An Invitation to Prayer
The Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) in Baghdad, Iraq invites
you to
join with us every Tuesday for a day of prayer, fasting and action
that will continue until Easter week. Participate as you are led
either by fasting (the team will do a bread and water fast) and/or
participating with us in a time of joint prayer. At 9AM Eastern
Standard Time (1400GMT) on Tuesdays the team will gather for an
hour
of focused prayer. You are invited to join with us for the entire
hour or for as much time as you can. Please also note the Action
Steps connected with the week's sacred passage that is the focus
for
the prayer time. If you are so led, the CPT Iraq team asks that
you
take the suggested action between Tuesday and Thursday so that
we
can be working together.
Website for posting now available: CPT in Iraq has begun a web
log
found at http://prayerandactionforiraq.blogspot.com.
We encourage
you to post any insights that may have come to your during your
time
of prayer. We also encourage you to post any heartening or
disheartening aspects of our actions so that we may encourage
each
other's spiritual growth.
To post a comment on our web log, follow these steps:
1) Scroll down to the bottom of the posting you wish to comment
on.
2) Click on the place that shows the number of comments made on
the posting.
3) Scroll to the bottom of that page and click where it says,
"Post a comment."
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Day of Prayer and Fasting: A Mother's Story
Luke 1:38
Then Mary said, "Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let
it be with
me according to your word."
The story of the birth of Jesus is also the story of Mary. This
simple, faithful woman from Galilee accepted the task of being
the
mother of Jesus, knowing from the beginning that it was going
to be
difficult. Her own engagement at the time was enough reason to
decline. She ran the very real risk of becoming an unwed mother
and
possibly being stoned as an adulteress when Joseph discovered
she
was with child. Yet her heart told her it was right.
The rest of the story had more trouble for Mary. Emperor Augustus
called for a census, which meant that Mary and Joseph had to travel,
in the late stages of her pregnancy, to Joseph's hometown of
Bethlehem to register. While they were there Jesus is born in
a
very humble manner, and sometime after the birth the family had
to
flee to Egypt to avoid the wrath of King Herod who was determined
to
kill Mary's child. Of course, Mary didn't know all of these things
would happen to her, nor did she know that she would eventually
witness the agonizing death of her son. She simply accepted
motherhood with all its joys and perils.
Right now in Iraq and in the United States there are mothers
(and
fathers) who accepted this same labor of love and who are now
concerned for the well being of their children, whether their
children are babes in arms or soldiers in uniform. Families on
all
sides of the conflict are experiencing the absence, injury and
sometimes even death of their beloved children.
Suggested Action:
- Make a special time of prayer this week for the mothers,
fathers
and children who are impacted by the conflict in Iraq. Pray
that
those who perpetrate the violence will recognize their own humanity
and will be led to stop making war on families. Pray by name
for
those you know who are affected personally.
- Support a family who has a loved one in the conflict, be
they from
the United States, Iraq, the United Kingdom, etc. Be supportive
as
you feel led to their needs—share Christmas treats, visit,
drop a
card or an e-mail, or simply let them know you remember their
loved
one.
- Remember the Iraqi families who are suffering now, many who
have
experienced great personal struggle and loss. Post your message
on
our web log http://prayerandactionforiraq.blogspot.com
for us to relay to
Iraqis. To post a comment there, follow these instructions:
1) Go to http://prayerandactionforiraq.com
2) Scroll down to the bottom of the posting you wish to comment
on.
3) Click on the place that shows the number of comments made
on the posting.
4) Scroll to the bottom of that page and click where is says,
"Post a comment."
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