Holy God,
What a time to be alive. Sometimes we want to cover our eyes and ears because death and destruction have become all too common. Other times, we see glimpses of hope and love. We are in a season of spiritual whiplash and don’t know which way to turn, except to you. Open your arms to us and hold us close in these tumultuous times, for we are all your children who need your comfort. Help each of us to feel your presence with us at all times, and your spirit always at work around us, in us, and through us.
We pray for your spirit to move through war torn nations around the globe:
- We lift up the Democratic Republic of the Congo as violence persists, with various armed groups battling for control of resources, and we pray for everyone in your world to have enough of what they need.
- We lift up Sudan after a full year of war, with the risk of famine increasing daily, and we pray for aid and an end to hunger worldwide.
- We lift up Ukraine, which has asked for help and will receive aid from the United States right away, as Russia has continued to make steady gains in its invasion. We thank you for this glimpse of care and relief, and pray that all who need relief receive it.
- We pray for Palestine, where so many of your children are being killed on a daily basis, and so many more are being starved. We are grateful for the ways your spirit moved through the students at Columbia University and students at colleges throughout the United States. While advocating for a permanent ceasefire, they also shared the Passover Seder together this week, among Jewish students and faculty, and with anyone else who wanted to participate. We thank you for this glimpse of beloved community, and pray that acts like this can show us a way forward.
We need signs of your presence in our world, and your spirit works through us to bring us hope. We are grateful for other news that uplifts us:
- On April 22, 1970, 20 million people took to the streets across the United States to protest environmental destruction, and Earth Day began. As we celebrated Earth Day this week, with this year’s theme of Planet v. Plastics, we are grateful for the ways people come together to make a difference.
- We lift up a new tech start-up called Ichthion, begun in Ecuador, which has created a system of conveyer belts to remove plastics from rivers, beginning in the San Pedro River in Ecuador.
We long for the day when we do not see mere glimpses of beloved community, care, relief and hope, but when they become the norm.
Spirit, move us in the direction of justice and love.
Amen and may it be so.