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World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, November 22, 2018

Note: Words in italics are from Ps 8 (NRSV)

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

As cosmologists view a “ghost galaxy” hidden in sight…
You have set your glory above the heavens.

As the UN tries to recruit more women to be Blue Helmets peacekeepers, Mali has the grim distinction of being the deadliest active peacekeeping deployment in the world…
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.

As astronomers announce the discovery of a planet around our nearest neighbor star…
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;

As a U.S. federal judge blocks an order issued by President Trump to deny the possibility of asylum to migrants crossing the southern border illegally…
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?

As environmentalists battle to protect the only place in the world where orangutans, rhinos, elephants and tigers still co-exist in the wild (the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia) from destruction by companies producing palm oil…
Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.

As spurious health claims about diseases carried on clothing are used against the providers of humanitarian aid in Mediterranean Sea…
Lord, what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals that you care for them?

As children search for food in the rubbish of the streets of Yemen; while marine life dies as it engulfs plastic instead of food; as wildfires still smolder; as a volcano erupts in Guatemala; as Vietnam floods; as El Nino triggers severe weather in South America…
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,

all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

World News This Week in Prayer, Thursday, October 4, 2018

Holy One,

Shape our prayers to the Gospel of Your Son. Teach us to see as you see and to feel as you feel. This is our prayer.

This day and each day, we lift up our prayers for each and every person who needs to see you in their lives and to feel your presence around them. We pray for hope in the midst of everything that goes on around us. We pray for the faith that when we, all Your people of every background, come together, good things can happen. This is our prayer.

We pray for the survivors of the plane crash last week near an island runway in Micronesia, we are grateful for their lives. And we pray for the one person who was killed, as we mourn this loss. May all who are affected find comfort in Your loving arms.

May we remember that each member of your divine design, no matter how far away, is connected to each of us as a sibling through Your love. This is our prayer.

We pray for the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where thousands were injured and more than 70,000 were displaced. We pray for the thousands who were killed and mourn these losses. May all who are affected find strength and be given help as their lives are now so drastically changed. May we offer what we can to show them that they are never alone, especially when dealing with such great loss. This is our prayer.

We pray for the survivors of sexual assault around the world whose voices are silenced, who are too afraid to speak up, who have been told they ‘asked for it.’ May they reclaim their voice and find strength to release themselves from any burdens of shame or guilt.

As the hearings for Brett Kavanaugh took place this past week in the United States and deliberations for his vote into the Supreme Court are about to take place, shine Your light on the decision makers that they may be guided by Your love. May we be emboldened to fight against ingrained attitudes of oppression and dominance as we work toward a more just world. This is our prayer.

We pray for communities that come together, like the Kudumbashree, the all-female volunteers in Kerala, India, who have volunteered hours of their time every day to clean up their neighborhoods and towns since the catastrophic flooding in August. May they accomplish even more than their wildest dreams. May we be inspired to work together for the good of all of your creation. This is our prayer.

As we long to see your reign here on Earth, give us the endurance and loving hearts to do Your work as we await that day. This is our prayer. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, August 23, 2018

God of compassion

God of green earth and snow
God of darkness
And illumination
God of new things
And of things torn apart
God of waters and maker of dry land
God of tender souls clinging
God in this moment and across all sunrises and the universe

Help us to understand our place in this troubled world, this vast and complex mystery. We ask for a deepening of our caring for our neighbor.

Be with the people of Kerala, India, with nearly 800,000 living in 4,000 emergency relief camps. Sustain them as monsoons continue to cause massive flooding, landslides, and strain resources. Be with rescue teams as they move people to safety. Support community leaders as they discern where to turn their attention in this catastrophe – to straining dams, deforested areas, impassable roads and railways. Comfort those who mourn the over 350 dead and missing.

Bring comfort to the people of Ghazni, Afghanistan, under siege as war continues. Be with those fleeing, those in harm’s way and those unable to leave. Have mercy on the suffering and be with those who have lost over 400 loved ones. Comfort those in the Shia neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi who mourn the 34 people killed in a suicide bomb attack in front of the education center in Kabul. Bring relief to the injured and those who mourn as a cease-fire offer receives further rocket launches, killings and abductions.

Come Holy Spirit, walk the streets of Pacaraima, Brazil, as residents are attacking migrant encampments of people fleeing Venezuela. Open the borders of our hearts to recognition of the universal need for a home.

Care for your people in Indonesia and especially on the quaking island of Lombok. Landslides, unstable and stressed buildings, people moved to living in tents, so much loss in this catastrophe. We ask for your compassion for those who mourn for the dead, 436 and rising. Sustain the hearts and hands of those who rescue and tend.

