World in Prayer

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, November 29, 2018

Holy One,

When what we have is yours and what we receive is a gift from you, we offer up our words of prayer in the knowledge that you are the Word from whom all our prayers flow. We pray with grief for the things that have broken your heart; we pray with joy for the things that have made you dance.

We pray with awareness that we cannot fix the world, but, instead, we can learn to see and taste and touch and know this world as your Creation. In this time and space, we try to take our next step of faith and in so doing, we hope to discover you.

We pray for that which fills us with grief: the devastation from wildfires in California (USA); the violence inflicted on asylum-seekers at the Mexico-United States border; the ongoing conflicts in Yemen; the cruel treatment of the Rohyinga in Myanmar; all who care for someone who struggles with addiction and mental illness; all who wait and watch and weep at the bedsides of loved ones this week.

We pray for that which fills us with fear: the unfolding havoc of climate change around the world; the flaring tensions between Ukraine and Russia; the continued fallout from the murder of Saudi journalist Khashoggi; the precariousness of a Brexit deal; the rise of raging, hate-filled political rhetoric in countries near and far from us.

We pray for that which gives us strength: the compassion of strangers who care for migrants in the Mediterranean and in Central America; the rise of women leaders in Ethiopia; the energy of students who fight gun violence in the United States; those who believe we belong to each other; those who live as if we belong to you.

Lord, teach us how to love what you love. Show us how to nurture what you nurture. Reveal to us how to speak your Word, today and in the days to come.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, November 15, 2018

Thanksgiving Prayer

“Oh, may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And guard us through all ills in this world, till the next!”
(verse 2, “Now Thank We All Our God,” by Martin Rinkart)

Holy and loving God, in this season where those in the United States celebrate Thanksgiving, we remember seed time and harvest, bounty and want, “all the ills in this world and the next.” Yet in the middle of all that makes us “perplexed” we come to You in prayer, with grateful hearts.

Along the migrant caravan trails  – crossing through Mexico from Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador -we give thanks for the acts of kindness among ordinary citizens who share from their widow’s mite: food, blessing, care.

From the fire-ravaged towns of California, U.S., and flood and landslide-swept path of Typhoon Yutu in the Philippines, the we give thanks for the heroism of firefighters, first responders, search and rescue teams, and medical staff in the long work of protecting and healing. Your “peace which passeth all understanding” includes wiping away all tears of those who have perished, all who grieve. Thank you for hope itself, when all seems beyond hope.

Within the heartache of hate-filled violence in the U.S. against Jewish worshippers in Pittsburgh and college students in Thousand Oaks, amidst the terror with which Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face the idea of forced repatriation to Myanmar (possibly beginning as early as this week), we find gratitude for such outpouring of love from mourners, families and people of all faith. Bind us together with such strength that the perpetrators of hate will tremble, bow down, and be resurrected in love.

In remembrances of the first World War to end all wars, we give thanks for stories of sacrifice in the face of war, and determination after. May our Prince of Peace yet find a home in the hearts of all. We give thanks for acts of courage and conscience that still seek to turn swords into ploughshares.

Around our own Thanksgiving tables, filled with aromas of abundance, may we smell the cooking fires of refugee camps across the world. We give thanks for aid workers and charities and missionaries who welcome those who have been abandoned, targeted or turned out. Like Jesus with the 5,000, may gratitude for what is too meagre turn into a miracle of more than enough.

Holy God, from Your house to ours, from our house across the world, we receive the gift of love, and determine to share it in word and deed, gratefully.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – 30 August 2018

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Psalm 13:1-2 (NRSV)

How long, O Lord?
Our hearts and souls echo the cry of the Psalmist.
Around the world and in our communities, people hurt one another in countless ways.
Clergy, teachers, business leaders, and seemingly countless others abuse their power, resulting in the deep suffering of communities, our fellow humans, and even you, O God.
We pray for all victims of abuse at the hands of clergy and religious leaders.
We pray for the Rohingya of Myanmar who have face what the UN Secretary General called “horrendous persecution.”

