God of the journey, We pray for sisters and brothers around your world who are forced to leave their homes. We pray for brothers and sisters who are driven from home by natural disasters. We pray for sisters and brothers who are driven from unnatural acts of violence and persecution. We pray for brothers and sisters who are driven from home because of inadequate responses to natural events. We pray for those who leave their countries and cross borders. We pray for those who are internally displaced, finding new places to live within their own country. We pray for those who are exposed to freezing cold and searing heat, those who lack food, water, shelter, and other necessities of life, those who are exploited, violated, and abused, and those who mourn the loss of place and all that brings. We give thanks for the strength, courage, and grace of our sisters and brothers who are refugees or internally displaced. We give thanks for the contributions they make in their new places and for the ways in which they enrich our lives. Guide the leaders of the world to find creative ways to respond, to extend protection and provide safe haven, to care compassionately and respectfully for the needs of our sisters and brothers, to address the situations and circumstances that force people to leave their homes. to do justice and to seek peace. Show us ways that we can support our brothers and sisters whom we encounter. Inspire us to engage in the efforts to create a world In which all have a safe place to call home. We pray in the name of the refugee Jesus, Amen.
—Mark Koenig, www.pcusa.org