GOD S KINGDOM IS STRONGER THAN STORMS An 11-day devotional for Christian Aid Week 2018 and Thy Kingdom Come Starting Thursday 10 May
After each reflection, say the Kingdom Prayer below. Each day, pray for a world where every one of God s children is treasured here on Earth. Kingdom Prayer Holy God, In your Kingdom The strong need the weak, The rich are transformed by the poor, The fortunate are welcomed by the homeless. Your Kingdom is built by those who expect their God to come. Amen. On the last day cut the prayer out and keep it in your wallet or purse. Continue to pray daily for the coming of God s Kingdom. Every day, finish by jotting down a few words that describe God s Kingdom in the space below. God s Kingdom is 2
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, This year, Christian Aid Week falls within Thy Kingdom Come, an ecumenical global prayer movement throughout the 11 days between Ascension Day and Pentecost. This great wave of prayer is for the empowering of the Holy Spirit to enable our effective evangelism and witness. I have been thrilled to witness how Thy Kingdom Come prayer encourages people to step out in faith across Britain and Ireland. We are sent in Jesus name and empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim the King and do the work of the Kingdom. Kingdom builders like you from all walks of life and Christian traditions come together during Christian Aid Week. Whether you do house-to-house collections, sponsored walks or church collections, or if you bring everyone together for Big Brekkies, bake sales or quiz nights, you re stepping out in God s mission for the world s poorest people. Together, we raise funds to help our poorest brothers and sisters around the globe to thrive abundantly, because we believe in life before death. This work brings the Kingdom close. Each day, your reflections, prayers and responses will focus on our calling to proclaim the Good News. Please would you #pledge2pray at thykingdomcome.global? Yours in Christ, Archbishop Justin Welby 3
I put both my hands in the air and said Jesus! Jesus! Why is this happening to me? Vilia outside the home she lived in before Christian Aid s partner built her a new house. Day 1 # ToJesus Thursday 10 May Read Luke 4:14-21 In the early days of Jesus ministry, he returned to his home town and addressed the synagogue. He revealed how he fulfilled the Scriptures, Isaiah s prophecy, and proclaimed his mission. And he declared that it started today. Not tomorrow, or sometime in the future, but today! Think about the words from Luke. Who are the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed in today s world? Jesus promise is an act of faith, but also a call to action. Jesus calls us to build God s Kingdom. And the Kingdom doesn t just include the people on the fringes of society rather, they re at the very centre. Jesus gives us our mission. 4 Vilia lost her home and her mother when an earthquake hit Haiti in 2010. Bereaved, she had nowhere safe to stay with her seven children. Christian Aid s partner KORAL saw how dire her situation was and reached out, building her a new home. To build God s Kingdom, we must help our neighbours who desperately need us, and we must not delay. Pray for Vilia today, and lift up all those who have no place to call home. Finish by saying our Kingdom Prayer on page 2.
Day 2 # Praise Friday 11 May Read Mark 4:35-41 Amazing Grace is one of the most loved hymns of the last two centuries. Did you know this moving song was written by a former sailor and slave trader, John Newton? His journey with Jesus started when his ship was caught in a storm off the coast of Ireland and nearly sank. Newton prayed to God for mercy and the cargo miraculously moved to fill a hole in the ship. They drifted to safety. Newton took this as a sign from God, and began his conversion to Christianity. Later, he became committed to abolishing slavery. Listen to Amazing Grace, or read the words. on John Newton s testimony praising God s grace. Above: When Vilia lost everything, Christian Aid s partner was there for her. 5 On the terrifying night when Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti, Vilia s neighbours fled to her house. Her new home, built by Christian Aid s partner, was the only one in the community strong enough to survive the storm. She welcomed her neighbours in, sharing food and shelter as the storm raged. Fifty-four people found shelter with Vilia that night. This Christian Aid Week, you can respond to the urgent needs of the millions of refugees and people who have lost their homes worldwide. Like Vilia s neighbours during the hurricane, many urgently need food and shelter. The money we raise this week will help thousands of communities like hers.
