For several years now, Christian churches in Jerusalem have collaborated to offer ecumenical prayer services for peace for about two weeks in late August. Tonight, Thursday August 17, we gathered in the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer for a prayer service in German, Arabic and English. Join us in our prayers:
Merciful God, we pray for the victims of war, terror and brutal violence in the Middle East. We pray for the peoples of Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and Israel. We pray for the injured, for those whose bodies or souls are wounded – especially for the children. We pray for those who have lost their beloved ones, and for those who have been maimed. We pray for the refugees who have lost their homes, their land and their livelihood, for those who fear for their lives. We pray for those who are terrorized by the sound of fighter-jets, tanks, rockets, sirens and the other horrers of war. God, grant them strength and hope, let them not fall into despair.