Pastor Chris was asked by one of the United Methodist agencies to write a prayer of lament and intercession on behalf of migrants, refugees, and those who are seeking asylum. You are invited to join in this prayer:
Creator of all people, of every age, nation, and race,
You know well what it is like
for those who have been forced to leave everything behind
and put their hope in an unknown future.
You know well what it is like
to live under abusive rulers,
the despair of oppression,
the hopelessness of violence.
You know well what it is like
to be separated from family and friends
and the uncertainty of being reunited.
You know well the disappointment
of longing for peace and safety
only to find disruption and disorientation.
Maker of the earth and all that is in it,
every inch of this earth is Yours
and made for all to inhabit,
yet so often we claim as ours
the land that belongs to You.
We know we are citizens of Your Kingdom,
yet we establish and enforce geographic borders.
You crossed the boundary of the heaven for us,
became incarnate among us,
yet we make ourselves alien to one another
by failing to recognize our neighbors in distress.
Source of all hope,
uphold, strengthen, and sustain all
who are weary and heavy-laden,
who are yearning to be free,
and who are fleeing,
from the danger, discord, and disorder they face daily.
Accompany those who are yearning
but unable to escape oppression and captivity.
Be their light during the day
and guide during the night.
Redeeming One,
May we recognize and confess the ways
in which we participate in
and benefit from dehumanizing policies
that end in fear, trauma, and deprivation
for those across Your world.
May we find courage to turn away
from ways of living that prevent
all from finding their home in you.
Prepare room in our hearts
and in our communities
for those on the margins
with no place to lay their head.
This we pray in the name of your migrant Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
