Prayer of Intercession
Sunday 21 March 2021
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Prepared by Sunita Suna
For the World and Hong Kong
Sunday 21 March 2021
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Prepared by Sunita Suna
For the World and Hong Kong
Gracious God, we offer our prayers of intercession to you. We join the Ecumenical family today in praying for the churches and people of all faiths in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- We are thankful for the faithful witness of Christians during times of persecution and those who survived times of occupation, the new-found freedoms that the people here have experienced, that they might be used for the good of all.
- We pray for peaceful relations with Russia and among all the ethnic groups in these lands; the healing of old wounds; just economic development that benefits all citizens in these countries, and for those who live and work abroad; that they might together strive for justice, peace and the well-being of all.
- God of peace and justice, we are extremely concerned about the political unrest followed by the military coup since 1 February in Myanmar. Mass protests have been taking place across Myanmar since then. The elected leaders and members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party are among those detained. Dozens of protesters have been killed, many are young people, by police firing allegedly with an intension to kill. Journalists, too, have been abducted or detained. While in the past years the Rohingya Muslims have faced an ethnic cleansing with the tacit approval of the government, the current crisis can further aggravate the situation both for the Rohingya Muslims as well as the prospect of democracy after years of military dictatorship. We pray that there is mediation by the UN and specific governments to bring an end to this coup and establishment of democracy without any further loss of innocent lives.
- God, we are thankful for the Vaccine's advent against COVID-19, but this has also exposed the underbelly of inequality with rich countries hoarding the vaccines and poorer countries are scrambling to get the vaccines. A new UN report warns that the disruption of healthcare services caused by Covid-19 may have led to an estimated 239,000 maternal and child deaths in South Asia. In addition to those directly affected by the coronavirus, the pandemic restrictions have been harmful as they cut off programs like nutrition benefits to immunization. Healing God, we lift the women and children, who are worst hit, in our prayers. May you guide the governments and charities in acknowledging these hidden issues and devising new policies with compassion so that preventable diseases will not take away so many lives.
- Loving God, we are heartbroken by the mass shooting in Atlanta, Georgia area, seemingly targeting Asian Americans and the loss of eight lives, many of them women. Amid a surge of hate crimes in the United States, the hurt, outrage, anguish and fear felt by many is palpable. God, protector of justice and the prince of peace, we pray for the protection for the vulnerable, comfort for the grieving and transformative power for those harbouring ill will towards people of different races, religion, languages, culture.
- Creator God, you have created us in your image. Yet, we discriminate against each other based on our various identities, such as gender, sex, religion, ethnicity, race etc. Japan has made its first judicial ruling on marriage equality after a court decided that the government's failure to recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. Loving God, we rejoice in the symbolic victory for the Japanese LGBTQ community, a step toward equality. May we never waver from God's love and grace for all, regardless of gender and sexuality.
- Creator God, you created this beautiful planet earth and expected us to be its stewards by caring for your beautiful creation. However, we have failed you on this commitment from us through our indifference and greed for the fossil-based extractive economy. We are particularly concerned about the return of hazardous smog to Beijing, a visual reminder that the world will gradually go back to normal in a post-covid era; after more than a year of “lockdown” / slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, carbon emissions will once again rise. We pray for discernment to realize what was wrong with "business as usual." God, grant us the courage and wisdom to push for changes that would reverse the course and keep us from further plunging into a climate crisis.
- Compassionate God, while due to Covid-19, millions of people across the globe have lost their jobs and livelihood options, Hong Kong is no exception. The current unemployment rate of Hong Kong climbs to the highest level in almost two decades. We pray for those in our city struggling financially that you will provide and sustain them.
For the Congregation
- And finally, we pray for our own vibrant and caring congregation God. We pray for Ate Jenny for her ongoing rehabilitation and Jeanette for her treatment. We remember Bruce and his mom in the United States. We uphold in our heart, Tory’s mom, who is receiving palliative care. We pray to God for comfort, courage and patience in countering life frailty. May they all experience God’s steadfast love and great faithfulness.
- We also pray for Doris Lee, who is leaving the Council and the MOE Committee. We are grateful for her devoted service during the past year. We pray for her good health at this time of new responsibilities with a new job and for her sister Jeanette Lee and family.