Teach us to love in powerful ways, in earnest ways that speak out against malice, prejudice and injustice. Bring wisdom, right action and compassion during the unprecedented worldwide displacement of over 68.5 million people. Protect and sustain the 44,000 people newly displaced today and each day around the world. Open the hearts of those who want to deny refugees a place of safety – in the US, for example, where President Trump’s administration is rumored to be considering a second sharp reduction in the number of refugees who can be resettled in the country.

Be with the people of Assam, India, as their leaders sort citizens from non-citizens. Help us to grow in humanity, called insaniyat in Hindi.

Sustain the teams who courageously work at the wildfire front lines day and night, with nearly 2 million acres burning in the US and 2,500 hectares in Canada, with yet more fires around the world, from The Great Dividing Range, Australia, to the coast of Greece. Comfort those who flee waiting to return uncertain of what they will find. Bring strength to those involved in the longer-term care, as overwhelming anxiety and grief is sorted and sense made of loss. Protect the wildlife. Protect us all from the consequences of the ashes spreading through the atmosphere, even to places distant from the fires themselves.

Holy Spirit come beside us. May we speak words that offer dignity and R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Inspire us even in these times of dread to make a joyful noise and walk in your light.

God of Love
God of fields and harvests
Of clouds, rivers and forests
God of night
And of broad noonday
God of the broken, sick and near death
God of the healed
God in this moment and across all sunsets and the universe
We call to you with these prayers for the people.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer- Thursday, August 8, 2018

Holy One,
our lives push us forward each day, distracting and distressing us. We move through the motions and meet the demands laid out before us. We have many priorities and not enough time. We make decision after decision that pulls our attention away from you. Yet, you are here. We declare this; we believe this. You are here, among us, within us, around us. You are the One who is Word Made Flesh, God with Us, True Light from True Light, the One who will not let us go, no matter how far we might flee from your presence. We cannot ascend to heights, dive to depths, lie down or rise up without your wings enfolding us.

And so, as we come to our prayers, we prepare once more to turn our thoughts, our attention, our lives back to the Creation which you so lovingly shaped and in which you so graciously dwell. We turn our attention back to you, to see this world with your eyes, to love with your heart, to work with your hands for the presence of your Kin-dom on earth.
We pray for the people and all creatures in earthquake-striken Indonesia, as aftershocks grip the region. We also remember the sites of past natural disasters, like Puerto Rico and Pakistan. Wherever nature unleashes deadly force, we pray that relief might come swiftly, aid might be distributed fairly, and all who all those struggling with loss and might find that they are surrounded by love and provision.

We pray for the families of the children who have been killed in a brutal school bus attack in Yemen. We also remember the nearly 10,000 who have died in the civil war thus far.
We pray for the people and creatures caught in the whirlpool of violence along the Gaza-Israel border, as new rockets have been fired in the past week. We pray for the families of those who have had someone killed in recent months, including the 1 Israeli soldier and the more than 150 Palestinians. Wherever there is violence, break into the chaos, O Lord. Shatter the grip of hate, unlock the cords of fear, blind us with your light and give us the chance to see each other again with your vision of mercy and peace.

We pray for those struggling with a heat wave across Europe and drought across Australia. May communities look out for each other and may we more fully and wholly steward your Creation. Wherever climate change is being felt more radically, show us how to care for each other and for your creatures. Open our eyes to the resources you have given us. Embolden, empower, and enable our political leaders, our business leaders, and our selves to care more fully for your Creation.

We pray for those who wait and watch and weep this night, this day, and in the hours in-between. We remember those who struggle silently with illness, whether it is mental or physical or emotional. We pray for those who seek your face to shine upon them. In all these things, we rejoice that you draw near us. No matter where we are, no matter what we do, we are your children. May we hold this truth close to our heart, close to our day.
In your most steadfast, gracious, and holy name, AMEN.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, August 2, 2018

On God alone I wait silently;
God my deliverer, God my strong tower.
Paraphrase from Ps. 62, John L. Bell*

When all efforts have been made to cope with natural disasters:
the earthquake in Lombok, Indonesia;
the wildfires in California, USA, Sweden, Siberia, Russian Federation, Greece,
water shortages in Yemen, the UK, Syria, Kenya;

On God alone I wait silently; God my deliverer, God my strong tower.

When people are exhausted from the struggles against injustice and terror:
those forced to care for the children of imprisoned gang members in El Salvador;
the Zimbabweans fearing their Presidential election has been hijacked again;
refugees in the US, Sweden, the European Union, Canada, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Australia and so many other countries;

On God alone I wait silently; God my deliverer, God my strong tower.

