Join Us in this Lenten Season

Our journey in this Lenten season begins at the table of grace where we are invited to penitence and opening our hearts to be cleansed by God. We move to the table of promise, where we are invited to trust in the Lord. We come to the table of transformation next, where we are invited to be courageous in the face of so much mystery in the world around us. On the third Sunday, we come to the table of repentance, where we are invited to change our minds—to open our minds and be aligned with the mind of Christ. At the table of reconciliation, we are invited to speak the truth. We come then to the table of new life, where we are invited to let go of the past. Finally, on Palm/Passion Sunday, we come to the table of welcome, where we are invited to practice radical hospitality with one another.

Each week you will find a scripture on which to meditate, a reflection to read, a practice to engage, and an element for a table setting—each piece inviting you to go deeper. You might gather as a community around a table, collecting the elements each week. Or you might set aside a space in your home to gather with God at a table each week. If you are using this piece to inform your worship service, you might bring each element to the communion table or altar in the worship space.

A special word about Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters, an annual campaign that engages churches, campuses, and other faith communities in writing personalized letters to Congress on issues related to hunger in the U.S. and around the world. This year we celebrate Bread for the World’s 50th Anniversary. As we reflect on the legacy of the Bread for the World community, we remember that in the early years of the organization, churches participated in the Offering of Letters as a Lenten practice. We have written this devotional to both follow the lectionary text and create practices that would support the church in participating in the Offering of Letters.

We hope that you will consider participating in an Offering of Letters this year. Letter writing would be especially appropriate for the fourth week of Lent but would also work well on week five and for Palm/Passion Sunday. To learn more about how to write a letter individually, please visit bread.org/act. To lead an offering of letters in your church or community, visit bread.org/ol.

On behalf of Bread for the World staff, we wish you a thoughtful and meaningful Lent.

– Rev. Nancy Neal

Rev. Nancy Neal is the Minister for Spiritual Formation and Wellness at Bread for the World, where she works to create a culture grounded in Christian practice. She is an ordained PC(USA) pastor and has spent her career working to alleviate social inequalities. See her detailed biography at https://www.bread.org/bio/nancy-neal/.

Here are Bread for the World’s 2025 weekly Lent themes:

Ash Wednesday: “Grace“

Scripture: Psalm 51:17

Reflection: We begin our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday sitting at the table of grace. Lent is a time for journeying inward and preparing our hearts for the death and resurrection of our beloved teacher, Jesus. We turn with penitent hearts to God, confessing with the psalmist, “wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”

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First Sunday of Lent: “Promise”

Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-11

Reflection: At the table of promise, we remember God’s faithfulness in keeping promises. Through Moses, God brought the Israelites to freedom from their suffering under the Pharoah’s harsh rule.

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Second Sunday of Lent: “Transformation”

Scripture: Luke 9:28-43

Reflection: At the table of transformation, we sit with patience in the face of mystery and the unknown around us. Like Peter and the disciples with him, who try to make sense of what is happening around them, we are invited to sit in the unknown in our lives.

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Third Sunday of Lent: “Repentance”

Scripture: Luke 13:1-9

Reflection: At the table of repentance, we hold the tension of what is and what we hope can be. We open ourselves to seeing things in new ways, to a change in heart and mind.

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Fourth Sunday of Lent: “Reconciliation”

Scripture: Luke 15:1-3,11B-32

Reflection: At the table of reconciliation, we speak the truth about who we are and what is happening in the world. We do this in the hope that we can restore relationships among ourselves.

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Fifth Sunday of Lent: “New Life”

Scripture: Isaiah 46:16-21

Reflection: At the table of new life, we focus our attention on how God is moving now. We remove the blinders of the past and contend with the reality in front of us.

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Palm/Passion Sunday: “Welcome”

Scripture: Luke 22:14-27

Reflection: In between the crowd that cheers Jesus coming into Jerusalem on a colt with cries of Hosanna and Hallelujah and the crowd deserting Jesus in his trial, we find ourselves at the table of welcome.

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As a community focused on advocacy, the promise of the peace of Emmanuel – God with us – grounds us, brings us joy, and prepares us for the work that is before us. That is why we chose the theme Seeking Peace in this Advent Season. We hope that peace may be a balm for our souls on the heels of an election, continued hunger and violent conflict in the world, and the beginning of a new liturgical year.