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
Psalm 13:3-4 (NRSV)

So much of the news we hear, O God, shakes us to our core.  It seems like no matter where we turn we find brokenness, pain, and heartache.  We pray for men, women, and children experiencing homelessness, who don’t have many of their basic needs met.  We pray for those affected, and the families of those killed, by earthquakes in Venezuela and Iran. We pray for the flora and fauna of our world, as hundreds of sea turtles have been found dead off the coast of Mexico after being caught in an illegal fishing net. We pray for the thousands fleeing flooding after a dam burst in Myanmar.

But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Psalm 13:5-6 (NRSV)

God, we lift our hearts and our voices to you.
We give you praise, because in the midst of our fear and brokenness, there are glimpses of your presence and your love:

  • Cartoon artists who are challenging stereotypes by depicting female superheroes who are also Muslim.
  • Children who are growing, learning, and finding their voices as they try to create a more just and loving world.

We pray for the government and parents in China, as they debate removing the limits on family size.

Simple acts of kindness, often unnoticed by the crowds, bring light and hope into the world. Let us never forget, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5 NRSV)

Help us, O God, to focus on the light of your love.
Help us to believe Jesus’ promise of abundant life.
And, help us to lift our voices to you in praise, for you have dealt bountifully with us.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, July 5, 2018

This week’s prayers are adapted, with permission, from a prayer written for U.S. Independence Day 2018 by Leslie Barnes Scoopmire.

(Inspired by the Preamble to the United States Constitution)

In peace, we pray to You, Lord, God:
from our rising to our resting
we give You thanks and praise for all your blessings.

  • We give you thanks for the 12 boys and their coach found alive after being trapped in a cave in Thailand by rising waters, for the divers who reached them with food and supplies, for all who are working to rescue them, and for the millions throughout the world who have held them in prayer during the search.
  • We give you thanks for the breakthrough in-vitro fertilization technique that may save the Northern White Rhino species – now down to two surviving females and no living males– from extinction; for all the gifts of this Earth, and all who work to protect and preserve them.

May we seek to form a more perfect union
with You and with each other,
loving our neighbors as ourselves,
sharing each other’s burdens,
seeking to relieve each other’s wants.

  • We pray for an end to the posturing and tit-for-tatting in the tariff wars started by U.S. President Donald Trump against Mexico, Canada, China and the European Union. We pray for sanity, caution, compassion and courage among U.S. leaders as Trump threatens to pull out of the World Trade Organization and violate its rules with impunity. We pray for all whose livelihoods are at stake.
  • We give thanks that all 329 municipalities in Bangladesh have agreed to join the United Nation’s Making Cities Resilient Campaign. Low-lying, densely populated Bangladesh is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, hit every year by cyclones that are becoming more frequent and more intense due to climate change. The UN Campaign will develop local action plans and improve infrastructures to prepare for disasters.

May we establish true justice as our foundation,
justice that builds and creates
rather than subjugates and destroys,
and work for an end to oppression, poverty, and prejudice,
remembering always the many mercies
we ourselves have received.

  • We pray for those who would want to make national criticism illegal. We pray for Poland, which has reduced the penalties in its controversial law against accusing the Polish nation of complicity in the Holocaust. In response to international pressures, jail time is no longer among the penalties.
  • We pray for the five people killed in a shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Md. (U.S.), and for the courage and commitment of the remaining staff in getting out that day’s newspaper anyway. We pray for the countries where a free press is banned, for those who spread fake news and inflame the public against the media, and for all truth-seekers and truth-tellers everywhere.
  • We pray for the day when ethics will outweigh profit-making in every business venture. We give thanks that Kenya’s public prosecutor has ordered the arrest of two farm managers and several government officials over a dam which collapsed and killed more than 47 people in May. The dam had been constructed by unqualified staff and also broke environmental laws.
  • We pray for the day when compassion will universally be valued more highly than conformity. We pray for North Korea, where a high-ranking military officer was executed for giving out extra rice and corn rations to his troops.

May we ensure tranquility
by defending and protecting each other
in compassion and mercy,
that true liberty may be a blessing for all
grounded in our common life together.

