A Pastoral Prayer from the Moderator for the People of Nepal

A Pastoral Prayer for the People of Nepal

God of compassion and mercy,

Our hearts turn today toward the people of Nepal.

We have watched with horror as floodwaters, mud, rock and ice have swept through communities in the Himalayas - taking lives, destroying homes and roads, separating families, and leaving so many still waiting desperately for news of those they love.

Into such overwhelming grief,
God, draw near.

We pray for the hundreds whose lives have been lost.
We pray for their families and communities whose grief today is almost beyond words.

We pray for the many who are still missing - for those trapped or isolated, for pilgrims and travellers far from home, and for families across Nepal and around the world waiting for a phone call, a message, any word at all.

Lord, in that terrible waiting,
hold them close.

We pray for the people of Rasuwa and Nuwakot and the communities along the Nepal–Tibet border where homes, roads and bridges have been swept away.

For those who have lost everything overnight,
for those injured and displaced,
and for communities now facing the enormous task of recovery:

give strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

We give thanks for rescuers, soldiers, police, medical teams, helicopter crews, local communities and aid workers searching through mud and debris, carrying supplies into isolated places and refusing to give up the search.

Protect them.
Strengthen them.
Give them wisdom, courage and endurance.

And, God, disturb those of us who watch these events from a distance.

Do not allow another tragedy simply to become another headline.

Remind us that these are not statistics.

They are mothers and fathers,
sons and daughters,
friends and neighbours,
pilgrims and travellers -
people deeply known and deeply loved.

When one part of our human family suffers, we suffer together.

And so today, as the Church of Jesus Christ,
we stand in prayer and solidarity with the people of Nepal.

May compassion become generosity.
May prayer become action.
May strangers become neighbours.
And even amid extraordinary devastation, may signs of courage, kindness and hope continue to rise.

God of the mountains and valleys,
God who is present even in the darkest valley,
hold Nepal in your embrace.

Comfort those who mourn.
Bring the missing home.
Strengthen those who rescue.
Shelter those who have nowhere to sleep tonight.

And from the rubble and the mud,
may communities once again rise.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
who draws near to the broken-hearted
and calls us to draw near to one another.

Amen

Rev Bruce Moore
Moderator,
Uniting Church in Australia
QUEENSLAND SYNOD