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| Image by Garry Davies |
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Praying for the Holy Land
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A GREETING
Guide us to the straight path.
(Al Fatiha 6, Qu'ran)
A READING
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
(Matthew 27:57-61)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.
To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication.
(Ephesians 6:18)
PRAYERS FOR THE HOLY LAND
We pray for those grieving the sudden loss of loved ones, captives, and those whose homes have been destroyed. We pray for a miraculous de-escalation of this conflict. We also ask that other nations will be restrained from escalating this situation further. / We especially pray — that weapons of war be laid down, that walls of separation be dismantled, that prisoners be released, that demonizing of “the other” cease. / We pray especially for those who have died, those who are grieving, the injured and those now without food, shelter or medical supplies. / We pray for Christian communities and faith leaders across the region – for unity, connection and mutual understanding. We pray for humanitarian workers – that God would strengthen their resolve and ability to provide relief and humanitarian assistance. / God of new beginnings, in your ways are compassion and hope. Open our hearts to dialogue and understanding. Lead us all to answer your call to become peacemakers today, and all the days of our life.
- A combination of prayers made available on the websites of 24-7 Prayer.com, Mennonite Central Committee, Tearfund.org, Ely Cathedral Cambridge, and Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. Go to each link to find the full prayers of each.
VERSE OF THE DAY
For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’
(Psalm 122:8)
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| Image by A Peach |
Holy Saturday holds the silent work of those who continue to keep hope in the work they do, despite every shred of hope seeming futile. In the quiet of that ancient morning when the tomb was sealed and life seemed to be moving on, we can imagine how much the disciples — and perhaps the women especially, who would be preparing their spices to bring on the third day — would be in a bewildered state, wondering how it all could have gone so wrong.
There are many situations in our world right now where that reality is lived every day. We hold in our hearts on this Holy Saturday, the people of the holy lands where this all took place. We hold the Jewish people who experienced the greatest single one-day loss of life since the Holocaust on October 7th, 2023, and whose lived reality throughout much of two millennia has been to expect persecution. At the same time, we hold the Palestinian community of the West Bank and Gaza who are living with unimaginable pain and suffering, whose capacity to survive only diminishes with each new day, and who are slowly starving, largely without aid.
Holy Saturday is a day on any day of the year when we feel that somehow God has completely disappeared and is nowhere to be found. Where is God in these terrible times?
God is in the tomb. God is waiting to be released by us. God is waiting for all of us to roll away the stone in our hearts, in our governments and leadership, from our insensitivities and indifference. But God is also much greater than a tomb, and cannot be contained by it.
The suffering Jesus of Good Friday is in every broken heart and empty belly in Gaza. The unreleased god of holy Saturday is still waiting for ceasefire; standing in line for food with the Palestinian child who holds an empty bowl, unsure if there will be any left when they get to the front. The God of Easter has not yet arrived in these places. What can we do to pray for resurrection in these terrible days?
We can stay awake. We can educate ourselves. We can resist immediate opinions. We can support those on all sides of the complex conflict who are experiencing hardship in our own communities as a result of the war. We can stay awake with Jesus as he agonizes with those affected.
The God of Easter does come. Jesus does rise, but we have to dwell in the inbetween first. We have to experience that moment where you cannot imagine how to go forward. It is in this place beyond imagination, that God is stirring new life. May it be so.
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A SLAM POEM
Recorded ten years ago, this slam duet by Amina Iro and Hannah Halpern invites us to reflect on how we carry the tension of the Middle East in our own communities. How can we support the young and old who are working for change?
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| Image by A Peach |
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LC† Awakened by the Spirit is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!