Each weekly devotional message approaches peace with a different invitation: Lisa Sharon Harper invites us to find peace in remembering God’s promises. Eddie Kaufholz invites us to pause and be still as a way of preparing for Christ’s coming. Kimberly Mazyck invites us to find joy as we turn over our burdens to God. And Rev. Fr. Nicholas Anton invites us to let the proclamation of God’s justice change us from the inside out.

Take your time as you read. While the reflections are short, there is a lot packed into each of them. Every person may engage with each devotional in different ways. Trust yourself and your body.

At the end of each reflection, we intentionally invite you to a series of spiritual practices to provide grounding in a time of transition in politics and in the world around us.

On behalf of Bread for the World staff, we wish you a meaningful and joy-filled Advent.

– Rev. Nancy Neal

Here are Bread for the World’s 2024 weekly Advent themes:

Week 1: “Remembering God’s Promises”

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-15

Reflection: Advent is the time of waiting. We wait for light to cut the darkness of destruction and desolation and dystopian despair. It is the context before the revelation of Emmanuel, God with us. It is what we practice to ground ourselves in the floating space where chaos rules and light is a faint memory.

– Lisa Sharon Harper

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Week 2: “Preparing by Being”

Scripture: Jeremiah 33:14-15

Reflection: About a year ago, I developed an interest in Transcendental Meditation (TM, if you’re in the know) and enrolled in a “Basics of TM” course. It was enlightening.

Sure, there were the woo-woo, vaguely spiritual elements of meditation that piqued my curiosity about the practice. Yet, despite all the new and curious elements of this course, nothing was more impactful to me than what my TM teacher instructed me repeatedly: “You don’t have to do anything. The meditation will happen. Simply be present. Be where you are.”

– Eddie Kaufholz

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Week 3: “Rejoicing in God’s
Promise of Peace”

Scripture: Philippians 4:4-7

Reflection: As a child, I was always excited when it was time to light the solitary pink candle on the Advent wreath.

This year, as we enter the third week of Advent, I am particularly aware of God’s presence and promise despite the events in the past few months: executions, elections, ongoing conflict in Sudan, Ukraine and near the birthplace of Jesus in Israel and Palestine. The prophet Zephaniah reminds us that God is in our midst and turning our enemies away. I know that I must surrender my anxiety and worries to God and remember that God is always with me. It is during this time of Advent that as we wait, we prepare ourselves for the most joyful promise of all, God’s promise to send Christ to the world.

– Kimberly Mazyck

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Week 4: “Proclaiming God’s Justice”

Scripture: Luke 1:52-54

Reflection: Proclaiming God’s justice — what in his teaching the Lord described as good news to the poor … freedom to the oppressed (Luke 4:18) — contextualizes peace as manifest through our relationship with and in Christ. This is the authentic communal response for the common good. Otherwise, justice can assume many other forms, including revenge and retaliation. Outside of the perspective or path of Christ, an eye-for-an-eye justice may seem reasonable or rational; but it is actually a self-centered and self-focused response. In the light of Christ, the way of retribution is not justice, but selfishness.

– Rev. Fr. Nicholas Anton

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During Lent, we surrender. We rely completely on God’s love and mercy, remembering how Jesus invites us to walk through the wilderness with him during our struggles. 

Lent is a time of restoration – of ourselves, and also of the world. It is a time to follow God’s path toward justice and righteousness in the world, learning to trust in God’s word while taking action to heal the brokenness around us.  

Some people choose to fast to better understand Jesus’s sacrifice. Fasting can also help us understand the realities of the as many as 783 million people who are facing chronic hunger around the world.

Prayer is another important way to prepare our hearts for Easter, the holiest time of the year. Join Bread for the World in observing this season of Lent as we reflect on the coming resurrection of Christ and our role in ending hunger around the world.

Here are Bread for the World’s 2024 weekly Lent themes:

Lent Week 1: We Journey into the Wilderness with Jesus

Scripture: Mark 1:12-13, Psalm 25:4-5

Reflection: During the 40 days (not including Sundays) of Lent, many Christians give up some favorite food. Others participate in fasts as a way to remember those who are hungry. You may prefer to fast for just one day a week—or skip one meal. Contribute the money you save to your church or denomination’s hunger appeal. 