We are all connected. We are all sons and daughters of God Day 3 # Thanks Read 1 Chronicles 28:11-21 David gave his son Solomon very detailed instructions for the huge and quite overwhelming! task of building the temple. But David reassures Solomon that the Lord, my God, is with you and that people with skills of every kind will volunteer. Solomon isn t alone in his mammoth task he s got strength from God and the help of those around him. 40 million people in the world today are internally displaced this means they ve been forced to flee their homes, but remain inside their own country. Think about them and the task of making sure they can all thrive and have a safe home. How does this make you feel? Above: Prospery Raymond works with communities and local organisations in Haiti to fight injustice, deliver help after disasters, and campaign for change. Saturday 12 May Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. This makes it even harder for Haitians to cope with the earthquakes, storms and hurricanes that hit them relentlessly. Prospery Raymond, Christian Aid s Country Manager for Haiti, has a huge task. Tens of thousands of people like you will volunteer this Christian Aid Week. Your hard work will give Prospery the resources he needs to help our neighbours in Haiti. For Prospery, your support helps him to be the person I want to be, as a son of God who is there to support others that are in need. Thank God for Prospery and those who help in his mission. Pray that God s strength will support Prospery. Ask God to strengthen all those who volunteer this Christian Aid Week. 6
Day 4 # Sorry Read Luke 12:22-34 Make a list of all the everyday things that you re worried about. Could it be health, your family, a lack of money, pressure at work or a need to find work? Jesus says not to worry about all these things: Your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. Today, share your list of worries with God. In verses 33 and 34, Jesus challenges us to consider how we use our money. Are we using it for God s purposes? Are we using our money to help others? Sunday 13 May Where do you put your time, money and energy? How should you say sorry and change the way you use your resources to reflect Kingdom values more? Watch the Christian Aid Week film (caweek.org/films) and consider Vilia s resources and your own. Are you a Christian Aid collector? As you deliver envelopes to your neighbours, pray for the opportunity to invite others to join your mission of love. 7
God s Kingdom is like a mustard seed... the smallest of all the seeds on earth Last year, volunteers delivered more than six million envelopes. Each one sent a message about Jesus great love. Every donation proclaimed the good news to the poor and lifted our neighbours up. Day 5 # Offer Monday 14 May Read Mark 4:31-32 Jesus uses the parable of the mustard seed to describe how God s Kingdom will grow and flourish. Through faith, you can unite with others and achieve great things. Even small acts of generosity can grow into something far beyond our imagination. Faithful volunteers will collect millions of Christian Aid envelopes this week. Each envelope is like the mustard seed. Even if they contain the smallest of gifts, together they ll fund transformative work across the world, creating safe places and a chance of a new life for many. 8 Hurricane Matthew swept Vilia s crops and livestock away. Our partner KORAL gave Vilia a water filter and seeds for beans, sweet potatoes, yams and plantain, helping her to rebuild her farm. A water filter that will last more than 10 years costs just 42. Just 21 opened doors with a gift of 2 each could give a family life-saving clean water. Every gift matters. Could you offer a couple of hours this week to help your church collect in your community?
Day 6 # PrayFor Read Matthew 6:5-15 Did you learn the Lord s Prayer by heart as a child? It s easy to fall into saying the words by habit, forgetting their true meaning. When we pray Thy Kingdom Come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven do we resign ourselves, even when praying for the world God wants to come into being? Or do we offer ourselves in obedience and ask God to equip and guide us to do his will on Earth? Above: Marcelin stands outside the 2x2m concrete block he and his daughters Ketia (18), Linda (16), and Keshna (15) are forced to live in. 9 Tuesday 15 May Marcelin lost his home in Hurricane Matthew. He s a single dad to three teenage girls, and they re now forced to live in a 2x2m concrete block that used to be a communal shower, with no windows and only a single bed. Marcelin can no longer afford to send his girls to school, and struggles to put enough food on the table. His daughters are worried about him, anxious that he doesn t eat enough for someone doing so much hard labour. They re scared he could get sick and die. Marcelin prays: Lord give me the strength and courage, because I have three children to care for. Will you pray with and for Marcelin? With your help we can build Marcelin a new home, and give his family a fighting chance for a better life.
