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A Lament for Israel and Gaza
Josh Cramer • Oct 16, 2023
A Prayer of Lament, for the violence
Prayer of Lament for Israel and Gaza
Our God, do You see? Do You know what is happening? Are You going to do anything?
Creator, Father of all nations, God Who is Love, we can see the events in Israel and Gaza, and we are grieved and horrified. Children and women and men made in Your image have been killed and kidnapped, their lives destroyed by violence, homes ruined, women raped, children executed, men killed, families ripped apart. Your children—Israelis, Palestinians, people from other countries, including this one—Your children are suffering brutal violence, being treated in inhuman ways, being used as pawns and targets to advance the ideologies of power-seeking men. Those You love—Your beloved children, whom You sent Your Son to die for, people with dignity and value—people You love are being abused and killed in a war that has no end or hope for resolution that we can see. Father, we are watching the destruction of Your children.
Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, You came as a Jew, in a time of occupation, born in a town south of Jerusalem, which is now in Palestine’s West Bank. You lived in northern Israel, and were brutally tortured and executed in and around Jerusalem. You suffered vicious attack, violence meant to terrorize You and Your people, occupation, betrayal by Your own people, and execution by those occupying Your people’s land. You know the pain and loss and terror of our Israeli neighbors, and the grinding fear and devastation of our Palestinian neighbors. You faced terrorism and occupation, dislocation and torture. Jesus, we can again see the evil of the violence that humanity inflicted on You in the violence that humanity is inflicting on our neighbors today.
Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit, You have brooded over chaos before, and there You brought order. You have been in the middle of violent hearts and bloody wars before, and You brought peace. We saw Your power in our crucified and dead Lord, and You brought life. The terrorism and violence we are seeing are offenses against Your work in the world, against the life and encouragement that You bring, against the unity and love that characterize Your activity throughout creation. Holy Spirit, we are aware that these terrorist acts and this war are opposed to the ways You bring order and peace and life.
Spirit, have mercy.
Father, Son, and Spirit, Your creation needs You to act.
We need Your power, Your love, Your peace, Your reconciling presence, in Gaza, in Israel, in Ukraine and Russia, in Afghanistan, in the DRC, in Myanmar, in our country and neighborhoods, all around the world. Creator, who made the world out of nothing, bring life, for the sake of the children You created and love. Jesus, Your death defeated the powers on display in the world today; bring Your rule of righteousness, justice, and peace. Holy Spirit, show Your power, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.
We cannot solve this violence and horror but You can. O God, act!
May Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Some resources on the Atonement
Some thoughts on why we do things the way we do at RCB.
How do we walk when we feel attacked and alone?
Going through Lent, allowing God to tune our hearts to worship.
An invitation into knowing God's faithfulness through pain.
A review of Christianity and Critical Race Theory
On trying to follow Jesus in a consumerist culture.
Mario's reflections on Lent and privilege.
This is how I remember Lent as a kid: go to mass on Ash Wednesday (I have no memory of any sermon, lol), vow to give up something (that lasted as long as a New Year’s resolution), and eat Long John Silver’s fried fish on Fridays (their hushpuppies and crunchies…mmmm). We didn’t eat meat on Fridays (unless we forgot, but we prayed, so it was ok); it was something everyone in the church did, right? I knew it was leading up to Easter--other than that, I had no real understanding or connection to it. Lent was taught more like an obligation rather than an opportunity. An opportunity to reflect, rejoice, rest, repent (what other “r” words can we think of?) on Christ’s journey to the cross. The next 40 days is an opportunity, an invitation to draw closer to the Giver of Life. For some, this might look sacrificial (giving something up), for others it might be a genesis (starting something new), or it can be a combination of the two. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth, As it is in heaven” Our Lord doesn’t just teach us to pray, he embodies prayer. He inaugurates God’s kingdom on earth through his presence with us; through his faithful obedience, we get to see and experience heaven on earth. This does not come without temptation, and trials, and wandering astray at times—yet our loving God invites. He invites us to remember, to reengage with the One who creates and holds all things; He invites us to lay down our lives and pick up our crosses. We want to invite you to participate with RCB, as we journey with Christ to Calvary, praying for the strength to be obedient… Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth, As it is in heaven.
A book review of Peter Sung's excellent The Post-Church Church.