Grief in a Church in Jordan
When mourners in Karak were attacked at a funeral, the whole body of Christ was called to grieve and pray with them.
On October 23, gunmen opened fire on a funeral at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Karak, Jordan, killing nine mourners and injuring about 40. Three men were arrested on October 26, and Jordan is observing three days of national mourning. It was the first attack on a church in Jordan in at least two years, in a land with roots in some of the earliest Christian communities (Baptist Press).
These families came to church to grieve someone they loved, and they left carrying even more grief. It is hard to read that and know what to say. But Scripture doesn't ask us to stand at a distance from it. Paul says the church is one body, and when one part hurts, we all do.
Jordan's Christians are about 1.5 percent of the country. They can feel small and far away from us. They aren't. They are family, and right now our family is mourning twice over. Let's not scroll past them. Let's stop and grieve with them, and pray they will know that the God who meets us in sorrow is near.
A prayer for this weekLord Jesus, you wept at a graveside, and you know this grief. Comfort the families in Karak who came to mourn and now mourn again. Heal the wounded, steady the frightened, and give your church in Jordan courage to keep gathering in your name. Where there is hatred, bring justice and turn hearts toward peace. And make us a body that feels each other's pain. Amen.
One thing to do: Learn the name of one country on the Open Doors World Watch List and pray for the Christians there each day this week. If you can, give to a ministry that stands with the persecuted church.
"If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together." (1 Corinthians 12:26, ESV)