Justice Prayers - October 11, 2023

Since every gift comes down from the All-Giver,
How can I choose between the Giver’s gifts
Or say which should come first, the fish or river?

He scatters first, and then calls us to gather,
To lavish on his work our smaller crafts
And sail our praise upstream, back to the Giver.

Which Comes First, the Fish or the River? by Malcolm Guite

War in Israel

With the death toll of the Hamas attack on Israel and Israels retributive war climbing to over 1200, we pray on our knees to the Prince of Peace, the God Who Is With Us, even in this terrible war.  

For further information please read this statement and prayer from General Secretary Zachary King.

Oh God,

Dehumanization leads to violence on all and every side. Terror abounds. The innocent suffer. The guilty become more estranged from themselves and you.  Where are you Lord? Where are you to be found in this? 

For those who have lost loved ones, be present to their grief. 

For those who have killed, be present to their desperation and lead them to repentance.

For those consumed by anger and destruction, be present to their honesty, protect their hearts.

For those kept captive, may they be set free and return safely.

For those who have lost their homes and their livelihoods, provide miraculously.  Keep the vulnerable from harm.

For the children who are terrified, bring comfort, peace, protection and healing.

For the diaspora who watch from homes around the world, Palestinian and Israeli, we pray for their hearts and for their communities to support them.  We pray for peace in the demonstrations and rallies around the world.

For the leaders, we pray for your life-affirming, ever-creating wisdom and shalom to be what rules. 

And we pray for justice for the unjustly oppressed, the unjustly killed, the unjustly captured, the unjustly accused. We pray for your righteousness, Oh God Who Saves, to reign.

Defend us who watch from across the world against incomplete narratives, Lord. We are at the mercy of the strongest story and our own fear. Keep us from partisanship and focus our eyes on you.

May your story of turning from death, destruction, retribution and rage towards the life found in your wounded and resurrected body be the story we insist on reading in this event and the story told for generations. Take all these broken hearts and redeem this all into something good - this is our only hope.

Afghanistan earthquake kills over 2000

Lord of all,

In a week of death in the middle east, we pray for all those affected by this earthquake. We pray for the grieving and the distraught. We pray for the desparate and the vulnerable. We pray for rebuilding that rebuilds hearts and souls as well as neighborhoods and infrastructure. Remember this region that has been through so much. God have mercy.

Becoming (part of) the Answer to our Own Prayers

Statement on Israel-Palestine Conflict

I would like to urge all Christian Reformed people to join me in praying for peace in Gaza, Israel, the Middle East, and around the world. Pray that those in positions of power will exercise restraint, especially for the sake of civilians caught up in this cycle of violence. There are roughly 2 million Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza strip right now, unable to escape the violence. Pray also that governments will advocate and take actions towards peace and justice.

Ask Your MP to Support Bill to Reverse MAiD for Mental Illness 

Please ask your local MP to vote for Bill C-314 this fall. Bill C-314 would reverse the law allowing medical assistance in dying for people with mental illness alone. A vote in the House of Commons could come as early as Oct. 3. Please consider contacting your MP’s office – you could call to leave a message or talk with someone, or you could send an email or letter. You can also circulate a petition in support of Bill C-314 and return it to your local MP. For more resources including sample wording for a brief letter or call, visit TheEFC.ca/C314.