We pray for all who are in harm’s way.
We hold them in our hearts.
We hold all the children in our hearts.
We hold all the elderly and the vulnerable in our hearts.
Our fate is bound up in theirs.
We pray for all who have died; may their lives be for a blessing.
We pray for all who work for an end to this killing and violence.
We pray for our friends and neighbors who are mourning,
who are afraid, who wait for news.
God, with all the desperation of our hearts we plead:
may it be true that peace will yet come.
For all that cannot be fully expressed in words,
when words have poor power, we still pray.
Amen.
A chaplain’s interfaith prayer in war
Beloved, I had another reflection planned for today, but it has been hard for me, as I’m sure it has been for you, to turn my heart and mind away from the heartbreak of the war in Israel and Palestine. My prayers have been especially with my Jewish family, friends, and colleagues, some with loved ones in Israel, and others deciding as late as this morning whether to send their children to school given antisemitic threats and calls for violence here in the US. At times like this, we turn to our faith looking for answers and hope. The answers may not always be clear, but in our faith, a way forward towards hope, compassion, and peace does always emerge. In gathering together, praying together, grieving together, wrestling with our faith and discerning how to move forward in love together, there is always hope.
This week’s scripture reading is the story of Ruth and Naomi, two women from different lands and religions who reach across their differences with a love that changes history. The Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO), of which UCW is a part, sent a note to clergy this week – not a statement, but a call for each of us in that very diverse group to stand alongside one another in a common place of grief. The note said, “More is called for than shared grief, of course, but shared grief is one way to offer and receive solidarity in this season, even amidst our differences. And it is one opportunity to practice love in the service of justice.” Come this Sunday to worship with hope, pause and pray for peace, and consider where love is calling you. There is much work to be done, dear church. May we do it together with God’s guidance.
With Blessings and Peace,
Pastor Amy
Peace,
Amy
Past Posts
- From Our PastorsRev. Megan Berkowitz
April 18, 2025 Throughout Lent, we have been Making Space: for compassion, humility, discernment, generosity, and prayer. As we move from yesterday evening’s Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service, sharing around the table and recognizing the coming darkness, to Sunday morning’s joyful worship, we are given one last, sacred opportunity to reflect in this year’s Lenten season. Learn More - From Our Pastors: April 11, 2025Rev. Amy Clark Feldman
April 11, 2025 This coming Sunday begins our walk through Holy Week. The story of this week is at the very core of our faith. We’ll travel with Jesus to confront the powers of this world that still cause so much suffering – injustice, hubris, abuse of power, scarcity, violence, and fear. Learn More - From Our Pastors: April 4, 2025Rev. Amy Clark Feldman
April 4, 2025 This Sunday is our final Sunday before Palm Sunday and Holy Week. There is one week left before Jesus, with boldness and intention, arrives in Jerusalem to take a stand against forces of corruption, oppression, violence, fear, and hate. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 28, 2025Rev. Megan Berkowitz
March 28, 2025 We’re drawing to the close of our Stewardship season for this year, and we’ll mark Stewardship Sunday in worship this week with a testimony and a focus in scripture and sermon on generosity. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 21 2025Rev. Megan Berkowitz
March 21, 2025 I gave up social media for Lent this year. I’ve tried it in past years, and it never quite stuck. I always found reasons to log back in: an urgent question for a group of colleagues, a video of Rosey that was too good not to share, or even just an accidental slip. It’s sticking this year, though. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 14, 2025Amy Clark Feldman
March 14, 2025 We are almost beginning the second week of our Lenten journey, walking in the wilderness together. It is always amazing to me how the liturgical seasons map onto the events and seasons in our world and lives. What wisdom and support we have in these deep traditions of our faith! This year it does indeed feel like Lenten wilderness times – each day with new revelations, challenges, news, and worries. Learn More - From Our Pastors: March 7, 2025Megan Berkowitz
March 7, 2025 It was a gift to pray with so many of you throughout the day on Ash Wednesday and at our ecumenical evening service. I appreciated how thoughtful and open everyone I spoke with was about the intentions they were setting for Lent. Learn More