Holy God, creator of all there is,
You make all people in your image, each person unique, each life sacred.
In Jesus you reveal yourself taking sanctuary on earth, fleeing with family as a child into exile and sanctuary, enduring false testimony and persecution.
We hold before you all who are deprived of their homes and run for sanctuary, many travelling by unsafe vessels on unsafe routes.
We hold before you the anguish and cries of those in danger, those who drown, in the seas, remembering especially those who even as we pray now are lost in the Mediterranean Sea.
Be the shelter of their souls.
Bless all agencies of rescue and their efforts to save lives.
We pray for an end to the storms of war, poverty, extreme weather and cruelty in policies.
We pray for compassion and peace, so that people may live in their homes and not be afraid.
Strengthen us all to work together to build cultures of welcome, hospitality and safety especially for all who are seeking the sanctuary in human friendship.
In the Name of Christ.
Amen

Rev Dr  Inderjit Bhogal, OBE (Theologian and Methodist Minister), 15 June 2023