Disciples, Apostles, and Saints!
Last weekend, over a thousand people were brutally murdered in Israel. Over the ensuing week, thousands more were brutally murdered in Gaza in retaliation. As people of faith, our usual response to all acts of violence and discord is prayer. We begin by praying for peace. We then struggle what to do next. How to feel. Or even how to think about it (other than stuckness and sadness).
Let us then remember how we pray. Jesus’s disciples asked him to teach them to pray. And Jesus said when you pray, pray this: and shared with them what we call The Lord’s Prayer. They wanted instructions and Jesus trusted that they could simply do it. There are no instructions here. No proper way. It isn’t something you need training in. Nothing to be embarrassed about. When you pray, he says.
The point isn’t how (or when or that or…) it is what. We prayer for God’s will. For the Kin-dom of God to replace the kingdoms of earth. That everyone is fed their daily allotment, so none go hungry. Forgive us of our debts as we forgive those indebted to us. Protect us from evil. And align everything to God as we are so aligned.
May our prayers for the Holy Land be like our prayers for ourselves. To bring an end to violence and bring true peace. To bring an end to starvation and bring sharing of resources so all may be fed. An end to economic exploitation and true freedom for all in the region. Make earth look identical to heaven. That is our prayer. Making Shalom.
With love,
Drew