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| Image by Drouyn Cambridge |
In Memoriam: Peace, Aid and Justice Workers.
Honouring the prophetic passion of those lost
in the Air Ethiopia tragedy.
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A Greeting
Hear my prayer, O God, and give ear to my cry;
do not hold your peace at my tears.
(Psalm 39:12)
A Reading
‘This is my commandment, that you love one another
as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You did not choose
me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear
fruit, fruit that will last, so that God will give you whatever
you ask in my name. I am giving you these commands so
that you may love one another.’
(John 15: 12-13; 16-17)
Music
Meditative Verse
Wait for God; be strong,
and let your heart take courage;
wait for God!
(Psalm 31:24 )
A Reflection
Love is the centre of our Christian belief (1. John 4:16).
Therefore we cannot ignore when parts of the worldwide
body of Christ are suffering due to unjust economic
structures (“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it;”
1. Corinthians 12:26). Jesus says: “I have come in order that
you might have life—life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10).
One important aspect of discipleship is clear advocacy for a
just economy and creativity to organize local supply with
reverence for life. From the beginning we were given
responsibility for taking care of all creation. However: the cry
of the whole creation today is stronger than ever. That is why we need
a strong movement of transformative faith, and we invite you to be part of it!
- from the introduction to "Roadmap for Congregations, Communities and Churches for an
Economy of Life and Ecological Justice", a World Council of Churches resource prepared
by Rev. Norman Tendis and colleagues, which he was to present at the UN Environment
Assembly in Nairobi. The entire resource is downloadable here (linked).
A Prayer
God of mercy and love,
we pray for all who perished on the Ethiopian Airlines flight
and we pray for all who mourn their loss. We always feel
tragedies more when we have personal connections, and so
we pray for the family of Rev. Norman Tendis of the
Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Austria
and all who mourn his loss. In the midst of tragedy, pull us
closer to you, that we may feel bound together by
your strong and loving embrace.
- ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson
Verse for the Day
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
(Psalm 139:9-10)
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| Desert flowers of Kenya. Image by Ninara. |
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Anytime there is a disaster that claims lives, we struggle to understand its meaning. For many of those on board Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, that confrontation with senseless suffering was a common consideration of their everyday lives in working toward improving the well-being of communities, and in caring for creation. It will take a long time to fully absorb the impact of these losses. Journeying to Nairobi, Kenya from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the aid, development and justice workers and other travelers were moving between two key centres of UN humanitarian activity in Africa. Many of them were en route to the UN Environment Assembly, currently underway. They came from a rich range of cultures and traditions and beliefs. “Love is the centre of our Christian belief,” begins today’s Reflection. A profound and incalculable amount of love for the world and its suffering has departed this life. The work of these individuals, collectively and through the ongoing projects of the organizations they belonged to and partnered with, is the legacy we are gifted with. The challenge to us is how they can inspire us, too, to continue their work for change. When Jesus tells those gathered in the last days of his life that a friend is one who lays down his life for another friend, we may feel that such extreme devotion is not something we are capable of. But, a number of these advocates often faced that risk. In the reflection. Rev. Tendis and colleagues are reminding us that we are called by Jesus to love one another, and to give that love all that we have. Upholding those whose hands and feet and minds and hearts are changing the lives of others, means finding ways to roll up our own sleeves, so that God's love can continue to be working through us. The final reading from Psalm 139 make clear that God’s love accompanies us every step of the way and, working through us, is a transformative agent of change. These two verses were the last Facebook post of Carleton University Institute of African Studies Professor Pius Adesanmi, as he boarded the flight. May all victims, and all those who mourn them, feel God’s loving embrace. Let's work together to honour those who died, by helping to bring to life their dreams for the future.
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Here are just some of the names, nationalities and projects:
UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
Nadia Adam Abaker Ali, Sudan. Health Specialist, Sudan's East Darfur.
Jessica Hyba, Canada. Senior External Relations Officer, Mogadishu.
Jackson Musoni, Rwanda. Associate Field Coordinator in Sudan’s East Darfur.
UN World Food Programme:
Ekta Adhikari, Nepal.
Maria Pilar Buzzetti, Italy.
Virginia Chimenti, Italy.
Harina Hafitz, Indonesia.
Zhen-Zhen Huang, China.
Michael Ryan, Ireland. UN WFP Global Deputy Chief Engineer.
UN Food and Agriculture Organization:
Joanna Toole, United Kingdom. Animal welfare advocate.
Youth Delegates to the United Nations Environment Assembly:
Shikha Garg, India. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Stéphanie Lacroix, Canada. United Nations Association - Canada Service Corps.
Danielle Moore, Canada. Activist for Indigenous rights, climate change, food security and the Manitoba Energy Justice Coalition.
Micah Messant, Canada. United Nations Association - Canada Service Corps.
Angela Rehhorn, Canada. Canadian Wildlife Federation Canadian Conservation Corps.
(All of the Canadians were ocean conservation activists.)
UN International Organization for Migration
Anne-Katrin Feigl, Germany. Junior Professional Officer, Migrant Protection.
UN Economic, Social and Cultural Council
Pius Adesanmi, Canada. Carleton University Institute of African Studies,
advocate and award-winning prose writer. Nigerian delegate to the Council.
Faith-Based Organizations
Catholic Relief Services:
Sara Chalachew, Getnet Alemayehu, Sintayehu Aymeku, Mulusew Alemu,
Ethiopia. Procurement, logistics and finance.
World Council of Churches
Rev. Norman Tendis, Germany/Austria. Consultant for the Economy of Life programme.
Some Other Aid Individuals
Tamirat Mulu Demessie, Ethiopia. Save the Children Technical adviser on child protection in emergencies.
Karim Saafi, African Diaspora Youth Forum in Europe.
Josefin Ekermann, Sweden. Civil Rights Defenders.
Jordi Dalmau, Spain. Almar Water Solutions. General manager of the Mombasa desalination plant in Kenya.
Karoline Aadland, Norway. Red Cross Programme Finance Co-Ordinator for Africa.
Paolo Dieci, Italy. Aid advocate with the International Committee for the Development of Peoples.
Victor Shangai Tsang, Hong Kong. UN Environment Gender Marker System.
...and many others. May they rest in God's peace.
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| Image by Ninara. |
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LC† Journey for Justice is a project of
Lutherans Connect / Lutheran Campus Ministry Toronto,
supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Join our Facebook and find us on Instagram. Follow us @LutConnect
