"He took the five pieces of frybread with the two fishes and held them up to the sky. He looked up, spoke words of blessing over them, broke them into smaller pieces, and gave them to his message bearers to give to the people. Everyone ate until they were full." Luke 9:16 FNV
We pray for the victims, their families and for the ongoing plague of ideologically and racially motivated gun violence in the United States.
While politicians give soundbites and think pieces get written, Lord of every life, we know you see the true cost and wounds of this sin. We pray for the victims and their families - for justice and solace. We pray for a community that has a target on it for simply existing - for their voices to be heard and their lives to matter. Stop this evil violence in its tracks and bring violent perpetrators and the people who benefit from fostering these ideas to repentance, in Jesus Name.
Even while vigils were held for racial hate crimes in Florida, thousands gathered in Washington, DC to mark the 60 years since Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have A Dream.
Lord, the stories we tell and the stories we hide shape the world our children inherit. Great harm comes from forgetting our history. In a time when it becomes politicized to speak of the history of racism in a country built upon it, and history and books are being banned in areas around the country, we pray for a godly, peacemaking understanding of history to be our path as Christ-followers. Shape us to be people who do not shy from the truth but speak love into our present, knowing you are able to do what you have promised - to overcome the world with your grace.
The devastation of fires in Maui, while sparked by human error in the present, reveal human hubris in the past that created the tinderbox conditions. The area that burned so fast used to be a wetlands with diverse aquaculture but was drained and diverted in the 19th century to create profit for sugar plantations who took the land and water rights from its original inhabitants.
While there are many continuous things to pray for in regards to all the fires, we pray today for redemption from our hubristic history:
Lead us to repentance, God of grace, and grow in us all a sanctified imagination to love the created good world as you have told us to. May we never shy from history that reveals our greed and need for power. May we enter your resurrection life of trust that brings dignity and sustainability to life on this planet. We pray for humility to be what marks this next generation of Christ-followers as we seek justice and righteousness in your name.
The first wind powered cargo ship sets sail on its maiden voyage from Singapore to Brazil showing innovation to imagine a sustainable energy future.
Spirit of God, you are the source of inspiration and imagination. We are grateful for the ways we are moving towards a sustainable energy future. While there are complications and policies and new injustices to avoid, we are thankful for the creativity you have set in us. Continue to guide our imaginations towards goodness, Lord of life.
Teach kids about hunger using this game from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The game follows the same rules as the popular children’s activity ‘Chutes and Ladders,’ is designed to teach children about some of the factors that help and hinder the ability of small-scale (subsistence) farmers in the developing world to grow food.
Do you want to grow in your reconciliation journey in a robust and appreciative way? Hearts Exchanged is now recruiting participants from across Canada to be join other Reformed Christians in this learning and action journey. Find out more and express your interest here.
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