The invisible millions Did you know there are more than 40 million internally displaced people in the world today? These are people who have been forced to leave their homes, but remain within their own country. When Marcelin and Vilia lost their homes in Hurricane Matthew, they became internally displaced. We don t even know the real number of our sisters and brothers who are internally displaced, because when people leave their homes because of climate change or disaster, they re not always counted. The international community has forgotten these millions of our neighbours. We believe that everyone, even if they are overlooked and ignored, deserves life before death. Poor countries bear the brunt of internal displacement. Displaced people are incredibly vulnerable to poverty and exploitation. Most people who flee their homes find shelter with host families, and don t receive any support in the form of food, water or assistance to earn money. The UN is working towards two new agreements on refuges and migration. It has to include internally displaced people in these deals. Otherwise, they will be failures and many of our vulnerable neighbours across the world will continue to be ignored. That s why we re asking the UN and its member states to agree a fair deal for all people like Marcelin and Vilia who have been forced to leave their homes. 10
Mai Nar village in Myanmar hosts a camp for internally displaced people. Eisew tested positive for HIV and has received counselling, health education and advice on nutrition through our partner the Positive Living Centre. Day 7 # Help Wednesday 16 May Read Mark 12:28-34 Jesus commands us to love our neighbours. He assured the Pharisee that love for his neighbour brings him closer to the Kingdom of God. In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus gives a new definition of neighbour. In the Kingdom of God, a good neighbour helps anyone in need, no matter who they are. Jesus acted out this example again and again during his ministry on Earth. What could reaching out to our neighbours in unexpected ways look like today? Do you have neighbours in need? Do you think Marcelin in Haiti is your neighbour? Opposite: People waking up in a camp for displaced people in South Sudan. Conflict has forced millions in the country to flee their homes. 11 You can make our invisible neighbours visible. Get your church to build a home, using our printable bricks, to show your solidarity with displaced people around the world. Download your bricks of hope at caweek.org/ resources Your generous gifts make sure that our partners can continue to support vulnerable communities, both those who are displaced and those who host them.
Day 8 # Adore Read John 3:16-17 The word adore captures a sense of the ultimate love we can have for each other. In the passage Jesus explains that God s adoration for us led him to give the ultimate gift, his one and only son. Through God s gift we might have eternal life. God established what true love is. This love comes with willingness to freely give and requires self-sacrifice. When have you given up comforts or made sacrifices to be with God? When have you helped others to receive God s love? Thursday 17 May Hurricane Matthew took everything from Marcelin. I have nothing left. Only the small bed that the girls sleep on. I sleep on the floor, he says. Marcelin adores his daughters, and works so hard, sacrificing so much to support them. But he worries about how vulnerable his daughters are. He is anxious that their hunger may lead them to be exploited by predatory men in exchange for the food they desperately need. What might your equivalent act of true love and sacrifice be? Above: Marcelin with his daughters. Keshna said: He took care of us when our mother left us, cooked, cleaned. But now we are suffering, we have no food. After Hurricane Matthew we often go hungry. 12
Day 9 # Celebrate Read Matthew 5:13-16 If, as Christians, we make no effort to change the world around us, we are like salt with no flavour. When we allow good deeds to shine then we become a beacon of truth. We show others the love of Christ. Today, make two lists. In the first, list the tasks that you will personally do for Christian Aid Week. In the second, make a list of people family, friends, neighbours, colleagues who know what you will be doing and why it s important to you. Houses destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, October 2016. Friday 18 May In the hours before Hurricane Matthew, our partner KORAL managed to warn and help evacuate more than 30,000 people. They saved many lives. Each life saved was thanks to support from you without the generous and dedicated gifts of Christian Aid supporters, KORAL would not have been there for communities in Haiti. Celebrate this good news! Share it with your loved ones and community. Look at the names in your list of people. Who else could you add? Is there anyone you could reach out to with Marcelin s story this week? It s coming to the end of Christian Aid Week. Could you organise a celebration with others who have taken part?