  • We pray for the success of the peace agreement signed this week between South Sudan and rebels, where the past five years of fighting have displaced one in three South Sudanese from their homes. We pray that the promised ceasefire holds, that safe passage is indeed provided through which food, water and medicines can reach those in desperate need.
  • We pray that Russia, the U.S., and Jordan will use their influence to broker an immediate end to the fighting in southwest Syria – as they did last in persuading the Syrian government and rebels to create a de-escalation zone along the Jordanian border.
  • We pray for the eventual safe home-coming for the Rohingya people, still trapped in exile in the no-man’s-land between Myanmar and Bangladesh. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited the camps earlier this week, hearing “unimaginable” accounts of atrocities.

May we work for the welfare of all
by giving of ourselves in unity, gentleness, and sacrifice,
rooted in God’s love,
grounded in the call to welcome and protect
those who turn to us for help or refuge,
and protecting the least among us always.

  • We pray for those whose homelands are no longer a place of safety. We pray for those from Africa trying to reach Europe, for those from South and Central America trying to reach the United States, for the many refugees trying to find someplace – anyplace – where they will be welcome.
  • We pray for the countries in the European Union that have reached a deal in principle on how to handle African refugees and migrants, but differ sharply on the implementation details, with no country yet willing to set up the “secure migrant processing centers” called for in the agreement.
  • We pray for the families separated by the U.S. “zero-tolerance” policies against would-be immigrants and asylum seekers. We pray for the children – some as young as toddlers – expected to represent themselves in immigration court.
  • We pray for all who have settled into new countries, only to find that those, too, are not places of safety. We pray for the 3-year-old refugee in Boise, Idaho (U.S.) who died after a man with an extensive criminal background stabbed her, five other children and three adults at her birthday party. We pray for all migrants who face distrust and anger, and all who harbor suspicion and hatred towards them. We pray for all who want to live together in peace.

May we secure the blessings of life, liberty, and happiness
and free ourselves
from all that chains us-
fear,
want,
suspicion,
jealousy,
division,
injustice-
and fully embrace and celebrate each other
in all our diversity.

Bless us and keep us, O God,
that we may dwell in peace, equality, and security all our days. AMEN

World News This Week in Prayer, Thursday, June 28, 2018

Dear Lord,

In the Northern Hemisphere, we expectantly “roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer…”* but there is a parent and grandparent duty.  We plan exciting activities for little ones in our care, for camps and vacations and community programs. In this season of school year endings we watch and wait for exam results with our teenagers and give thanks for the achievements of adult graduates. Yet we weep with parents separated from their infants and children by borders and systems for achingly interminable periods.  We pray for their reunion and an end to this unnatural separation and detention in the U.S.  Open the hearts of guards and administrators to their moral duties in this humanitarian crisis.

In the Southern Hemisphere, celebrating, with the PM of New Zealand, the birth of a daughter who, she says “will be brought up by the international community.” We pray for those who do not understand the idea of extended family.  For those extended families of great grandparents, grandparents, godparents, foster parents, cousins, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, brothers and sisters all, raising children to wonderful achievements, we give thanks.

In all corners of this world, we pray for those who live and grow in what society calls dysfunctional families, for those stressed by life’s circumstances, for those caught in the waiting and busyness, for those who cannot even see a future.  We know that for as many as are well-rounded personalities there are also those for whom things go badly wrong and their suffering is great; may the Christian family extend it’s care and compassion and bring the Hope which arises from Your Great Love of each and all.  We pray for those who thought life would include a better day.  May the Holy Spirit bring a gentle lightheartedness and may those “lazy, hazy, … days” settle about them.

We pray for those battling the expanding wildfires on Saddleworth Moor, England, especially those for whom the area brings up memories of the horrific murders fifty years ago of children and youth.  Lord have mercy.

We pray for the twelve boys and their soccer coach lost in the Tham Luang Cave, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand; for their families and the many rescue workers and divers. May we heed the words of the governor exhorting rescuers to care for them as if they were their own. Lord illumine their paths.

We pray for the Rohingya as more information emerges about the part played by Myanmar officials in their expulsion.

We pray that the ceasefire agreed in South Sudan will happen and will hold.

