Chorlton Central Church

A Prayer for Japan

A hurricane ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks,
and there was an earthquake.

Where was God in the earthquake?

The ground, once firm and rich and good,
trembled and shook.
Cracks appeared, crevices opened in the rock
buildings shuddered and fell.

We see the devastation.
We are overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
Our hearts are hushed, our minds are numb.

We wish the world was different
and maybe sometimes we wish you were different, too, God.
Speak to us when cracks appear in the soil of our faith, when crevices open in the rock of our belief.

Let not our hands be stopped, let not our voices be dumb.

If all we can do is pray, then pray we will.

We remember those who died in the earthquake and we pray for those who mourn for them and for those who are left injured or homeless.

Then the waters rose and lifted ships high above the earth,
and living things were swept away and died.

Where was God in the tsunami?

The waters came, and kept coming,
giant waves racing towards the shore
and beyond
bursting into buildings already damaged by the earthquake
flooding fields and roads
uprooting families, shattering lives,
leaving destruction and terror in its wake.

We see the devastation.
We are overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
Our hearts are hushed, our minds are numb.

We wish the world was different
and maybe sometimes we wish you were different, too, God.

Speak to us, when our faith is flooded by doubt, when the waters of baptism threaten to overwhelm and drown us.

Let not our hands be stopped, let not our voices be dumb.

If all we can do is pray, then pray we will.

We remember those who died in the tsunami and we pray for those who mourn for them and for those who are left injured or homeless.

After the earthquake and the flood, there was fire, polluting the air.

Where was God in the nuclear melt-down?

Safety systems failed, explosions tore into structures, the threat of contamination increased fear and people wanted to get away.

We see the devastation.
We are overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.
Our hearts are hushed, our minds are numb.

We wish the world was different
and maybe sometimes we wish you were different, too, God.

Speak to us, when the safety of our faith is threatened, when our beliefs are blasted and we want to run away.

Let not our hands be stopped, let not our voices be dumb.

If all we can do is pray, then pray we will.

We pray for those who were injured in the explosions and nuclear melt-down
and we pray for those who are fearful.
God of all the earth
open our hearts to feel your compassion
galvanise in us the act of continued giving.
Bind us to our sisters and brothers in need.
Comfort and heal the injured, the bereaved, the lost.
Strengthen the aid workers and the medical personnel and the engineers.
Bolster the resolve of governments and those with power to help
Open through this tragedy
pathways to partnerships and peace.

May we dare to hope that through the generosity of the privileged, the destitute might glimpse hope, warmth and life again.

In your name of mercy and healing and compassion we pray. AMEN.

Sarah Brewerton April 2011

Prayers from this page may be freely used in Christian worship, so long as:

- you acknowledge the author's copyright in any printed order of service as follows;
'copyright © author's name; used by permission'; and
- you email Chorlton Central Church at info@chorlton-central.org.uk stating when and where the prayer was used; this will be passed on to the author for their information.

All other rights are reserved to the authors whose moral rights to be identified as the authors under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 are asserted.

new content 9 April 2011