God, Haiti is in your hands Day 10 # Silence Saturday 19 May Read Psalm 46 In today s world, what are the causes of trouble for the poorest people? Haiti is one of the poorest countries on Earth. It s vulnerable to relentless natural disasters and climate change is only making them worse. Poverty makes it so much harder for communities to weather the challenges in their way. The Psalm describes immense troubles, but it ends with be still and know that I am God! It promises that God is always there to help, providing refuge, security and peace. Above: A new community centre being built in 2013. 14 Vilia found refuge, security and peace in the new house which Christian Aid s partner built. This was only possible through the love people like you showed for your neighbours. Vilia prays for others in Haiti who still need our help: God, Haiti is in your hands, the children are in your hands. Jesus you are the one who knows what you are capable of doing for us. Find a place where you can see a brick, or hold one in silence. Pray with Vilia. Pray for Marcelin and others in Haiti who are displaced, and ask God that they too might have a home, and soon.
Day 11 # ThyKingdomCome Sunday 20 May Read Acts 2:43-47 Does this story of a Christian community sound familiar? Does it resemble one you are a part of? Do you think you could live as the early believers did? Which aspects of that first Christian community do you think you would struggle with? Do you think this is how today s Christians should live? What was the result of this generous, joyful, prayerful way of life? Each day of Thy Kingdom Come you ve prayed for God s Kingdom here on Earth. Will you join us in our mission to love our neighbours every one of our fellow human beings wildly, wholeheartedly and sacrificially? We are honoured to support people of all faiths and none, reflecting God s unconditional love and his great mercy. Could you take your journey further and commit to donating a monthly gift to bring God s Kingdom closer? If you support Christian Aid through Kingdom Journey, you will hear from somebody you have helped to support each month. As well as hearing from your neighbours, you ll be challenged to grow in faith through prayer and action. Start your journey today by visiting caid.org.uk/kingdom-journey Go back to page two and look at the words you have used through the 11 days to describe God s Kingdom. Pray for the coming of God s Kingdom using your words. Thank you so much for walking with us this Christian Aid Week. Together, we re stronger than the storms and stronger than poverty. Vilia is the president of her village marching band. They play at weddings, funerals and when farming together. But they re more than just a band. As a group of marginalised people, they pool their resources, help out on each other s land and support each other when someone is sick or dies. They show God s love in action.
We are all connected. We are all human beings. We are all sons and daughters of God. We are one. Through Christian Aid, you in the UK and Ireland are connected with us here in Haiti. Prospery Raymond, Christian Aid Haiti Your daily devotional begins earlier than usual this year, starting on Ascension Day on Thursday 10 May. The daily reflections will take you through to Pentecost Sunday. Along with thousands of others following this devotional, you will be joining Thy Kingdom Come, the global wave of prayer for the growth of God s Kingdom here on Earth. This devotional is also available online at caweek.org/devotional Invite your loved ones and community to join the journey of daily prayer and reflection. Eng and Wales charity no. 1105851 Scot charity no. SC039150 Company no. 5171525 Christian Aid Ireland: NI charity no. NIC101631 Company no. NI059154 and ROI charity no. 20014162 Company no. 426928 The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid. Christian Aid December 2017. Christian Aid is a key member of ACT Alliance. Printed exclusively on material sourced from responsibly managed forests. J42861 All Photos: Cover, pages 4, 5, 9, 12 and 15 Christian Aid/Matthew Gonzalez-Noda, page 3 Christian Aid/Andrew Testa, 2017 Chris Law (Archbishop Justin Welby), pages 6 and 14 Christian Aid/Elaine Duigenan, pages 7 and 8 Christian Aid, page 10 Christian Aid/Paul Jeffrey, page 11 Christian Aid/Kaung Htet, page 13 Thomas Lohnes/Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe F9014E