When people seek to care for their fellow human beings in need:
Maria Makrogianni (Mama Maria) of Samos, Greece, still feeding refugees from
home having been forced to close her restaurant due to threats on her life;
firefighters (including prisoners) and people of all faiths and none helping those
burned out in Shasta County, California US;
all who act as care givers (paid or unpaid), medics, police, firefighters,
those who keep our communities clean and safe, often with little thanks;

On God alone I wait silently; God my deliverer, God my strong tower.

When families are changing, new life is being formed and others prepare to leave this earthly life:
give us all a sense of thankfulness and proportion as to what is real or imaginary;
help us nurture truth rather than deceit;
humility rather than hubris;
tenderness, love and compassion rather than aggression, hatred and division.
Despite all we like to think, we are not in charge. You are; and we believe you have
a purpose for every season, even the waiting one.

On God alone I wait silently; God my deliverer, God my strong tower. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, May 10, 2018

Lord, we come before you

Prayer is communication that invites at-one-ness with You, the source of our being. We call you God, and as revealed in the flesh, Jesus. We ask for empowerment. Transform us with the life-giving force of the Holy Spirit. Make us channels of the your Eternal Love, Light, and Grace. Help us to continue this work of transformation, of ourselves and of all creation.

Lord, in your mercy hear us

As You are One, You call us to this oneness yet we are so divided by what should unite us, our religious beliefs, diverse cultures, resources and desires. You have shown us glimpses of Yourself according to what we are willing and able to receive, then, too often, we become exclusive and possessive. Thinking we own the truth, we denigrate others.

We see this in the tensions in India between Hindus and Muslims leading to the torture, rape and murder of young girls. Coptic Christians being attacked in Egypt. Conflict and sectarian violence continuing in Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Nigeria and elsewhere around the world.

Lord, hear us and forgive us

You call us to care and nurture all creation, yet so often we treat it cavalierly and out of greed, abuse our resources. The continuing deforestation of huge swathes of Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil, and even in protected ancient forests such as Poland. New gigantic off-shore platforms near Australia are drawing natural gas resources to meet our insatiable greed for energy.

Lord, teach us stewardship and how to touch the earth lightly for the benefit of all and generations to come.

Lord, hear us and forgive us.

We give thanks for the work in the United Arab Emirates by scientists from Norway who have developed a method to pump liquid clay nano-particles into sandy desert so that crops are planted in seven hours instead of seven years. Water required to grow these crops is also reduced by up to 50%. The blooming of the desert is a closer reality.

We give thanks too for the female armed rangers in southern Zimbabwe who are protecting highly endangered elephants from poachers. Unlike their male counterparts, they are not succumbing to corruption or pressure but are arresting poachers even from their own villages or families. Often having survived abusive relationships, these women can now send their children to school and support them.

Lord, continue to strengthen those taking such creative action in solving problems we humans so often have created.

Lord, we bless your holy Name: hear us and bless us.

We continue to remember all who fear. Remember those experiencing natural disasters such as in Hawaii, U.S., and dust and electrical storms in India. Guide our leaders as we watch such political posturing as between North Korea and the rest of the world. Give us discernment in the Iranian nuclear discussions and in the latest financial crisis in Argentina. Comfort those experiencing the devastating wave of knife crimes in London, England among the young. Be with those imprisoned throughout the world without trial or justice, those lonely, those who feel they have no self-worth.

Help us to reach out as need presents itself in all its forms. We have heard your Truth. Prompt us to act on it and live it in our daily choices and decisions.

Lord, hear and answer our prayers for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ who opened the way for Your kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, October 5, 2017

A note from the writer of this week’s prayers:
I really wrestled with what prayers to write today. Part of me – a LARGE part – wanted to rage at God: “If Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection was supposed to end the power of evil and sin, your experiment has failed. Utterly. It’s time to try again, with something different.” But then I saw Connie Sun’s Blessings of Life cartoon, and all the tangled threads of anguish within me took a deep breath and began to unwind. And I thought, “This. Yes. This is what we need. Blessings. To bless, and to be blessed.”

Cartoon reproduced by permission. To see more of Connie Sun’s work, go to http://www.conniewonnie.com/ or follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cartoonconnie/.

A Litany of Blessings

Bless the conflict
Bless the yearning

Bless the Catalonians who voted to split from Spain. Bless the nation that wants to keep them.
Bless the Kurds who voted for independence from Iraq. Bless the Iraqis who fight the Islamic State beside them.
Bless the ceasefire in Colombia with the Marxist National Liberation Army rebels.
Bless the dreams of every homeland.

