(Micah 5: 2-5a)

We cannot tell how Bethlehem, Christ's birthplace,
where bombs explode and deadly missiles fall,
may speak to all the leaders of the nations
out of the shadows of a concrete wall.
But this we know, that all God's pilgrim people
who live in hope that one day wars will cease,
must join to build a highway through the desert,
a road where all may come and go in peace.
We cannot tell how we can end the conflict,
where walls divide and many faiths compete,
or make of Bethlehem, the town of David
a House of Bread where open hearts may meet.
But this we know, God shepherds all his people,
seeking to guide us with a righteous hand,
and calls us all to pray and work for justice
in Bethlehem and all the Holy Land.
We cannot tell how those who have been wounded
by hate and fear passed down throughout the years
may hope to reap a harvest of rejoicing
from seeds once sown in bitterness or tears.
But this we pray, O God of love and mercy,
that in your strength and guided by your grace,
with all your people, we may find forgiveness,
and make this world your holy dwelling place.

These words may be offered as a prayer for change on behalf of all the people of the Holy Land or sung to the tune Londonderry Air.

Copyright : Jean Mortimer. First published in 'Hush The Storm' - Geoffrey Duncan (ed) - Prayer Handbook of The United Reformed Church, Granary, 2009.

© St Edmund's Church, Roundhay