by Alexei Laushkin

For those of us who celebrated a Good Friday service with some liturgy there was something that caught my attention in the Prayers of the People. We prayed for two things:

For those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and persecutors of his disciples

In a world which has so much persecution of Christians in minority contexts it was an easy prayer to identify with. My thoughts went to Syria, Egypt, China, Kenya, and parts of Africa and many places both known and unknown  where persecution has visited God’s people in the last year.

But also this prayer:

For those who in the name of Christ have persecuted others

This one is much more uncomfortable, but accounts for reality. We should not over hype wrongs done by society, but neither should we shy away from any uncomfortable truths. I like how the prayer drew us back into reality. We must pray when we face persecution and when we persecute others unjustly.

May the the Lord give us his eyes to see as we head into Easter Sunday.

Alexei Laushkin is the Chair of the Board of the Kingdom Mission Society and Vice-President of the Evangelical Environmental Network. His views are his own.