Prayers for Ukraine

 Link for this week's livestreamed service is here

On Wednesday we met for Bible study at SPPC. The topic of the session was prayer.

On Thursday Russia invaded the Ukraine. 

Richard J. Foster, the author of our study book, urges us to pray with compassion and imagination. He says we should try to imagine the compassion of Christ within us and then to imagine the result of our prayers. If we pray for someone who is sick, imagine that person well when we pray. If you feel moved by compassion and imagination to pray for the people of the Ukraine, please do so. If you struggle for the words, here is prayer written by Archbishop Justin Welby and Archbishop Stephen Cotterell that is being widely shared.

A Prayer for Ukraine
 
God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons. 

We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them. 

We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion
to guide their decisions.

Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at-risk and in fear, that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.

Help and support are pouring in to the Ukraine. Donations to the Red Cross will be matched by the Government of Canada. The link to give is here. 

Many will take solace in "doing" something. For others the pain and the horror is overwhelming. They are desperate for comfort. There is an adage that says, "When words fail, music speaks."

On Friday, the CBC played The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom - . You can listen to that beautiful and heartfelt music here along with Frescoes of Kiev. It will take some time, but is manna for the soul.

May we all know peace in the coming days.