reyes-chow :: MODERATOR

Prayers for wisdom, healing and peace

[image: grant macdonald]

As violence in the Middle East rages on, how can we not come to God in prayer?  The complexities and nature of the historical, cultural and political realities are overwhelming for most of us and in times like these, all I know to do is to pray for understanding that may yield words and deeds that are pleasing to God.

I wish it were that simple. 

Even as I write this post, I am reliving in my head some of the words that have either been addressed to me or where I have been included in the communication threads. I have been both uplifted and disheartened in the ways we engage in the discourse as we model both the finest and the worst of who we can be as Christ's people.

A few days ago our Stated Clerk, Grady Parsons, issued a statement that begins with words that should help us to focus on where we can find common ground, at least for the short term.

Whether Jew, Muslim, or Christian, we share commandments of love for God and neighbor. Therefore, all violence in Gaza, Israel, and the West Bank must stop. Whatever its stated justifications, we know from years of conflict in the region that the resort to violence inevitably leaves behind death, injury, fear, and deepened feelings of hostility.

[READ FULL STATEMENT]

What I hope and pray for is this: an unconditional end to the violence for the short term and a just resolution to tensions in the long term.  While I certainly have my personal opinions on this, this is not that time.  Bigger than finding victory for any of our intellectual and theological positions is to find a way to find peace and a stop to the violence.   People are dying, homes are being destroyed and generations to come are inheriting even more pain, destruction and hatred from which they will need to heal.

What shall we do, how shall we be part of something truly greater than ourselves now and into the future?  I rest on counsel of people I trust, I rest on the healthy discourse that occurs within communities and I rest on the eternal hope and trust I have in God's presence and hope.  And while actions are indeed needed, sometimes those actions, built on God's hope, are what will get us through it all with grace, dignity and wholeness.

My prayer this day . . .

God, when will it stop?  When will we learn?

Allow WISDOM to be with those who are in positions of power and authority that they may use both well.

Bring HEALING to so many who are living lives of physical, emotional and political fear, pain and destruction.

Let PEACE be embraced by all of your creation: the young, old, innocent, guilty, passionate, complacent, gathered and forgotten.

All of your children, God, all of your children.

God, hear our prayers . . .

This is my prayer.

Please share yours.

Responses to Violence against Christians in Iraq

As many of you know, over the past few weeks the plight of Christians in Iraq has been gaining visibility due to killings and threats on their lives in Mosul.  Like most people, I will be the first to acknowledge that my understanding of the history, issues and complexities impacting the Middle East region is sorely lacking.  Still, when we hear about this kind of violence directed at any of community, Christian or not, we must find ways to lift our voices in solidarity and use whatever power we may have to intercede.   For this reason, Linda, Gradye and I, in consultation with those in our church that best understand the nuances of the situation, have written both a letter to Iraqi Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, as well as a statement on the violence that is taking place.

Both the letter and statement are below, but I would also encourage you to read the complete Presbyterian New Service Story.  Please feel free to post this on your blog, newsletters and other means of communication so we can continue to remember those being persecuted for following their faith.

LETTER TO IRAQI PRIME MINISTER NURI AL-MALIKI
from Linda, Gradye and Bruce

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki:              

We write to you today out of a grave sense of concern for the Christian community of Mosul. As any other minority in Iraq, they should be defended against the recent terrorist acts, which seem intended to eliminate the Christian presence in the region.

News reports, and the personal accounts of members of the Iraqi Presbyterian church, have drawn particular attention to the escalating violence against Christians in that region, as over two dozen Christians have been killed (others have been wounded), and more than 1,000 Christian families have fled the city.

We are grateful for your intervention which sent additional police to Mosul, ordered an investigation into the attacks on Christians, and pledged to take all steps to protect the Christians of that area. Early reports indicate that your steps have diminished the violence.              

The Christian community in Mosul is one of the oldest in the world. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has a long history of engagement with Iraqi Christians, dating back to the early 1800’s, with a special emphasis on education, health care, and social service to all Iraqis as well as on church development. But both before and since our connections with our sisters and brothers there, Christians have been an integral part of the history and culture of your country.

Our church’s General  Assembly, this past June, adopted a call of concern for all the people of Iraq,  urging our members to:

“Pray for, call for, and work for a just and peaceful future for the nation and people of Iraq which includes the establishing of a just, stable, and democratic government and the timely departure of U.S. military forces and their contractors as soon as it is possible to leave the nation in an appropriately stable, just, and self-sustaining form."

We are grateful for your efforts to establish a just and peaceful future for the nation and people of Iraq. As you continue these efforts, we ask that you ensure the security of Christians within your nation. The situation in Mosul is very desperate. Along with the rest of the world we are watching and praying that you will move to restore order.

Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly
Linda Valentine, Executive Director, General Assembly Council
Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk, Office of the General Assembly

STATEMENT FROM ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHRISTIANS IN MOSUL
from Linda, Gradye and Bruce

We are profoundly alarmed by the reports coming out of Iraq of the increasing, targeted acts of terror and violence against Christians in Mosul.

We lament the violence and destruction that have been happening in Iraq since the beginning of the war. This latest news of what appears to be religious cleansing adds yet another layer of concern.

The roots of Christianity in Mosul are deep, going back to ancient times. An Iraq without a Christian presence is contrary to what has historically made the Iraqi society a model of harmonious inter-religious relations, and portends a future marked by intolerance and fanaticism.

Word that the government of Iraq has increased its security forces in Mosul to help stem this most recent violence is encouraging. We have sent a letter to the Iraqi leadership, calling on them to continue efforts to protect all Iraqi citizens – Christians and Muslims – from acts of terror and violence that are aimed toward the systematic destabilization of the country.

We call on Presbyterian leaders and leaders of other religious communities to work together as people of faith to continue to teach, encourage and practice tolerance toward people of faith traditions other than their own.

We also continue our call to the United States government to take responsibility for supporting the Iraqi government as it establishes a just, stable, and democratic government.

Our concern for the safety and well-being of Christians stretches beyond Iraq to India, China, and other parts of the world where violence and an attitude of religious intolerance are present.

Wherever such an attitude is present – regardless of the religious affiliation or motives of those who hold it – humanity is diminished and the reality of God’s peaceable realm is pushed farther away.
Please join us in continued prayers for peace and the safety of all people – and especially for Christian brothers and sisters who are living under the threat and reality of violence.

Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly
Linda Valentine, Executive Director, General Assembly Council
Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk, Office of the General Assembly