Israel

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, July 19, 2018

Jesus said to the disciples, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:31-34 NRSV

Amid the chaos and confusion, the demands on our time and attention, we long to hear you call us away for a time of rest and renewal. God of Grace and mercy, the news weighs heavy on our hearts. Sometimes we don’t even know where to start, how to make an impact in this world. It can feel as though everyone we encounter is a sheep without a shepherd. Fill our hearts with the compassion of Jesus, that we might both find the rest we so desperately need, and the strength and courage to do the hard work of mercy, justice and reconciliation.

God, we pray for all those in political offices, that they might lead with the best interests of the people, and the planet, in mind. We pray especially for the leaders of Israel and Palestine, that they might make steps toward a sustainable peace.

We pray for researchers seeking to detect and cure cancer and other diseases, as Australian researchers may have developed a blood test which can detect melanoma at an early stage, and may lead to saving many lives.

We pray for police, first-responders, EMTs, and all public servants, as they serve others in difficult and trying situations. We pray especially for the firefighters who are battling overwhelming wildfires in Sweden, and for the neighboring countries who are providing much-needed resources.

We pray for all those who labor, sometimes working in nearly unbearable situations, to afford us the comforts we desire. We pray for miners and all who work in dangerous professions as five miners have died in a South African copper mine.

We pray for business leaders, that they may realize the impact their decisions have on families, and on the environment we all share. We pray for just and fair trade practices as leaders in Japan and the European Union have recently come to a significant trade deal.

We pray for families, that parents are able to provide the needed support and be the role models our children deserve. And, we pray that all children would have their basic needs met, especially when their parents are unable or unwilling to meet those needs.

And God, we pray for ourselves, that we might hear your voice, discern your will for our lives, and have the courage and strength to work for justice. And may we find peace and rest…so we might be empowered to show the compassion of Christ to all those around us.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thurs., May 17, 2018

“Let us hear of joy and gladness,
that the body you have broken may rejoice”
-Psalm 51:8, adapted

We are your body, O God. Wonderfully made, and full of promise. We are your body, O God, broken, yet full of promise.

We are too often broken in our relationships with one another. Quick to believe the worst of others, quick to spread suspicion and allegations, quick to be manipulated into anger, fear, distrust.

This week, USA Today released the first analysis of the 3517 Facebook ads placed in the U.S. by a Russian organization leading up to the 2016 U.S. Presidential election. The overwhelming majority were designed to inflame race-related tensions, stir up distrust of immigrants and Muslims, or deepen religious divisions. These and similar efforts – they succeeded.

Spirit of compassion,
forgive.
Spirit of wisdom,
make us whole.

We are often too quick to break the covenants – spoken and unspoken – between nations.

Only a few days after agreeing to talks between North and South Korea, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reneged on the deal, claiming that drills between the South Korean and U.S. air forces are a rehearsal for an invasion of the North.

Spirit of compassion,
forgive.
Spirit of wisdom,
make us whole.

Our ability to understand is too often broken by our allegiances, our preconceptions, our maneuvering for power. Wounds get passed on, taken for granted, for generation after generation. Injustices overlaid with religious overtones and political interests keep compounding.

This week, just one day before Ramadan (the Muslim holy period of fasting, praying and helping others in need) began, the U.S. embassy in Israel officially relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. On the same day, Israeli forces shot and killed 60 Palestinian protesters along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel, injuring hundreds more. The Israeli government alleges terrorists wanted to use the protests as cover to cross into its territory and carry out attacks, and that the use of force was justified and unavoidable. Palestinians are crying foul, saying that Israel is attacking civilians. Many Western governments are accusing Israel of human rights violations. Some evangelical Christian groups are triumphantly proclaiming that relocating the embassy to Jerusalem is a sign that Christ is about to return. Anti-Semitism is increasing in many countries; anti-Muslim sentiment is also growing.

Meanwhile, in both Israel and Palestine, thousands and thousands are living in fear. Hundreds on both sides are mourning loved ones they have lost.

Even so, You, O God, know that we are wonderfully made, and full of promise.

Spirit of compassion,
forgive.
Spirit of wisdom,
make us whole.

“Let us hear of joy and gladness,
that the body you have broken may rejoice”

In all times and all ways, let us hear of joy and gladness, O God. Remind us of the joy with which you created us. Remind us of the love in which you hold us. Remind us of the path on which you lead us. Teach us that there is a way out of these abysses. Remind us that all our brokennesses will be made whole.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, March 8, 2018

Holy One,

When we want to linger in shadows, you expose us to light.

