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Weekly Prayer Cycle Advent 3

The children of migrant workers take “alternative transport” in a Hong Kong market. Photo: Phil MacIntyre-Paul, 1984

December 7, 2014

By Simon Chambers

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Week of December 14 – Advent Three (International Migrants Day, December 18)

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-4
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion– to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.  They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

PWRDF Story: Exile and Return – Accompanying Migrant Workers, a Prayer by the Mission to Migrant Workers, Hong Kong

Editor’s Note: In 2012 and 2013 PWRDF invited partners to compose prayers or reflections about their work and those they work with.  Over the course of this Weekly Prayer Cycle, those prayers and reflections are offered from time to time as “PWRDF stories”; the realities, hopes and dreams of those we seek to accompany.  This prayer comes from the Mission for Migrant Workers.  For more than thirty years the Mission for Migrant Workers, an outreach program of St. John’s Anglican Cathedral in Hong Kong, has carried out advocacy and provided a range of support services to migrant workers from throughout Asia who find themselves living and working in Hong Kong.  PWRDF’s funding to the Mission concluded in 2013.

LOVING GOD,
You speak through the voice of the vulnerable
and command the care of sojourners in every land:
Watch over our families whom we have left behind;
push our government to protect our rights,
work for our welfare,
and put an end to forced migration.
Enlighten the minds of the peoples of the receiving communities,
that they will not treat us simply as commodities,
but as persons with rights and dignity.
Empower the Mission for Migrant Workers, the Bethune House, the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants, and other institutions, organizations and churches which struggle alongside migrant workers in Hong Kong and around the world
for justice, for our welfare, and those of our families;
Pour on us your grace,
that when we are called to solidarity —
we may freely respond
and when we are faced with injustice —
we may with boldness confront it.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Redeemer, Friend and Brother.

December 18 marks the United Nations International Migrants Day.  In 2013 the United Nations estimated that 232 million people were living and working as migrants throughout the world.  In his message to mark that day last year, Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, urged the international community to, “make migration work for the benefit of migrants and countries alike. We owe this to the millions of migrants who, through their courage, vitality and dreams, help make our societies more prosperous, resilient and diverse.”  And he tweeted that, “There are 232 million people living outside their country of birth, including myself.”

For Ban Ki-moon’s complete message go to: http://www.un.org/en/events/migrantsday/2013/sgmessage.shtml

For Reflection:  The prophet Isaiah is believed to have been writing to the people of Judah through a period of imminent threat from Assyria, exile in Babylon, and return to Jerusalem.  The passage for this Sunday was written to those who had returned to Jerusalem and were in need of reassurance of God’s promises to them.  For Advent the four national leaders of the Anglican/Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran churches in Canada and the United States have each written a devotionon one of its four Sundays.  In her reflection for Advent Three, Susan Johnson, the National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada notes that the passage from Isaiah “underscores for me our need to offer prophetic voices crying in the wilderness – in the town squares, in the halls of government, in the courts of law – on behalf of all those who are marginalized and oppressed and in need of justice.”

Today we are called to accompany those who experience exile, be it through migration or as refugees, and to speak out with them and for them when their voices are silenced.  Bishop Susan asks, “How are you crying out for and working for justice?  What more could you, your congregation, your community, your church be doing?

Concluding Prayer – Perceiving God Anew

I perceive God not only as the God of forgiveness but also the God of justice who disapproves of injustice.  I have become more sensitive to the question of justice.  Before, I did not realize that injustice has permeated my environment.  When there was injustice done to me, I rationalized it as God’s will and accepted it in acquiescence.

Before, I believed that only the church as a community is naturally and automatically deserving the favour of God.  But now I realize that if the church fails to serve the people in humility, she is like the prodigal son.

During my early days of conversion, Christian faith for me was something that makes people happy.  Now I see that, to follow Christ means much more than that.  One has to bear the cross and pay the price.  Happiness and peace have to be built on justice…

Living with people means struggle; both to struggle with them and to sustain an inner struggle within one’s self.  Through these struggles one experiences new dimensions of spiritual renewal, and I believe that God is calling all of us to undergo that renewal.

From Your Will Be Done, reflective writings, prayers and hymns related to the discerning of God’s will for our lives, CCA Youth, Christian Conference of Asia, Singapore, 1984.  This reflection was written by “a social worker, Hong Kong.”

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