We pray for the people of Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Haiti

The tragic events occurring in Afghanistan and Ethiopia at this very moment underscore the futility of violence and war.  In Afghanistan, women and girls especially, but not them alone, face a frightening uncertainty about the future as the Taliban take control of the nation.  In Ethiopia, there are over 300,000 dead and hundreds of thousands more have become impoverished refugees.  In war, no one really wins.  Once again, Haiti is the scene of terrible destruction and death as the earth moves in the ground below and the storms are soon to rage in the air above.  Political assassination and climate change merge to wreak havoc on a beleaguered people and a tiny island that have experienced more than their share of grief and sorrow.  We pray for humanity to wake up to the truth of our shared destiny.  We pray for the people of Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Haiti, and all those places on our planet where bullets and bombs rule over compassion and peace.  God be with them and with us all.

-Rev. Michael Livingston, Interim Senior Minister, The Riverside Church