When we want to slump into a corner, you lift us up in your presence.

When we think our words, our actions, our lives have no effect, you remind us that we are leading people in surprising and unexpected ways.

So we pray to you, Shepherd of our souls. Gather our words, hold our hearts, guide our feet, and show us the next right step to take, as we pray for the world.

We pray for those people and places damaged during the anti-Muslim rioting in Sri Lanka, where tensions have exploded between the nation’s Muslim minority and Buddhist majority.

We pray for the survivors of school shootings, who look on while gun bills are debated in legislatures in Florida and throughout the USA.

We pray for an end to the continued fighting in Syria, as the boundaries between troops and civilians remain blurred and dangerous.

We pray for a grace-filled sense of stability in Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo, their people who have known too much conflict and struggle with violence and starvation everyday.

We pray for a justice and clarity in Israel as its people experience increased government tensions, and while a corruption investigation of their prime minister, Netanyahu takes place.

We pray for purpose and compassion in Pakistan and for those working to change school systems and bring about education reforms, despite the required uphill climb.

We pray also for our own lives, our own communities, our own nations.

Bring your peace where there is despair, your love where there is fear, your grace where there is shame, your joy where there is apathy. Lead us on. Show us where to go.

In your Holy Name, we pray.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, February 15th, 2018

It seems very odd, Lord, that people call for January to be a month to try being vegan when Lent was a period, 40 days, in the time before world trade hit our food markets when it was a necessity. We pray for those to whom being vegan is not a life style choice but a necessity forced on refugees, rough sleepers and displaced people. We think especially of those in the Cape provinces of South Africa where drought is forcing extreme measures as water may run out in a matter of weeks.

It seems very odd, Lord, that people think shooting in a school will solve their problems rather than ask you. We pray for all those dealing with the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, USA, for those who grieve, those who are injured and those treating trauma, giving thanks for all who cope as the incident unfolds.

It seems very odd, Lord, that people rake over old scandals rather than seek your moral code for how to live together as a society. We pray for the people of Haiti and other countries where foreign aid workers have inflicted life style problems to the detriment of those they were sent to help. We pray for the Governments of both donor and recipient countries especially those who, lacking perspective, trash all that has been achieved.

It seems very odd that prescription drugs are sold illegally for uses they can’t possibly treat, promote household chemicals as cures for fatal illnesses, while others poach endangered species and prey on people for body parts.

We pray:

for the women of Pakistan, trying to open bank accounts but whose spinal fluid was abusively taken.

for the churches of Limpopo province, South Africa, where insecticide was used on their congregations.

for those who are willing to pay, and those who take their money to poach, for the short terms gains from shark finning, rhino and elephant poaching.

We ask that things seen as of little media interest in the face of –

the political crises in South Africa and Israel;
the collapsing health care in Gaza, Syria and Jordan;
the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh;
the banking investigation in Australia

may be recognised as the major events they are for the future of our whole world.

We pray for those killed and injured in the tragedy of incidents and life-affecting disasters –

in the plane crash in Moscow, Russia;
in the helicopter crash at the Grand Canyon, USA;
in the bus crash in Hong Kong;
in the train crash in central Austria;
in fighting and air strikes in Syria,

and may all those involved in rescue and emergency aid operations be recognised for the vital work and care they administer.

Lord, it might seem odd to us that we do so little: a smile here, a hug there, a donation, a prayer. Help us not to forget that the small thing we do today enables another to do a bigger thing tomorrow until all becomes part of your vast generosity. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, December 21, 2017

“Let it be with me according to your word.”

–Mary, on learning that she was to bear the son of God (Luke 1:38)

Let it be with us, according to Your word.
Let the hungry be filled with good things.
Let the lowly be lifted up.
Let the mighty be cast down.
Let your promise of mercy take root throughout all humankind.