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Lent Week 2: Jesus Teach us to be Satisfied in You

Scripture: Mark 8:34-35, Psalm 22:26-27

Reflection: This year, the Lenten readings from the Revised Common Lectionary invite us to journey through the wilderness asking Jesus to teach us his ways. During this reflective period, we are called upon to rededicate ourselves to prayer and action on behalf of people who are in need. Make prayers to end hunger part of your regular prayer life.

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Lent Week 3: Jesus Teach us to do Justice

Scripture: John 2:13-15a, Psalm 19:7-8

Reflection: Part of the way we follow Jesus’ ways of justice and righteousness is to advocate in the public square. Take just a few minutes this week to write brief letters to your members of Congress. Urge them to support policies to reduce and end hunger.

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Lent Week 4: Jesus Teach us to Keep our Eyes on You

Scripture: John 3:14-15, Psalm 107:19-20

Reflection: When we join together, our actions can have a bigger impact on healing the injustices in the world. Now that you have written your members of Congress, invite your church, community, and friends to write also. Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters is an opportunity for individuals, congregations, campuses, and groups to gather and write personalized letters or emails to their members of Congress on hunger and poverty issues.

Lent Week 5: Jesus Teach us to Rely on Your Word

Scripture: Jeremiah 31:33, Psalm 119:10 -11

Reflection: Disparities and inequities are built into the social fabric of every country. Women and girls are more disadvantaged than their male counterparts. In the United States, African American and Latino communities experience higher unemployment rates as well as higher levels of hunger and poverty. We all participate in these systems. This Lenten season, may we open our hearts to the ways Jesus teaches us so that we might learn to trust in God’s word and to act in ways that resist and dismantle these systems.

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Holy Week: Jesus Teach us to Trust in Your Power

Scripture: Mark 15:37-39, Philippians 2:5-8

Reflection: On Easter, we celebrate that we, who are buried with Christ, are raised with him to new life. One way to express this new life in Christ is to join others in ongoing prayers for an end to hunger.

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Download Bread for the World’s free Lenten devotional for in-depth scriptures, reflections, and prayers.

Bread for the World
Lent Devotional

Free Download

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Jesus’ birth is a time of hope. As the world faces crises of violence, injustice, and brokenness, only God’s redemptive love can truly bring peace and healing. God works through us as Christians when we do our part, through prayer and action, to love our neighbors near and far. We can trust in God’s promises of restoration for the world. 

At Bread for the World, our faith in Christ is the foundation for our hope, story, mission, and values. We endeavor to follow God’s path toward justice and righteousness in the world as we advocate for the more than 700 million people experiencing hunger around the world every day. 

In the U.S., the measure of hunger is food insecurity; an estimated 44 million Americans, including 1 in 5 children, are uncertain of where their next meal will come from. And over 40 million people around the world are facing emergency levels of hunger, meaning they are on the brink of famine. This number has doubled since 2020.

In the last year, outbreaks of violence and conflict, extreme weather patterns, and inflation around the world have impeded access to nutritious food for groups already disproportionately impacted by hunger. 

We are committed to urging those in power to do everything possible to pursue a world where everyone has food security. 

Our work is grounded in the hope that Christ’s arrival brings and is inspired by God’s redemptive promises of restoration. But we also find strength in the knowledge that the Lord so loved the world that the Lord blessed us with a savior, the Prince of Peace.

Join Bread for the World in observing this Advent season as we reflect on the coming of Christ — Immanuel, God with us, the one who brings hope, peace, joy, and love to our broken world.

Here are Bread for the World’s 2023 weekly Advent themes:

Advent 1: “Hope”

Scripture: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Reflection: We name the brokenness of the world we live in, and we ask God to restore creation — to shine God’s face upon the world so that God’s righteousness and justice might reign. We long for signs of hope for restoration.  

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Advent 2: “Peace”

Scripture: Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13

Reflection: We find peace in remembering the ways that God has been a force for justice and righteousness in the past, even as we seek God’s justice and righteousness in our future. We long for steadfast love and faithfulness to meet and for righteousness and peace to kiss each other. As we reflect on the Christ child piercing the darkness of this world, we ask God to restore unto us light and peace. 

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Advent 3: “Joy”

Scripture: Psalm 126

Reflection: We rejoice while we hold the challenges faced by millions of people around the world to secure enough food for themselves and their families. We trust that our faithful actions, following God’s path of righteousness, can make a difference. Those who sow with tears will reap with shouts of joy! 

