Week of September 28 (Pentecost 16)
Scripture: Philippians 2:1-8,12,13
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation
from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and
sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind,
having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be
in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with
God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in
human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the
point of death-- even death on a cross.
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much
more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is
at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for God’s good pleasure.
Editor’s Note: In 2012 and 2013 PWRDF invited partners to compose prayers or reflections about their
work and those who they work with. Over the course of this Weekly Prayer Cycle, those prayers and
reflections will be offered from time to time as “PWRDF stories”; the realities, hopes and dreams of
those we have sought to accompany.
The prayer offered below comes from PWRDF partner Refuge-Egypt, the refugee program of the
Anglican Cathedral in Cairo, Egypt. The program provides humanitarian assistance, health care,
advocacy, skills training and spiritual guidance for over 40,000 asylum seekers and refugees primarily
from Sudan and other African countries who have fled war and persecution in their homelands. It has
continued to do so through the turbulence and upheaval of recent years in Egypt. In February 2011, in
the midst of the Arab Spring, Refuge-Egypt director, Jonathan Lee wrote, “This comes at a time when we
ourselves were seeing significant increases in the numbers of South Sudanese arriving in Cairo. Let the
Holy Spirit lead your prayers. These are significant times for the Egyptian people. The refugee
communities are, in many ways, unable to do anything but keep safe. Their governments will not be
providing flights to get them out.”
PWRDF Story: A Prayer for Refugees in Egypt by PWRDF Partner, Refuge-Egypt
Lord Almighty, we are so glad to be your children. We praise you for your constant care for us. When we
are troubled by daily anxieties and the weight of the world’s problems we remember that it is you who
made the heavens and the earth. You are in control. You made all things good and one day, you will
renew the face of the earth. Jesus, we long for your return. We long for your kingdom of justice,
wholeness and peace to come in its fullness.
We ask for justice for the thousands refugees who live in the slums of Cairo. Please provide them with
food, medicine, schools, and employment.
We pray for young refugee children who are often locked alone in flats while their parents work. O Lord,
protect them from evil. Please provide preschools for these children so that they can grow to their full
potential.
We pray for refugee youth who join violent gangs out of boredom and despair. Lord, plant hope deep in
their hearts. Grant them access to schools and extracurricular activities.
We pray for refugee women who are vulnerable to sexual violence and abuse. Lord, have mercy.
We pray for refugee men and women who struggle to find employment in the informal sector. Please
give them safe, fairly paid and respectable work.
We praise you Lord for watching over refugees and defending orphans and widows. Today, by your Holy
Spirit, enable us to love our neighbors in practical ways, in word and action. Lord, in your mercy hear our
prayer. Amen.
For Reflection: In the coming week the world will mark the International Day of Non-Violence on
October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer
of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence. Among his many teachings about non-violence, Gandhi
stated, "There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill
for." In his letter to the early church in Philippi, Paul called on its members to have “the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind” in order to “will and to work for God’s good pleasure.” He
reminded the Philippians that Christ in human form “became obedient to the point of death – even
death on a cross.” PWRDF’s partners at Refuge-Egypt have carried out their work among Cairo’s
refugee population at times at great risk to themselves.
Has there been an instance in your life when you’ve been called to offer loving service in a time of
difficulty or crisis? What did that experience teach you about love – and about hope?
Concluding Prayer
Coins in a Fountain by Passenger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtr37ePzbto
Fear is dark but my love is a lantern
Shining up like coins in a fountain
Hope is a tree sitting on a mountain where the grass don’t grow
There’s a sad old sea but my love is an island
Wild and free like the hills in the highlands
Hope is a breeze that brings me back to dry land
Where the flowers grow
Love is a baby born
Love is the last unicorn
Love is the only song I’ll sing
Hate is a poison
Love is a remedy
Singing out like the sweetest of melodies
Hope is a ghost in the deepest of memories
Stronger than ten of me
Fear is the enemy
In the dark and it creeps like a shark
In the coldest sea
In the deepest part but
Hope is the beat in the oldest heart
A hand in a hand and a brand new start
Love is a fireside
Born on the coldest of nights
Love is the only song I’ll sing
Love is the truest of words
Love is the last winter bird
Love is the only song I’ll sing
Oh I’ll sing
Til I can’t sing no more
Oh I’ll sing
Til my throat is sore