Let it be with us according to Your word, for the least among us

In the United States, castigated by a United Nations poverty and human rights investigation for having one of the highest rates of income inequality in the developed world, with low-income residents often being marginalized with little support from the government and few opportunities to climb out of poverty. The same report said that the massive tax reform bill just passed will turn the U.S. into “the World Champion of Extreme Inequality.”
In Benin, where a two-year pilot project funded by the World Bank virtually stopped child slavery in the central commune of Za-Kpota. Just giving each family $6 per month provided them with enough income that they no longer needed to sell their children to labor in Nigerian mines, and instead were able to keep them home and send them to school.
In Tanzania, after President John Magufuli pardoned singer Nguza Viking and his son Johnson Nguza for raping 10 primary school girls, aged between six and eight, in 2003. The pardon has been denounced by Human Rights Watch and Equality Now as promoting a culture of human rights violations in which young victims of sexual violence are being punished while perpetrators are going free.
Children affected by wars in the Middle East, especially those displaced in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. A five-year grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will bring a local version of “Sesame Street” to an estimated 9.4 million children, teaching reading, language, and other skills.

Let it be with us according to Your word, for the mighty among us

Following the election in Catalonia, Spain, where the separatist parties won a slim, smaller majority in the new Assembly.
As the new leader of South Africa’s governing African National Congress, Cyril Ramaphosa, pledges to fight corruption and pursue a policy of “radical economic transformation”.
In Honduras, where a chaotic presidential election in Honduras—involving unexplained computer malfunctions and possible vote rigging—has ended with the country’s electoral commission proclaiming the incumbent president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, the winner.
After U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel – an act immediately and overwhelmingly condemned by the United Nations General Assembly.

Let it be with us according to Your word, for all who are sorrow-filled and all who are joyful.

Show us your mercy, that we all may proclaim,
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”

World News This Week in Prayer- December 14, 2017

Holy One,
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” (John 1)

“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Luke 1)

We know this to be true: You speak to us and our spirits vibrate with your call. You breathe upon our lives and we breathe in your peace. You sing and our feet pick up the tune. You turn the world upside down, and our hearts are lifted high. Your light pierces the dark, your justice overturns the powerful, your grace shatters the illusion of our own grandeur; in so many moments, surprising and unexpected, we have witnessed the way you transform the world.
And yet, still we struggle when we turn to pray for the world. We struggle to remember these moments of your glory. We struggle to trust in your work. We struggle to magnify your peace and justice, your mercy and righteousness. When the world wants to drown us with despair, we struggle to let our hearts blaze with hope and joy.
We need your Word. We need your Word as proclaimed by John the Baptist in his fiery speeches about your Light. We need your Word in Mary as she sings forth the prophetically profound Magnificat. We need these words and your Word to realign our priorities, to refocus our gaze, to redirect us towards the dance of your Spirit in the world around us.
As we turn to pray for the world, we know we see with Your eyes. We need to look with Your eyes at the Democratic Republic of Congo to see the nearly half a million children who face starvation. We need to look with Your eyes at the entrenched Israeli/Palestinean conflict to see the civilians injured in recent weeks by mobs and rockets in the occupied Palestinian territories. We need to look with Your eyes at our current political partisan divides to see the hundreds of men and women who have had the courage to claim their experience of sexual assault in the United States and beyond. We need to look with Your eyes at Zimbabwe and Kenya, to witness the citizens involved in the tenuous transition of political power. We need to look with Your eyes at the refugees who remain in limbo in Greece, Syria, Turkey, Germany, Myanmar, Jordan, Israel, and the countries of Central America.
We need to look with Your eyes and hold these prayers in our hearts, because we believe that you are God with Us, Emmanuel, and all of those lifted up in prayer are your beloved children.
In you, we live and move and have our being. In you, we pray our prayers for the world. In you, we remember who and whose we are.
Thanks be to you, the Word Made Flesh.
Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thurs., Nov. 2, 2017`

Once again, dear God, once again we come to you in grief and anger. Once again terror has struck at the heart of New York City, U.S. Once again, we know the weeping of Rachel that is heard across Your creation. Once again, what You declared to be good has fallen short of Your glory. Once again the world village of sorrow grows larger and smaller at the same time. Once again the people of the United States join hands with Rohingya villagers in Myanmar, a family of grief united with Boston (U.S.) and Barcelona (Spain), Paris (France) and Orlando (U.S.), Israel and Egypt, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Once again tears mix with tears without concern for race, creed, loyalties. Once again we taste true communion in our remembrance of Christ’s own innocent death. Once again we know Good Friday, and Easter feels far away. Once again we know the power of hatred testing the power of love. Once again we seek for Good News. Once again we hear the tempter’s offer of shortcuts, if only we would bow.