Bless the grief
Bless the caring

Bless the victims of the mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Bless the dead after a stampede on a footbridge at a Mumbai, India, railway station.
Bless children and teachers lost when a day care center in Brazil was set on fire by a guard who worked there.
Bless the troubled. Bless the injured.
Bless the memories of all survivors.

Bless the leaving
Bless the turning

Bless the more than 150,000 from Bali, Indonesia, who are in limbo, waiting to see when and if it will be safe to return to their homes near a possibly soon-erupting volcano.
Bless the lives lived out in makeshift refugee camps around the world. Bless the Rohingya who have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh.
Bless the devastated U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
Bless the hope. Bless the rebuilding.
Bless the new homes and, someday, those returning.

Bless the danger
Bless the healing

Bless all in Yemen, where cholera cases could hit a million by the end of the year.
Bless the government health officials, World Health Organization, aid agencies and private donors from around the world, now meeting in France to commit to preventing 90% of cholera deaths by 2030.
Bless the 1.2 million “food insecure” in Sri Lanka, where drought has led to the loss of two successive harvests, many small farmers have resorted to eating seed saved to plant next season, and many households are eating just one meal a day.
Bless the hungry. Bless the hurting. Bless the fear-filled.
Bless the aid-workers. Bless the donors.
Bless the researchers. Bless the prayer-supporters.

Bless the night
Bless the morning

Bless the birthdays. Bless new lovers and years-long friendships.
Bless the sunsets and the rainbows.
Bless the achievements, large and small.
Bless the learners and the doers.
Bless the meals eaten, alone and those together.
Bless each hour of rest and slumber.

Bless the hands, and hearts, and spirits
Lord God, bless us all

World News This Week In Prayer, Thursday, March 30th, 2017

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:6-7

In the glory of the changing seasons; in the beauty of the aurora; we bless you God our creator. In the care for each and every part of your creation we are comforted that there are neither too many nor too few for your attention. We confess that sometimes we are distracted by numbers:

How do we cope when there are 17 million Yemenis – almost two thirds of the population – critically food insecure and requiring urgent humanitarian assistance, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said. That’s more than the total number of people affected by food insecurity in South Sudan (4.9m), Somalia (2.9m) and northeast Nigeria (4.7m) combined. Children are particularly at risk with two million children under the age of five acutely malnourished.
How do we cope when there are mounting deaths in the Iraq cities of Mosul and Raqqa and continuing deaths in the Mediterranean Sea and news emerging of deaths from meningitis in Nigeria?
How do we cope when 4 people and a terrorist are shot in London, U.K.?
What do we do when Cyclone Debbie causes havoc across Hamilton Island and across Queensland, Australia, yet some in authority are determined to deny the evidence of global climate change and repeal laws to curb this?
With an elephant killed by poachers “every 25 minutes” and zoos resorting to removing rhino horns for their protection, extinction is apparently inevitable – how can we save the complex ecosystem of our world and which we barely understand? Encourage our generosity as more than 25 zoos around the world are working to preserve rhino populations.
We are encouraged by the further discernment of the governor of Cross River State in Nigeria as a super highway design is being revised to circumvent impact on the pristine forest, indigenous communities and habitat for gorillas. There are other sparrows including the pangolins, forest elephants and chimpanzees that need our consideration.
Unusual El Nino storm patterns bring devastating floods in Peru, but snow in parts of the Canary Islands replenishes water supplies.

And yet, and yet there is good news. Extinction is not reversed but evidence has emerged that the Tasmanian tiger may still exist in parts of Indonesia. The South American Tagua seeds found in Panama and in the Andes of Ecuador, Bolivia, Columbia, northwestern Brazil and Peru, known as vegetable ivory or “plant elephant,” may be increasingly used in place of elephant ivory. Continuing study of the complex Kaikoura, New Zealand earthquake helps us unravel more of the marvels of our ecosystem. We learn to consider best practice for water storage and flood control. Strangely, we read that Tonga is giving chicks to communities in a fight against obesity. We read of the helping hands for an exhausted runner in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. half marathon “love run”.

