The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) initiated a prayer request for China on the third Sunday of Advent.
On Sunday, the global communion of churches in the Lutheran tradition posted the prayer of the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle on X (formerly Twitter) for people and churches in Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and the mainland of China.
The prayer says, “God of Life, fears, anxieties, hopelessness, and despair darken the lives of individuals and peoples. We ask you to illuminate our darkness with your light.”
It continues, “Prepare our hearts and enable us to be faithful disciples and witnesses of your light through love, service, and words of hope. Amen.”
The prayer comes after the first Sunday of Advent for people and churches in Myanmar and Thailand and the second for those in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
The World Council of Churches established the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, which encourages believers to pray every week of the year and throughout every region of the world in order to show their support for all Christians.
Based on the publication "Pilgrim Prayer: An Ecumenical Prayer Cycle," this week’s prayer for China focuses on “those left behind and further marginalized by rising economic growth, especially women and peasants in rural areas,” “a growth in the prophetic witness of the Chinese church in society,” and “spiritual meaning and freedom from captivity to economic growth and consumerism.”
The prayer also requests “the political and social tensions” between the mainland and Hong Kong and "greater understanding and cooperation” between Taiwan and the mainland.
On the fourth Sunday of Advent, the ecumenical prayer cycle will unite in prayer for Japan, North Korea, and South Korea.