Once again, Holy God, hear our cry, heal our spirits, touch our hurt, forgive our hatred, guide our steps, strengthen, strengthen, strengthen our every breath to be God-breathed. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, September 28, 2017

Ex 31:16 “The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant.”(NIV)

Creator God, you give us every good and perfect gift. We celebrate the equinox so easily, the turning of the world and change of seasons, the seedtime and the harvest; our unique place in the solar system giving us truths that would not be easily discovered on other planets. We enjoy so much of this beauty – forgive us that we ignore your many other gifts.

You gave us the Sabbath to observe as a day of rest and to celebrate it for future generations, a good and perfect gift that we don’t see as such. The burden we place on future generations is to work, continuously, with no space for the holy. We think “the work ethic” means we must work all 168 hours of a week; we think we must take our e-devices everywhere, even on holiday, even in the bath, for fear that we are weighed in the balance and found wanting by our employers. When we are self-employed it becomes even worse, unable to take time for ourselves and our family just in case we miss out on a contract, the perfect job. Lord, who is my neighbour; when will we love ourselves that we can love our neighbour? Will it be when we take a Sabbath’s rest to keep it holy and learn to love ourselves?

And then, we see the news of the war of words between nations, especially between the US and North Korea, and cry “give it a rest”. When we hear that, against Israeli canvassing, Interpol has voted to admit the State of Palestine to membership, along with the Solomon Islands – Lord, who is my neighbour; when will we love ourselves that we can love our neighbour? Will it be when we take a Sabbath’s rest and regain a more objective perspective?

Even within nations there is no rest: The Iraqis refusing to even discuss Monday’s referendum about Kurdish independence; the Spanish arresting all those officials who would run the coming referendum, disrupting any idea of Catalan independence. Lord, who is my neighbour; when will we love ourselves that we can love our neighbor? Will it be when we celebrate our diversity as your people on earth?

We see the recurring devastation of Caribbean islands by storms, and the country of Mexico by earthquakes, and know there can be no rest until water, food and shelter are provided and the lost are found. As people flee the eruptions of Mount Agung on Bali, and Monaro on Vanuatu, Lord, who is my neighbour; when will we love ourselves that we can love our neighbour? Will it be when we learn to share the labour and give each other respite care?

We fail to recognise that freedom of speech means other ethnicities within our own country can use it. When we see the ethnic cleansing and displacement of such as the Rohingya, then, Lord, who is my neighbour; when will we love ourselves that we can love our neighbour? Will it be when we recognise the rights of other ethnicities?

When the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts announces 6 new member countries – Syria, Aruba, Azerbaijan and the State of Palestine as full members and Albania and Niger as associate members – and recognizes Arabic as another official language – then we celebrate, these are our neighbours. We see women in Saudi Arabia are finally allowed to drive, then we celebrate; when all refugees are finally resettled from Australia’s Manus Island Processing Center in Papua, New Guinea, then we can know these are our neighbours; when the great green wall across sub-Saharan Africa finally brings drought relief to the countries around Lake Chad, then all these are our neighbours and for future generations we can celebrate.

“… to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant … “ These are not your hopeful thoughts or wishful comments, Lord, these are your commands – that we learn to live together in covenant with you and our neighbour. May it be so.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, June 29, 2017

Your glorious cause, O God
Engages our hearts
May Jesus Christ be known
Wherever we are
We ask not for ourselves, but for Your renown
The cross has saved us so we pray
Your kingdom come.
– Let Your Kingdom Come, by Bob Kauflin

Holy and almighty God, in the face of suffering and trials, we turn inward, grasping to maintain the fleeting illusion of control over the world around us. We know that we are powerless to stop the hands of time, to hold onto that which we desire, or even to keep ourselves alive and well. Whether we admit it or not, our lives are in your hands, O God. And so we beg you to teach us to pray with our minds, our hearts, our spirits, and our lives: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the face of a travel ban to the US for people from six primarily Muslim countries that is preventing refugees from escaping persecution and keeping families apart: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the face of an escalating refugee crisis in Europe, in which Italy has threatened to close ports and block rescue ships from docking: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the face of continued racial injustice in the US, where criminal justice reform is so desperately needed: In the lives of those in need: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the face of the deaths of dozens of people who were deserted by human traffickers in Niger without food or water: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the face of sex abuse accusations against a high-ranking Vatican official: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the face of a corruption scandal that has engulfed a large number of Brazil’s national government officials: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the face of the deaths of newborn babies in Gaza City, Palestine, who are denied exit permits for treatment in Israel: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the lives of those in need: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the lives of those we love: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the life of your church: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.

In the life of our world: your kingdom come, O Lord, and your will be done.