All these are little things in the face of the huge problems the media talk about too little, it would seem, to make a difference. The thing is, Creator God, numbers and size don’t matter to you: one by one we make a difference because you make all the difference in the world. Amen

World News in Prayer – Thursday, February 16, 2017

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13.4-8

As many of us have just celebrated St Valentine’s Day, let us not only remember our love for one another but also our love for God, and the debt which we owe him for the creation of our earth and selves. In Genesis 1:31 it is written – God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. Lord, give us the will to mold this world ever closer to your heart’s desire and the patience to work with what we have, where we are. Many of us work hard to inspire and maintain our planet, to conserve it and enjoy the fruits it holds, so we pray that those working against it and causing its destruction from global warming are halted in their ignorance of its fragility.

We are saddened to hear that over 400 pilot whales have died after being beached on Farewell Spit, New Zealand, but we thank you, Lord, for the people of Project Jonah and the hundreds of volunteers singing to, pouring water on, and guiding hundreds more of these beautiful creatures back out to sea.

Creator God, let Your glory touch us in the light we see, the fruitfulness of the earth, and the joy of its creatures. Inspire and breathe love and life into our lives.

We pray for the people of Bali, Indonesia, after landslides killed 12 people and destroyed villages. We pray for the families of those who died in an avalanche at a Tignes ski resort in France. We pray for the people of the Philippines, where an earthquake has claimed the lives of eight people, injured 120 more, and where nearly 100 aftershocks have been felt. We pray for the people of Taipei, Taiwan, where 150 people died in five days during a crippling cold spell. We pray for those affected by bushfires spreading across New South Wales, Australia. We pray for the people of Oroville, California, US, who have been forced to evacuate their homes in the wake of continued structural damage to the Oroville dam. We pray for the people in the Northeastern US, where seven blizzards and snow storms have dumped up to seventy inches of snow in the last nine days and where widespread power outages are occurring regularly. Lord, although we are in awe of the beauty of this earth, we are so often shocked and disillusioned by the magnitude and frequency of natural disasters. Help us, Lord, as we seek Your comfort and understanding during these events.

Creator God, thank You for the universe, our great home, for its vastness and riches beyond our knowledge. Deliver to us your true plan.

We pray for the eight who died in a fierce battle in Kashmir, India, and for the dozens of fighters killed in inter-factional fighting in northern Syria. We beg of You, Lord, to hold back man’s desire for control over Your lands.

Creator God, humble us and embrace us with Your tenderness.

Let us pray for the people of Lahore, Pakistan, where 13 people were killed and dozens more injured by a suicide bomber, for the two radio journalists shot dead during a live broadcast in the Dominican Republic, and for the thirty-two lives lost and thirteen people injured when their tour bus overturned near Taipei, Taiwan. Lord, give strength and comfort to grieving families and friends.

Creator God, console and comfort us when tragedy occurs.

Lord, as we humans appear to become ever more polarised between the rich and powerful and the poor and powerless, we ask You to enlighten and inspire the strong to strengthen the weak. Help seal divisions between those who consume too much and those who have nothing to consume. Help those with plenty be fuelled with a desire to share with those who have little. Assist us in healing our flawed society so that we may cherish each other and delight in living together in peace and harmony.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, December 15, 2016

We have come to worship you, Shepherd of Israel. Out of the busy-ness we create for ourselves at this season, we come to remember why. We give thanks for the bravery of Mary, for the courage of Joseph, and we ask that these qualities support us in the face of overwhelming commercialization and the rewriting of the good news.

This week, as we think of Mary, we pray for all preparing to give birth, for their midwives, doctors and all who provide equipment, medicines and other support. We give thanks for the California, USA company, We Care Solar, which, realizing the difficulties of providing midwifery and other medical care when electric light is not reliable, invented “solar suitcases”.

As we think of Joseph, we pray for fathers facing the need to become refugees to keep their children safe – those who are too small, too old, too frail, yet in fear for their lives must run. With the news that any ceasefire in Aleppo, Syria, has been violated and praying for those who are frustrated in their attempts to give shelter and aid, we must cry out for these your children, Shepherd God.

We pray for the people of Yemen, as the humanitarian crisis deepens; and for the people of Palmyra as so-called ISIS retakes the city. Because the media is silent we must cry out for these your children, Shepherd God.

As the western side of the Pacific ring of fire seems to be particularly active, we think of those whose lives continue to be affected – in Aceh province, Indonesia; in the Solomon Islands; in New Zealand and Japan. While we give thanks that scientists note the changing coastlines which may give clues to earthquake predictions, because the media is silent we must cry out for these your children, Shepherd God.

We pray for Christians in Nigeria and Egypt following attacks on churches and cathedrals. For all who are attacked for their faith, because the media is silent we must cry out for these your children, Shepherd God.

We pray for those recently married, who in their love radiate the good news that in love there is room for all in this world. We praise you, Shepherd of Israel. Amen