Consequences reverberate after an assassination attempt on Republican nominee Donald Trump in the U.S. As people who follow the Prince of Peace, we pray:
We do not delight in evil but rejoice in the truth. You are the Truth, standing bare before the power of Pilate in the world today, surrendering because of love. In our times when power, force, and control get confused with godliness, we pray for peace. We pray that our own turn toward violence would be quelled, rebuked, and healed by your Spirit. We pray that we would all take responsibility for how we’ve contributed to the political tone of the nations we belong to. May leaders and their advisors put themselves second to the good of the nation and call for peace, and speak words of reconciliation, not war, in the name of Jesus, the Truth.
Federal MPs received 530 online threats in 2023 compared to 8 in 2019. Building off pandemic conspiracies, false, divisive content aimed at ridiculing political opponents is amplified by social media platforms with little to no consequences. “The sustained high volume of violent anti-authority online rhetoric against public officials has fostered a culture in which individuals feel that they can threaten, incite, and celebrate political violence online without consequence,” the Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre said in a statement.
God, we know words create worlds and in these days where online violence leads to real-world consequences, we humbly repent for when we’ve engaged in dehumanizing language. We pray to be people who do not contribute to online violence but inspire our neighbors to respectful engagement, to seeing Christ in all who cross our paths. We pray for good laws and governance to fairly deal with false and divisive rhetoric so that our children may grow up in peace.
22 Palestinians are reported dead with 100 wounded as a result of an Israeli strike of a UN-run school in Gaza that was serving as a shelter. This was the fifth attack on or near to schools in 8 days. This comes in the wake of Saturday’s strike on a southern humanitarian area that killed 90 Gazans. We continue to pray:
Lord, our capacity to dehumanize your creation is profound. We need your intervention to stay the hand of those who would kill to feel safe, who would bomb children to feel safe, who would kidnap and keep hostages to feel safe. We need your intervention. The loss is too great for us to comprehend, and we pray for the pathway to peace to become clear. We pray for healing for hearts – this is work only you can do. Lord have mercy.
Officers allegedly arrested and dropped off two Indigenous men at a Nova Scotia gas station without shoes or phones, who then had to walk 6 hours to get help. The men were fishing for baby eels, maintaining their treaty rights to fish even though the fishery in the area was closed on March 11 due to violence and intimidation last year. Fishing rights are a subject of deep division in fishing communities between non-Indigenous and Indigenous fishers. The external review of the officers' conduct will also examine the fisheries department policies and practices. We pray for this community:
Dignifying God, we pray for truth and reparations for the men humiliated by the actions of the officers. And we pray for a workable resolution to the conflict over rights to fish and livelihood. These issues, born of injustice, continue to have consequences in communities and we pray for justice and fair treatment for the people and the land to prevail. Lord, inspire this community to choose goodness and mercy even in these deep conflicts.
Thrive's safe church work equips congregations in abuse awareness, prevention, and response. We help build communities where the value of each person is honored; where people are free to worship and grow free from abuse; and where abuse has occurred, the response is compassion and justice that foster healing. The CRCNA has been doing this work for 30 years this summer! Explore a timeline of the history of our abuse prevention work below. Learn More »
We know the journey of justice is messy, full of pitfalls and roadblocks. And sometimes it feels like we’re all avoiding the question everyone is thinking. When it comes to justice we can experience gaps between our convictions and the way we can live them out. What if we could have a conversation about these elephant(s) in the room? In this season we're talking to a wide variety of folks including pastors, church members, therapists, and youth leaders to get the advice they wish they had starting out.
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