The Terrible Suffering Brought by War--Nov. 21, 2017

[From Nov. 17, 2015 archive]

God, you have had mercy on your people;

even when they were slaves, you were with them;

you upheld orphan and widow, watched over the strangers.

Many an orphan and widow and stranger need your comfort now,

for refugees are desperate to escape bombing and bloodshed.

You make all things new; renew our efforts for peace

and for relief from war's terrible suffering.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 54; 146; 28; 99

Ezra 9:1-15

Rev. 21:1-8

Matt. 17:14-21

Selected Verses

Ps. 146:9

The LORD watches over the strangers;
          he upholds the orphan and the widow,
          but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Ezra 9:9

"…For we are slaves; yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to give us new life to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judea and Jerusalem.  …"  [Ezra's prayer after he learned about marriages to foreigners]

Rev. 21:5a

And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new."

Matt. 17:14-15

When [Jesus and his disciples] came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, and said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  …"