lifts an object. It’s a brass cross that’s been hand-hammered from a spent bullet casing. The cross emerges from the base of what was an implement of death. But this cross speaks hope—hope in the only One who brings forever peace between God and man, but also between fellow men. That One is Jesus.

Of Jesus, scripture says, “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us” (Ephesians 2:14). The cross of Jesus declares that walls can be broken down. Peace, forgiveness and reconciliation is possible. Liberian followers of Jesus have found the truth that’s available to all people everywhere. Christ alone is our Peacemaker.