As the football world cup continues in Russia we pray for all who have hospitably opened their homes to visiting fans and for those who seek to use the game to bring communities together, especially in Sydney, Australia.

With three rescue ships full of migrants and one finally allowed to dock in Malta, with borders being closed and calls for automatic deportation of those who think they have reached sanctuary we pray for all who work in border control; migration and volunteer aid agencies.  For those who live on the margins and those who witness and tend to them, bring Your strength.

Lord, hear these prayers.

For your world and all that we appreciate, care for and love,

We pray in your name.

Amen.

* Lyricist Charles Tobias

World News This Week in Prayer- Thursday, April 12, 2018

[Jesus] stood among them and said to them, ‘Shalom be with you.’ ~ Luke 24:36

God of creation and creativity, you’ve given us the gift of language and communication so that we might speak of and learn about you, however feeble our understanding might be. We often take the gift of words for granted, forgetting the deep richness of meaning in the words you speak to us. Remind us especially today and always of the meaning of Jesus’ words to his disciples and to us: “Shalom be with you.”

Remind us that the shalom of God means a commitment to peace for all people. Bring calm and reason to world leaders who threaten one another economically, politically, and militarily, especially in Russia, China, and the United States of America. Send people of good faith and compassion to negotiate healing and peace in places of long-lasting and complicated conflict like Syria, Palestine, Myanmar, Central African Republic, South Sudan, and so many other countries around the world where your children continue to suffer.

Remind us that the shalom of God means a commitment to justice for all people. Send your shalom to all governments leaders who are committed to improving lives and working for the prosperity of all. Make us aware of the fragility of our human hearts, so that we can guard against further instances of corruption like those currently playing out in South Africa and Brazil, where key government leaders have been charged or convicted. Remind us of our own role in creating communities of equality, where all people can live in safety and wholeness.

Remind us that the shalom of God means a commitment to health for all people. Bring healing to all who suffer illness in mind, body, and spirit. We pray especially for those who have been abused like Yoshitane Yamasaki, a man in Japan who was kept in a cage by his father for 20 years, and childless women in Guinea, where a scammer sold harmful herbs that made the women’s stomachs swell and told them that they had become pregnant. We pray also for the grieving families of the children who died in a bus crash in Himachal Pradesh, India.

Remind us that the shalom of God means a commitment to wholeness for all people. Embolden us to fight for change as we remember the empty and broken feelings of those who have lost loved ones to violence: the families of students killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, USA; the families of those killed and injured in Muenster, Germany, when a van drove into a crowd; and the families of those who mourn the senseless deaths of people they love due to gun violence, terrorism, and hate.

Remind us that the shalom of God means a commitment to safety for all people. Fill us with compassion for people who live in danger every day in Douma, Syria, where gas attacks threaten lives, and in Offa, Nigeria, where violent robberies have become routine.

Remind us that the shalom of God means a commitment to your future kingdom in all its fullness. Give us the boldness to pray as you taught us, “Thy kingdom come,” and then to act on that prayer, working for peace where there is war, justice where there is need, health where there is illness, wholeness where there is loss, and safety where there is fear and danger. Fill us with your shalom, so that we can carry your message of hope, love, and joy to the ends of the earth.

Amen.

World News this Week in Prayer – April 5, 2018

An Aftermath Prayer

(Luke 24:32-33)

Holy God, You defeated doubt and death on Easter morning. You turned the world of what is possible and impossible upside down. You gave us Resurrection.

Now comes the aftermath.

In the aftermath of many things in life we often fail to follow through with our joy, our intentions, our beliefs, our commitment. On that first Easter day some of Jesus’ followers struggled to believe. In the aftermath their tests were many.

God of Easter we count on You in all the days after, when Easter joy fades and circumstances challenge our faith.

In the aftermath of hurricanes across the Caribbean nations, the United States and it’s territories, help us not to forget the work of rebuilding and long recovery.

In the aftermath of refugees escaping Syria, Libya, Eritrea and Myanmar help us not to forget their need for peace and freedom from fear.

In the aftermath of families torn apart by immigration policies help us not to forget their love for each other and your love for the world.

In the aftermath of gun violence help us not to forget our stewardship of life.

