01/06/2026
A Prayer for Jerusalem
O God of Sarah and Abraham,
our tears are mixed with yours,
weeping for the cities in the world.
We weep for the holy cities and especially for Jerusalem:
where brothers and sisters kill each other,
where hatred feeds and nourishes anger,
where animosity blinds mercy,
where religions divide,
as children learn to hate and the elderly nurse old grudges.
We see, and we grieve;
and yet we have not loved the things that make for peace.
So we pray:
We weep for oppressed cities, and in particular for Jerusalem:
where rigid laws imprison freedom,
where thinking is confined and conscience is abated,
where those who question are branded as traitors,
where creativity and righteousness are beaten,
where pluralism is chained.
We weep for all cities, and for Jerusalem.
We see and we grieve;
and yet we have not learned the things that make for peace.
So we pray:
With Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, we pray:
Teach us to walk the way that leads to life.
Transform our grief into determination,
our tears into action,
and our acts into a just peace.
Amen.
(From “Jerusalem: The City of Justice and Peace,“ a worship liturgy prepared by Palestinian theologians and laity for World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel 2013, available at www.worldweekforpeace.org; adapted)
World Council of Churches (WCC) invites people and churches all over the world to pray, advocate, and stand in solidarity with people in the Holy Land during the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel, to be observed on 16-22 September 2024.
