
Dear ones,
One year ago we woke up to news of Hamas air attacks on Israel and retaliation from Israel on Hamas. Since those days, there has been heavy loss of life and even wider spread loss of all the things that make life possible: sleep, shelter, safety, normalcy, and access to basic necessities have been stripped away from so many. In recent weeks, we have watched as violence and war have escalated and spread across the broader region.
In those early days I shared this reflection, “I checked in on the news and wanted to pray. The prayer of my heart was: God, be there. God you are there. I prayed this thinking about the people impacted by the conflict between Hamas and Israel, and I also prayed trusting and knowing that God doesn't forget people experiencing war and disasters in any part of the world–God's love is bigger than the limits of my prayers.”
We are as mindful as ever about how small this world is and how vast our connections are in the body of Christ. We continue to hold in prayer the family of Pastor Niveen Sarras, people we have met on travels to the Holy Land, our friends and siblings in Christ in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land - and also for the people we don't know by name, but who God names, knows and loves.
October 7th marks one year of war in the Holy Land. Interwoven alongside this solemn anniversary are the celebrations and observances of the Jewish High Holy days: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. People of faith are gathering for worship and prayer in the midst of profound grief and suffering; as I pray in hope for all people to be able to worship fully and without fear, these words from Zechariah describe that hope and prayer:
In the tender compassion of our God
The dawn from on high shall break upon us
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death
To guide our feet into the way of peace - Luke 1:78-79, ELW Morning Prayer, p. 303
We are bold to pray for the peace Christ promises always. May those prayers continue to be actualized and activated through learning, advocacy, and engaging in the things that make for peace. I commend to you the resources below for sharing with your congregations. Let us pray.
God of mercy and peace, we lift our prayers as violence spreads across Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and the broader region. Pain and destruction continue to claim innocent lives-especially women, children, and the vulnerable. As bombs fall in new places and old, as retaliation looms on multiple fronts, we lament the deepening conflict and cry out for an end to this suffering. We plead for you, O God, to calm the storms of war through renewed compassion and reason among leaders. We beg for your presence in this brokenness. Guide decision-makers toward a new day of peace. May your love embrace all who live in fear, pain, and uncertainty. In Jesus name, Amen.
- Prayer from the ELCA, October 1, 2024
Bishop Anne Edison-Albright, East Central Synod of Wisconsin, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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