Prayer for a Hurting Community

By Janet Gehman
Community Prayer Service
October 3, 2006 6:00 pm
Hershey Mennonite Church
401 Hershey Church Road
Kinzers, PA 17519

(Prayer for a Hurting Community, October 3, 2006, following the fatal shootings of 10 Amish girls at West Nickle Mines School, an Amish one-room schoolhouse in the Old Order Amish community in Bart township of Lancaster County, in Pennsylvania,  just a few miles from our church)

Loving Jesus, you called children to you and held them in your arms.
Hold in your arms now the children who need healing in body and spirit:

the little girls lying in hospital beds and the little boys who have lost

sisters and friends.
May they sense your arms of love around them.

Jesus, lover of little children, hear our prayers.

Lord Jesus, we ask you to hold safely in your arms also the children and

the wife of the man who brought grief and pain to his family and community.
May they also know your love surrounding them.

Jesus, friend of all who suffer, hear our prayers.

Loving God, may the teacher, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles,

and cousins  find strength, comfort, and hope as they continue their journey with you.

Loving God, father of us all, hear our prayers.

Holy Spirit, we pray that the whole community, so torn by what has

happened, will find healing, comfort, and peace as they reach out to

each other with love and kindness.

Holy Spirit, Comforter, hear our prayers.

Lord, we who have been forgiven so much ourselves, still find it

difficult to forgive others, especially those who hurt little children.

We pray for humility and for the power of love to forgive even

when we cannot understand - to forgive as you have forgiven us.

Forgiving Father, hear our prayers.

We pray for all children in our schools, churches, communities.

May the adults who have the responsibility to nurture, protect,

and love be able to help children deal with their fears and questions.

Heavenly Father, hear our prayers.

Loving Shepherd, you are with us. Even as we walk through

the valleys of darkness, you help us walk toward the light with the assurance

that you are the resurrection and the life.

Jesus, Savior, hear our prayers.

By Janet Gehman
Community Prayer Service
October 3, 2006 6:00 pm
Hershey Mennonite Church
401 Hershey Church Road
Kinzers, PA 17519

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Celebrating the Coming of the Light

“For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples

but the Lord will

arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall

come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn” (Isa, 60:2,3).

In spite of thick darkness in our world - darkness of war, hatred, greed, unfaithfulness,

dishonesty, misuse of power, poverty, -  we say with Isaiah:

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those

who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined” (Isa. 9:2).

Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, Emmanuel,

God with us.

“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world”

(John 1:9).

We celebrate the coming of the light into our darkness, remembering

just a few of the many bursts of light through the past months.

Through MCC’s Global Family Project, hearing impaired children in

China have been fitted with hearing aids, and parents are being taught

how to help the children who were once without hope.

In many cities around the world, street children have been rescued from homelessness

and prostitution and given love and education.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”

(John 1:5).

In one Indonesian province threatened with civil war, differences

were put aside, judged less significant after the tsunami.

As a result of Hurricane Katrina, the United States has been

challenged to face inequality,racism,  and injustice in places

like New Orleans.

Mennonite women knitted or crocheted prayer shawls for

their sisters in the Gulf States.

Wrapped in the shawls, the women felt loved in their suffering

caused by the hurricanes.

“For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light” (Psa.. 36:9).

In Somalia, MCC helped to sponsor a project inviting  persons to exchange their guns

for an education opportunity.

After the earthquake in Pakistan, Eastern Mennonite Missions sent volunteers to help

rebuild  homes in a remote village.

The saws and hammers of MDS workers have brought hope, challenge,

and understanding to those who have had their damaged homes repaired and

to those who donated time and skills.

“For the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true”

(Eph. 5:9)

Billions of dollars have been given to fight AIDS and other diseases,

provide water, food and medicine, and give opportunity for education -

from the billions given by people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett to the

coins collected here at Hershey Church for MCC’s Penny Power.

Thousands of children have new notebooks, pencils, and colored pencils

because of MCC’s school kit project.

And many have delighted in the gift of soap and other items in a health kit or

snuggled under a blanket given through MCC.

“Jesus spoke to them saying, ’I am the light of the world. Whoever follows

me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).

After the shooting in the Amish community, there was only forgiveness,

no desire for revenge, and through the media’s reporting, the world saw

light that pushed back the darkness.

The Roberts family was loved by the Amish and others in the community,

including the Solanco soccer team who supported and encouraged

a young soccer player.

