Pray with Lebanon Sunday, January 24, 2021
Lectionary Selection:
Prayers for Lebanon:
We come before you, our God and Creator, with hearts that are bewildered by the struggles and difficulties that continue to overwhelm and pressure us physically, emotionally, economically, and spiritually.
With the start of the new year, and in the season of Epiphany, we find it difficult to see new hope and new beginnings or see changes for the better in the lives of the people of Lebanon, or even throughout the world. Yet we find comfort in knowing that your love for us does not change.
Guide us to open our hearts to you; to open our ears to hear your voice, as you invite us to hear your clear call to follow you.
Make us eager to accept your invitation to repent and believe your Good News. Only in you can we find rest; our hope comes from you alone!
Guide us to trust you in all circumstances. Only through complete trust in you will we find refuge, and be certain of your unchanging love for all, and be willing to share that with the world.
Mission Stewardship Moment from Lebanon:
More than five months have passed since the devastating Beirut port explosion last August 4th. Much has been renovated, yet… there are many households that continue to live in abject poverty irrespective of the blast.
Much as Christ called the first four disciples to follow him to spread the good news (Mark 1:14-10), the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, as part of its outreach charity work, along with the Haigazian University (HU) administration, issued a call to its students to organize to help bring relief to families in need, as a tangible expression of the joy of Christ’s birth. Both the Union and Haigazian University are partners of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, through Global Ministries.
Here is but one story from the “Livable Apartments” renovation project and the “Parcels of Hope” hot meal program the Student Life Office at HU took responsibility to oversee.
A family of eight. Mom (divorced) age 29, with 4 children, living with her mom as well as her brother’s 2 children. The kids are between the ages of 9 months and 10 years. They live in one room, hardly 3.5 by 4 m. (11.5 x 13 ft.) and had one bunk bed and a regular bed to share amongst the 8 of them. The kitchen and bathroom space are outside their “home” and shared by neighbors. The sink is not connected to any plumbing but drains into a pail. They have a functioning oven, but no money to purchase a propane tank, which means the grandmother has to gather wood to light a fire to cook or heat food.
Their living space is a much healthier and cleaner one now, especially with the fresh coat of paint and new beds to sleep on; none of them need to sleep on the floor anymore. The horrible plumbing of the sink has been rectified, and they can wash their clothes in a new washing machine. The older 3 children were given new tablets to enable them to do their online schoolwork.
In all these crises and struggles facing us each day in Lebanon, when we trust God, leave our comfort zone and respond to the ongoing needs around us no matter how difficult they might be, we are then aware that there is One who is serving alongside us and through us. We thank God for the opportunity to make the Good News visible!
Prayer and Mission Moment by Maria Bakalian
Mission Partners in Lebanon:
More information on Lebanon: https://www.globalministries.org/lebanon
Global Ministries Mission Co-worker in Lebanon:
Maria Bakalian serves with the Union of Armenian Evangelical Churches in Lebanon. Her appointment is made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Church’s Wider Mission, and your special gifts.