In the aftermath of a martyrs assassination 50 years ago and as the tolling of the Clayborn Temple bell echos around the world help us not to forget that the work of freedom and justice calls us.

In the aftermath of misrule in Zimbabwe and Venezuela help us not to forget the yearnings of people to live free.

In the aftermath of religious persecution in China, North Korea and Pakistan help us not to forget the sacred in each worshipper.

In the aftermath of plant closings, wag discrimination, downsizing and outsourcing, help us not to forget that all work has dignity, that all workers need and deserve respect.

In the aftermath of atrocities and continuation of the horrendous civil wars in Sudan and Burkina Faso and Yemen help us not to forget the Prince of Peace who lives still.

In the aftermath of age-old enmity in the Balkans and in the Middle East help us not to forget the truth of Amazing Grace.

In the aftermath of this life, in this age, we pray that we experience your Emmaus-like presence and find our “hearts burning within us” (Luke 24:32-33), compelling us to declare “It is true. The Lord has risen.”

In our aftermath may we live the Good News. Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, January 18, 2018

Prayer for Lovers

“Faith, Hope and Love Abide.

But the greatest of these is love.”

(1 Corinthians 13:13)

 

Holy and Loving God,

Your voice is so clear. Your message unavoidable: to love. We confess, Loving God, that we fall short despite your best efforts to teach. We heard your still small voice to Elijah. We heard your prophets. We read your laws on stone tablets. Your admonitions, your exhortations, your instructions all pointed to love.

“Honor your mother and father… love your neighbor… is it nothing, all ye who pass by?… love your enemies… do unto the least… thou shalt not kill or steal… love deeply… love covers a multitude of sins.

Holy God, You are clear. Yet, Loving God, after these thousands of years of inspired writing we falter in our love. The unloving words of leaders, the unloving acts of governments, the unloving excuses of bigotry, the unloving closing of borders and hearts and minds, the unloving treatment of our environment, unloving laws, unloving religion – all these break your loving and sacred heart.

God, restore us to loving You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Recommit us to loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Remind us that all the laws we could ever think of must hang on those two.

May such love come to both sides of Jerusalem, to all within Myanmar and Somalia, from Yemen to Venezuela, from the United States to Zimbabwe, from the Congo to Congress to Parliament, from all the seedbeds of nationalism and tribalism to casteism and racism, among immigrants and refugees the world over. In every place of strife and hatred and bitterness and division, may we believe your disciple who declared, “God is love. For if anyone says they love God but hate others they are liars. Whomever loves God loves, well, just loves”.

Holy and Loving, Loving God, may it be so.

Amen.

World News This Week in Prayer – Thursday, January 11, 2018

“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” – Heb. 4:12

Lord you provide for our needs and equip us to help, provide for the needs of others and for our world environment. Even as we see the contrasts of peoples lives and the events happening around them you provide the belt of truth which help us to name them.

We see the contrast of record-breaking cold and snow across the Midwestern & Eastern USA and recording-breaking heat across Australia; a devastating wild fire followed by torrential rain, floods, and mudslides in California and the possibly better air quality in Beijing. May we fasten the belt which enables us to truthfully name our part in the global climate change and devastation.

We lock our shields of faith together, in testudo formation, ready shod to deliver the gospel of peace in politics, to those in authority from governments and international companies to global organizations. We remember, especially, the Rohingya and Karen people of Myanmar; the people of Syria; the people of Korea both North and South; and in our own countries.

We think of those who have no voice and for whom we must proclaim, sharply as with the sword of the word, the possibility of education for all; freedom from sexual harassment; and safety from armed conflict. Remembering, especially, the women and female children of Pakistan, all children of the Middle East and those who seek education for themselves and their country.

When we see doctors, dentists, trained craftspeople poached from one country to another we call for the Word, living and active, able to judge our thoughts and intentions. We think of doctors from India being searched to work in England; of the skilled craftspeople asked to take their training to benefit firms who will not provide training in their local area.

Lord, in this world of contrasts give us the breastplate of righteousness to protect us from self-righteousness so that, shod with the things which make us ready to proclaim the gospel, we can walk through your world in integrity. Amen.

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.