Japanese students studying at local Christian schools made 1000 origami

paper cranes and presented them to the Amish school students.

They used a traditional Japanese art and symbol to show their caring 

across cultural differences.

“I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations” (Isa. 42:6).

Kasey Mitchell presented to Paradise Township officials an $11,000 check

her Mississippi town, Picayune, raised to help the victims of the school shooting.

It was a way to say thank you to the many Amish and others from Paradise

Township who helped Picayune recover from Hurricane Katrina.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has expressed sorrow for

the persecution of Anabaptists nearly five centuries ago in Europe, and MCUSA

has welcomed the opportunity for reconciliation.

Around the world, more conflict mediation courses are being scheduled,

including one in a university in Tehran, Iran.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it” (John 1:5).

The film An Inconvenient Truth  has helped many to think more about the

wonder and the fragility of the world God has created and our responsibility

and privilege to care for it.

In October, 60 people from many countries, most from the Middle East,

met in Amman, Jordan, to share their understanding that violence simply

does not work, and to seek ways to restore wholeness and hope to

communities burdened with fear and violence.

In Iraq, U. S. Marine Chris Walsh and some of his friends took risks

to help an Iraqi woman and her seriously ill baby that needed to be

flown to the States for surgery. Although the Marine was killed when

his vehicle was hit by a bomb, others in his unit continued to work

through the red tape. Now baby Mariam is doing well after surgery in

Boston in November.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you”

(Isa. 60:1).

More than 100 young people attended “Packing the Peace of Christ:

Sounding the Call to Jesus’ Disciples to Work for Peace in Philadelphia,”

at Philadelphia Mennonite High School in November.

In Lancaster, various churches, organizations and other persons are

working to make Lancaster a safer, more friendly place to live.

The young people from our church who have chosen to live there are part

of the renewal.

Jesus, light of the world, Emmanuel, God with us, we want to walk in the

light that shines out faithfully in the darkness.

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined” (Isa. 9:2).

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A Prayer for Father’s Day

June 19, 2005 by Janet Gehman (used at community worship)

Lord, we are here together this morning  because we recognize you as

our Father and each other as part of the family of faith.

We rejoice in the love and care you show to us, your children.

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

We admit that sometimes, in disobedience, we have turned away from you.

We thank you for the Father’s arms that welcome us when,

like the Prodigal Son, we turn back to you for forgiveness.

In your mercy, Lord, forgive us our sins.

You have planned that people should live together in families.

We give thanks for our fathers who, through teaching and example,

led us to know you.  We give thanks for all fathers here today

who accept their responsibility and faithfully care for sons and daughters.

In your mercy, Lord, accept our thanks.

At the same time we regret that many children do not really

know a father’s love and care. We pray for children whose fathers

are irresponsible, abusive, or neglectful, making it difficult for their

children to believe in you as a loving father. In spite of those 

failures, may the children learn to know you as a strong, tender father.

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

We know that some fathers are absent who would like to be home. 

We regret the tragedy of war that takes parents away from

their families for a time or for always. We pray for comfort for

fathers and children who are separated on this special day.

Thank you, Father of fathers, for hearing our prayers.

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A Litany of Peace for the World

We have come together to rejoice in the birth of Christ the Lord,

who came to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Around the world many still sit in deep darkness.

Tonight we say with the prophet Zechariah:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion. Lo your King comes to you..

.and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

In lighting these candles we pray for peace and hope and light

to break into our world.

In Iraq, where tens of thousands of people - Iraqis, Americans,

Christians, and Muslims - have been imprisoned, maimed, or killed.

In the Gulf States, where people left homeless and unemployed

try to figure out how to put their lives together again and pastors

and social agencies are overwhelmed by the needs of traumatized survivors.

In Pakistan where, because of the earthquake, thousands are homeless in a cold winter

and will not survive without shelter

In Palestine, where many Jews and Palestinians long for peace after years of enmity .

In Columbia, where Christians in danger of persecution from various

armed groups continue to work for peace with justice, refusing to give in to fear.

In Zimbabwe, where many people are homeless because of an

oppressive government action that razed the homes of the poor,

adding to misery caused by poverty and several years of drought.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion. Lo your King comes to you...

and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

To Indonesia and other countries where tsunami survivors continue

to grieve the loss of loved ones, homes, and jobs.

And to the families in Central America who lost loved ones and homes

in the mud slides caused by Hurricane Stan.