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Advent 4: “Love”

Scripture: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

Reflection: God’s steadfast love and promises for every generation hold us as we face a world so troubled by hunger and poverty. We continue to seek God’s righteousness and justice even when we do not understand where God is. We cry, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” 

Christ’s presence in the world is the greatest sign of a brighter future. As Christians, we can come together to spread hope, joy, love, and peace in Jesus’ name while working to end hunger in our time. Bread for the World is committed to pursuing a world without hunger, and we hope you will continue to support our efforts by speaking up, praying, and giving. May Christ’s light shine in us as we work for a world free from hunger.

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Las últimas semanas han estado repletas de desafíos y conflictos inesperados a nivel nacional e internacional. Para tiempos como estos, ofrecemos la siguiente oración.

Oremos.

Oh, Dios,
Se levantan tormentas.
Arrasan las guerras.
El hambre se expande como un incendio.
La cooperación de repente se detiene.
Y parece que el mundo se derrumba a nuestro alrededor.

Pero se nos promete algo nuevo en la resurrección.

El sol es oscuro.
La cortina se raja.
Parece que el mal ha triunfado.
Y aun así la muerte es vencida.
Nueva vida emerge de la tumba.

Dios, confiamos que en el derrumbe
hay vida nueva en tus planes.
Lo hemos visto una y otra vez.
Somos creyentes, pero ayúdanos en la incredulidad.
Te lo pedimos en nombre de Jesús,

Amén

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Porque fui forastero y me acogisteis. Mateo 25:35b 

La Biblia nos insta a amar al extranjero y al forastero como a nosotros mismos. La migración, a menudo explotada y mercantilizada, refleja la oscuridad de un mundo centrado en ganancias y poder. 

Las organizaciones criminales en Centroamérica los llaman “muebles”, mientras que los operadores de centros de detención en Estados Unidos los identifican por su Alien Number. Traficantes pueden cobrar hasta $17,000 por persona para cruzar la frontera, y operadores de centros de detención en Estados Unidos hasta $775 por migrante al día. 

Estos migrantes se convierten en cifras, tratados como mercancías en su camino. Este proceso recuerda la travesía de los israelitas hacia la libertad en el desierto. Dios les brindó refugio y guía, recordándoles que también fueron forasteros. Frente a crueldades y codicia, los migrantes transitan en sombras, desconfiando incluso de los que desean ayudar. 

Nos toca ser faros de esperanza, irradiando gracia sin esperar nada a cambio. Como seguidores de Cristo, somos llamados a ser la única expresión de amor incondicional en su travesía. Donde otros buscan aprovecharse, nosotros debemos mostrar compasión sincera. 

Oremos: 

Dios Consolador, Tú eres el refugio eterno de los desamparados,  

brindando paz y esperanza bajo las sombras de tus alas.  

Anhelamos demostrar una compasión sincera que refleje tu carácter.  

Capacítanos para abrazar al extranjero y escuchar al refugiado en su camino.  

Que nuestra presencia sea un recordatorio de tu amor y guía en medio de la oscuridad. 

Amén. 

The post El Mes de Herencia Hispana – Semana Cuatro appeared first on Bread for the World.

Mi fortaleza y mi canción es el Señor[a], 

Y ha sido para mí salvación; 

Este es mi Dios, y lo glorificaré, 

El Dios de mi padre, y lo ensalzaré. 

3 El Señor es fuerte guerrero; 

El Señor[b] es Su nombre. Exodus 15: 2-3 

¿Cuántas naranjas o tomates puede comer un trabajador agrícola? A menudo los trabajadores agrícolas no ganan lo suficiente para comprar la comida que necesitan para alimentar a su familia.  Nosotros, los trabajadores del campo, niños y adultos, conocemos el calor, las interminables filas de frutas y verduras para recoger, sólo para llegar al otro extremo y empezar de nuevo, sin árboles, sin agua, sin baños cercanos, sólo el calor resplandeciente y las filas interminables. Una vez más el proyecto de ley de prevención del calor fracasó, muchos trabajadores agrícolas han muerto, debido a la negligencia en la provisión de agua, sombra y descansos de 10 minutos. Honremos a los que han muerto y a los que siguen trabajando para alimentar al país en el que vivimos.  

