On Monday, a civilian ship that was bound for Gaza, carrying aid and a dozen committed volunteers, was intercepted by the Israeli military and prevented from continuing its journey to Gaza. The activists on board the Madleen were attempting to breach the blockade imposed by Israel nearly 20 years ago, at a time when the people of Gaza face famine, Israel’s weaponization of food and aid, and other urgent needs after 20 months of genocidal war. In this season of Pentecost, we offer this prayer along with our ongoing advocacy for peace with justice in the region.
Holy God,
We cry out for your transformative power, one that radically dismantles oppressive systems and liberates the captive from the death-dealing forces of occupation and blockade.
Our outrage and despair mount as we witness the escalating suffering in Gaza—a calculated starvation and incessant bombardment, a profound violation of their inherent human dignity and rights to life, liberty, and security.
We give thanks for those who sailed on a mission of mercy, which we understand as embodying Christ’s call to feed the hungry. The resulting actions expose the egregious denial of fundamental human rights, including the right to food and medical care.
Our Palestinian siblings ache for a just peace that unequivocally stops innocent bloodshed, that radically sutures wounds inflicted by colonization and displacement. They yearn for a peace that fills starving babies—a damning indictment of a world that denies children their right to life and development. They yearn for a peace that silences bullets and bombs, ending the terror that strips them of their right to security and safety. They yearn for a peace that is the vibrant, undeniable presence of justice.
Words alone may fail, yet we offer them, summoning your Pentecostal spirit—the spirit of bold proclamation and radical transformation.
Send fresh winds of possibility, overturning circumstances that seem all but hopeless. Rush new wisdom and moral courage to those with power to make true peace, compelling them to recognize the inherent dignity of all people and uphold justice and self-determination.
Unsettle us, O God, from complacency, that we might seek your peace and pursue it with unrelenting commitment, recognizing that true peace demands active engagement against injustice and a decolonization of our own hearts.
We believe war can and must end as a testament to our shared humanity and your divine will.
We believe your fierce, liberating love will find a way to break chains of oppression and establish justice. May all that is good, righteous, and liberating rise in Gaza, and may your mighty Holy Spirit embolden our efforts to seek a comprehensive peace with justice and pursue it with revolutionary fervor until all are truly free.
Amen.
Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. ThompsonGeneral Minister and President/CEOUnited Church of Christ
Rev. Teresa Hord OwensGeneral Minister and PresidentChristian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Rev. Shari PrestemonActing Associate General MinisterUnited Church of ChristCo-Executive, Global Ministries
Rev. Dr. LaMarco A. CablePresident & CEODisciples Overseas MinistriesCo-Executive, Global MinistriesChristian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ
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United Church of Christ News
