Community & Business
7 March, 2024
World Day of Prayer celebrates love
On the first Friday in March, Christians all over the world gathered for The World Day of Prayer (WDP), which was celebrated this year in Pittsworth at the Uniting Church.
The World Day of Prayer is an international ecumenical Christian laywomen’s initiative and is run under the motto “Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action”.
More than 60 people attended this year’s service in Pittsworth, including Christians from other local churches, and senior leaders from St. Stephen’s Primary School.
The WDP is celebrated annually in over 170 countries including Australia and New Zealand, in order to bring together women of various races, cultures and traditions in a day of prayer.
A different country hosts the event each year to share their cultures and traditions, and brings their hopes, joys and needs to the world.
The 2024 the host country was Palestine and the theme of the worship service was from Ephesians 4:1-3, “I beg you... bear with one another in love”.
Rev. Willie Liebenberg of the Uniting Church said the WDP hosts are chosen well in advance, in the long term planning cycle of the initiative.
He explained that when this year’s country was decided upon, no one could have ever guessed the horrors that would be unfolding in Palestine and Israel, in the weeks and months leading up to The World Day of Prayer.
Rev. Liebenberg encouraged those present on the day to put aside their political views and reflect on the people, especially the women and youth, of Palestine.
“Set aside your opinions this morning on this day of prayer, because really, that’s what it’s all about.
“Embrace this opportunity to understand the people, especially the women and children of Palestine,” he said.
The worship service shared the stories of
three Palestinian Christian women, who were witnesses to the power of bearing together in love.
They invited the world to pray for peace, justice and freedom.
Although it has been over 2000 years since Jesus walked on earth, there still appears to be a need to reach out to people living where Jesus once stood.
The sacred sites where Jesus once walked, including the Church of Nativity, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Basilica of the Annunciation, are cherished by Palestinian Christians.
Rev. Liebenberg explained that today, Palestinian women can be found in several distinct situations across the globe.
“Some women are Palestine citizens of Israel, others are found in east Jerusalem where they are under Israeli control, but have not gained citizenship.
“Some are found in the villages and cities across the West Bank and in Gaza.
“Most of these people as you know are homeless, hungry, have no access to health care, or education for their kids, and they are fearful.
“I want you to consider your position today, and really think of those people who are in desperate need,” Rev. Liebenberg challenged.
Despite the current situation in Palestine, he said there is always hope in the darkest of places.
“There is a good story in the Holy City of Nazareth, the birthplace of Jesus in the heart of Galilee, there’s an amazing project of women’s cultural resistance, which
I want to seek your prayers especially for today,” he said.
“This project is where women gather to teach each other traditional sewing and craft skills that is a safe place for both Christian and Muslim faiths.
“It’s a place where they can meet, share their stories, enjoy meals together and keep their culture alive,” Rev. Liebenberg said.
“As sisters and brothers in Christ, we must seek the best in others, and we must seek the best for others.
“How quick are we to judge and to condemn?
“And yet, Paul reminds us in the word of God, to bear with one another in love,” Rev. Liebenberg said.
“We need to be committed to the welfare of every person, irrespective of faith, ethnic groups and languages.
“Let us, on this World
Day of Prayer, honour the people, especially the women, of Palestine, as we ask God to bless them and bring healing and restoration in their world of pain and disaster.”
The collection for the day was put toward the Bible Society’s ‘Living Stones Project’, which offers a centre for Bible engagement and Christian community-building in Palestine.
It encourages women, students, and families with God’s word, inspiring them to be true ‘salt and light’ in troubled times.
“These women are preparing the fabric of their lives, one stitch at a time,” Rev. Liebenberg said.
The 2024 World Day of Prayer has given the women and youth of Palestine the potential to create change in their lives.