To Somalia where an unstable government and struggling war lords have

left a land in blackness of turmoil.

To Vietnam where pastors and other Christian leaders are often imprisoned

and churches have been burned.

To Cambodia, the country with the world’s highest percentage of persons

with handicaps - many because of injuries from cluster bombs buried in fields.

To Sudan, where suffering, destruction, homelessness, and death are the

results of ongoing civil war.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion. Lo your King comes to you...

and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

To Bangladesh and other countries where clean drinking water is scarce.

To Europe, where churches which once celebrated the coming

of the Savior now stand dark and empty .

To North Korea where hunger, persecution, and oppression cause

people to live in fear and great need.

To Chechnya and other countries where childhood years have

been disrupted by war, and children’s dreams have become nightmares.

To poor youth in Honduras attracted by gangs that then hold them

trapped in a world of violence, self-destruction, and risk of AIDS.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion. Lo, your King comes to you...

and He shall proclaim peace to the nations.

To Eastern Europe where light struggles to break through after

years of the darkness of communism.

To communities where Christians and Muslims once lived in peace

as neighbors but now find the enmity in the world building hate barriers

between them.

To our own country where worship of materialism and technology

tend to relegate a childlike faith to a past era.

To the many countries and communities where the good news of

Christ’s coming has not yet been told or heard.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion. Lo, your King comes to you...

and He shall proclaim peace to the nations.

Peace to those nations we have named this evening - and to all nations.

To those people who live in the lands of the shadow of death by AIDS,

hopeless and afraid, and to the many children who have been orphaned.

To those who sit far from home in the cold, lonely darkness of refugee camps.

To families where neglect, abuse, separation, or divorce leave

children and spouses fearful and hurting.

To those persons sentenced by prejudice, discrimination,

and ignorance to live in the shadows.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion. Lo, your King comes to you...

and He shall proclaim peace to the nations.

He came to proclaim peace to those who were far off and to

those who were near.

In cities where homeless lack shelter on a cold winter night.

To prisoners on death row, facing the eternal darkness of death

and to prisoners who are mistreated.

To families watching memory loss take loved ones into the shadows.

Wherever hidden, unconfessed sin keeps a person from walking in the light.

To all who are lonely, forgotten, and find no reason to rejoice this Christmas.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion. Lo, your king comes to you..

and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.

We celebrate the birth of Jesus who came to bring light and peace

to all dark corners of every nation, of every home, of every heart.

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Litany for Peace   

By: Janet Gehman  

Hershey Mennonite Church

As we celebrate the wonders of the Christmas season this evening,

we also remember that as Jesus began his ministry he said,

The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach

good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for

the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

 As we rejoice in God’s gift of his Son this Christmas time,

we pray that the good news will be preached to the poor: 
to those who have suffered the loss of  homes from hurricanes

or fire in the last year; 
to those children in  Iraq and North Korea who do not have the food or

medicine they need to survive;
to those who cannot find jobs that pay enough to support a  family.

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray that freedom will be proclaimed to the prisoners:
to Pastor Nguyen Hong Quang, evangelists Pham Ngoc Thach,

Nguyen  Thanh Phuong,and Nguyen Thanh Nhan,  and  church workers

Le Thi Hong Lien and Nguyen Hieu Nghia in Vietnam who have been

imprisoned because of their faith; 
to political prisoners who may have had courage to protest   injustice
to those prisoners who have been abused and mistreated;
and to  their abusers who are captive to their own prejudices and  hatred.

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for recovery of sight for the blind:
for those persons with handicaps that make life difficult and  invite discrimination; 
for those who suffer from AIDS and for their spouses and  children; 
for those who see no light in Christmas and find the season a  lonesome time.

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray for release of those oppressed:
for the release of refugees like those who have fled a long  civil war in Sudan; 
for women and children and older persons in abusive situations; 
for those oppressed by dark thoughts of despair or suicide.

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.

We pray that the year of the Lord’s favor will be proclaimed: 
to those who work to bring hope and peace, often in places of danger;       
to refugees and immigrants within our land who need to start  over: 
to those whose spouses or children or parents may be away from 

home serving in the armed forces.
to all who seek to follow the teachings of Jesus who also said,

 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty

and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in,

I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me,

I was in prison and you came to visit me. ...I tell you the truth, whatever

you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

In your mercy, Lord, hear our prayer.