How many kings step down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
Over the last decade Canada has opened its doors to over 100,000 Syrian refugees, both private and government-sponsored. As signs are pointing to Canada becoming less of a safe place for refugees as it deals with a cost of living and housing crisis we continue to pray for Syrian neighbors in Canada and those whom they love back home.
Lord, we remember the stories of people who had to flee. The terror of this regime has ramifications for Syrians around the world and we continue to pray for peace and stability for those who have been affected by the brutality of the civil war. May our Syrian neighbors in Canada and around the world know your love by our love. And may their families experience peace in their homeland.
A school shooting killed a teacher and student at a Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin. The motive is yet unknown. In the United States, Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. The number of shootings per capita is over 9.5 times the next closest country’s number of shootings.
Jesus, we pray for the despair, the violence and complacency to end. This never has to be the outcome for a distressed young person in the wealthiest country and yet it staggeringly is so often. We pray for those who mourn in Wisconsin, we pray for healing of minds and hearts. We pray for better community supports for the deeply hurting. And we continue to pray for a country beset and beholden to these weapons of war.
The International Court of Justice’s 15 judges from around the world are weighing who bears the legal responsibility of climate change in a case brought by over 100 countries. They are considering two questions: what are countries obliged to do under international law to protect the climate and environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? And what are the legal consequences for governments when their actions or lack of action have significantly harmed the climate and environment? As they deliberate we pray:
God, where do we turn when there is no recourse for the poor and the vulnerable? We look to you to shift minds and hearts and policies so that those who have contributed to the climate change problem the least are not the ones paying the highest cost. May the consciences of the oil producing countries be burdened with what is right for the whole planet you so lovingly create and recreate daily. In the name of Jesus.
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When Lindsay Wieland Capel talks about her work encouraging and equipping churches to be places of belonging for people with disabilities she sometimes hears a version of “that’s not what our church is called to.” She’s told that “We don’t have anyone with disabilities” or "our church isn’t big enough to have a disability ministry” or that someone would “be better served at the church down the road.” Let’s take a closer look at these responses. Read »
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