Prayers for Peace

Cattle herdsman in Juba, South Sudan

As we approach Palm Sunday, we are reminded of how Jesus was viewed by so many of his peers as a  potential military Messiah who would bring the “Kingdom of God” by sword. His triumphal entry into Jerusalem turned the expected political power-play on its head. Instead of leading a rebellion, Jesus’ path was set toward the self-sacrifice of the cross. In the Gospels, we read how the masses that lined the streets with Palm branches hailing the “king of the Jews” soon became the crowds who would turn against him. The path of following Jesus is not free of suffering, in fact it often directs us into the very centre of conflict and despair. Rather than meeting injustice and oppression with violence, the Church is called to a way of self-giving love, bold proclamation of truth, and courageous solidarity with the other.

This month is the twentieth anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide. During this week of mourning, our friends and colleagues living in Kigali have gathered with their neighbours in churches, public squares, schools and grave sites to prayer together, weep together and sing together. "Never again" is the common vow that can be heard throughout Rwanda. The Art of Remembering and Forgetting, by Peter Gwin is a great three part series on the Rwandan Genocide that is worth reading. In his article, he highlights the stories of dozens of Rwanda genocide survivors and chronicles the challenge of healing that the people of Rwanda have so bravely embrace. Among the many people Gwin interviews, he meets "Erine Nyirakarehe a 58-year-old ethnic Tutsi, [who] sits with former Hutu militiaman Ildephonse Twjiyezu, 33, who in 1994 led a group that burned down her family's home with her son inside. "It was very painful to kill the boy," says Twjiyezu, who was only 14 years old at the time. "It was like a stone in my heart." Through the organization As We Forgive, the two were brought together for reconciliation. "When I forgave Ildephonse, I felt like a whole person again," says Nyirakarehe. "It made me want to forgive more people.”      National Geographic Link

Our friend Reverend Gato Munyamasoko leads the Association of Rwandan Baptist Churches (AEBR) one of our partners in Rwanda. His passion has been helping the church and the communities where they serve to experience peace and reconciliation. Canadian Baptist Ministries has had the privilege of partnering with the AEBR in holistic mission that seeks to bring the transforming love of Christ into every aspect of peoples lives from improved agriculture and education, to deeper understanding and relationships with our neighbours. As the Church ministers in Rwanda, the heart of the healing that is happening is through forgiveness.

Our Canadian Baptist Ministries colleague and friend Laurena Zondo is the founder and president of  Peace of Life a dynamic ministry that is part of our wider peace building efforts in Rwanda. Each year young people come together for peace camps that are focused on personal healing and community transformation.

In Prayer:

- As we pray for continued healing from the scars of genocide in Rwanda, let us also pray for the people of South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, and Kenya where violence and destruction continues along ethnic divisions. 

- Please prayer for our friends in Malakal, South Sudan, who are a part of the CBM/FEBAC relief efforts.

- Please remember our friends in the Central African Baptist Churches (CBCA) in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo who are also working for sustained peace and healing among their people after decades of conflict and war in Eastern Congo.

CBCA Youth Drama on Conflict and Reconciliation

in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo

“This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:12-13