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January 2012
1 First Sunday of Christmas
Emmanuel, God-with-us, the birth of the Christ child reveals your presence in our war-torn world. Make your peace known in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
2 Pray for Elizabeth Frey, Jordan Muller and Ian Moreau who are spending a year overseas as young adult volunteers for the ELCA.
3 Pray for the president of the United States and Congress that the Holy Spirit will guide them to remember those most vulnerable in our nation.
4 Pray for the ELCA Conference of Bishops as they gather in San Diego, Calif., for the Bishops’ Academy Jan. 4-8.
5 Pray for the Latin American and Caribbean companion churches and organizations that have developed ministries with individuals living with HIV and AIDS in the region.
6 Epiphany of Our Lord
Loving God, shine the light of your justice in our hearts and over all lands. Help us to bear your light for the sake of the world and accept our lives as the treasure we offer in your praise and for your service through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
7 Pray for the Rev. Dorcas Wang who serves as an ELCA missionary in China, training leaders through the Beijing International Christian Fellowship.
8 Baptism of Our Lord
Gracious God, in baptism you reveal Jesus Christ as your beloved Son and name us as inheritors of Christ’s mercy and peace. Bring reconciliation and an end to violence to the war-torn areas of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran and Iraq.
9 Pray for the renewal of the earth and new understandings of what it means to be stewards of your creation for a future of abundance, hope and life.
10 Pray for Dr. Mark Jacobson, director of the Arusha Lutheran Medical Center in Tanzania. The Medical Center just graduated its first class of Assistant Medical Officers.
11 Pray for understanding between Christians, Jews and Muslims throughout the world and for an end to religious violence.
12 Pray for an end to deforestation throughout the world, especially in rainforests.
13 Pray for the Rev. Brian and Christine Palmer who are called by the Lutheran Church in Liberia to train lay leadership for ministry.
14 Pray for the Rev. William Rex who serves as a chaplain of Seafarer’s International House in the ports of Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, and for all seafarers who face treacherous winter weather on the seas.
15 Second Sunday after Epiphany
Loving God, be with the people of the lands of Cyprus, Greece and Turkey. Inspire their leaders to bring about economic security and justice.
16 Give thanks for the witness of Martin Luther King Jr. and pray for those who bravely name the injustices of our communities and seek to bring reconciliation and hope for all.
17 Pray for Phillip and June Nelson. Phillip works with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cameroon and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic. June is a nurse in a clinic run by the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons.
18 Join your voice to the confession of Peter saying, “Jesus Christ is Lord,” on this day that marks the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
19 Pray for the collaborative work of the World Council of Churches, a worldwide fellowship of 349 churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service.
20 Pray for the Rev. Jim and Carol Sack who serve as ELCA missionaries in Tokyo, Japan. Jim is a professor of pastoral theology at the Japan Lutheran College and the Japan Lutheran Theological Seminary. Carol is a music thanatologist, offering palliative care to those in transition from this life to the next.
21 Pray for corporate leaders as they develop policies to protect the human rights of both employees and those in their sphere of influence and seek ways for their companies to be good stewards of God's creation.
22 Third Sunday after Epiphany
God of mercy, be with the people of Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. Raise up leaders who will work for peace, stability and justice.
23 Pray for Patrick and Jacqueline Bencke who serve at Kyushu Lutheran College, a college of the Japan Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kumamoto, Japan.
24 Pray for the members of the ELCA e-Advocacy network that the Spirit will move them to action for the betterment of their community, their state and the world.
25 At the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, give thanks for the conversion of Paul and pray for all who bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who encounter this good news for the first time.
26 Give thanks for the members of First Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Co., who sponsored their first ELCA missionary in 1999, which has led to the support of an additional missionary every year since. In 2011, the congregation supported 15 missionaries.
27 Remember all who died in the Holocaust on this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, recognized by the United Nations. Pray for an end to current-day genocide and persecution of people based on religion, sexual identity or ethnicity.
28 Pray for all who are unemployed or underemployed in the United States and throughout the world.
29 Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
God of love, enliven the churches of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Reveal your love and hope in ways that renew worship and proclamation of the gospel anew.
30 Pray for peaceful elections of leaders throughout the world and for elected leaders who work for justice and economic security for all.
31 Pray for Julie Rossate and Jeff VonWald, newly called missionaries to Palestine where they mentor young adults serving ministries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
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