Oremos: 

Padre Dios, así como en los días en que los hebreos salían de Egipto, y atravesaban el desierto, donde hace mucho frío por la noche y mucho calor durante el día, tú los protegiste entonces cubriéndolos por la noche con fuego y con nubes durante el día.  

Les diste maná y agua cuando Moisés golpeó la roca, pero hoy en día los campesinos mueren por falta de agua y sombra.   

Te pedimos que cubras a todos nuestros trabajadores agrícolas que trabajan en el calor del día con tu gracia y misericordia, que las nubes espirituales los cubran como una vez cubriste a tu pueblo de antaño.   

Oramos por los trabajadores agrícolas de Florida ya que muchas familias están ahora divididas y temerosas debido a la reciente legislación contra el inmigrante. 

Señor en tu misericordia escucha nuestra oración.    

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Miré hacia otro lado, y esto fue lo que vi en este mundo: hay mucha gente maltratada, y quienes la maltratan son los que tienen el poder. La gente llora, pero nadie la consuela. Eclesiastés 4:1 (Traducción en lenguaje actual)

La opresión está muy presente en nuestras comunidades latinas en los Estados Unidos y Puerto Rico. La iglesia, al igual que el autor de Eclesiastés, debe mirar a su alrededor para identificar las injusticias a su alrededor para proclamar esperanza y levantar su voz por los que no la tienen. Seamos esperanza y consuelo para quienes pasan hambre cada día. 

Oremos:

Dios, gracias por las manos oprimidas de nuestras agricultores y agricultoras, tanto en los Estados Unidos continentales como en Puerto Rico. 

Rogamos por justicia para tu pueblo oprimido por las personas en el poder.

Que tengan el alimento de cada día; aunque sean sus manos las que lo cultivan. 

Haznos instrumento tuyo para consolar a los que lloran y que seamos agentes de justicia en este mundo dañado por el pecado de la avaricia. 

Entrega a los puertorriqueños y los inmigrantes el fruto de su trabajo. 

Que ni la tierra ni los seres humanos sean explotados jamás. 

Que venga tu reino. 

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Empezando el 15 de septiembre hasta el 15 de octubre se celebra en los Estados Unidos el Mes de la Herencia Hispana y Pan para el Mundo dedica esta serie de oraciones para tener en nuestros corazones y honrar a la comunidad hispana/latina en los Estados Unidos y las Américas. Como somos llamados a ser el cuerpo de Cristo, honrémonos unos a otros como honramos a Cristo – Dios con nosotros. 

En 2022, había 63.7 millones de hispanos viviendo en los Estados Unidos y durante la última década los latinos representaron más de la mitad de todo el crecimiento de la población en los EE.UU. Se calcula que la producción económica total de los hispanoamericanos supera con creces los 2 billones (trillion) de dólares La mayoría de los latinos de EE.UU. viven en cinco estados: California, Texas, Florida, Nueva York y Arizona, pero en todo el mundo los latinos están creciendo y provocando cambios para bien.

Los latinos aportan una gran diversidad junto con profundas raíces en las comunidades indígenas y africanas. Dios nos ha bendecido verdaderamente para que, en nuestra diversidad, mostremos el amor extravagante de Dios por todas las personas.

Oremos:

Santo Dios, tú hiciste todo lo que es y siempre será,

Y por tu Amor nos has conectado a cada uno de nosotros. 

Oramos ahora por tus hijos hispanos/latinos(a).

Oramos por las diversas lenguas, culturas y contribuciones de los hispanoamericanos.

Oh Dios, bendice a tu diversa familia humana

y fortalécenos para que caminemos juntos en tu gracia.

Toda la Gloria y el Honor son tuyos Dios.

Amén

Para unirse a Pan para el Mundo en la oración, suscríbase a Oraciones para acabar con el hambre o visite Bread.org.

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Los discípulos obedecieron las instrucciones de Jesús. Trajeron lo que tenían, y Jesús se encargó del resto. La tarea de poner fin al hambre parece más desafiante que alimentar a 5,000 hombres, sin contar mujeres y niños, con solo 5 panes y dos peces. Nos cuestionamos si nuestras voces serán suficientes. La respuesta es afirmativa. Podemos actuar con fe y confiar en que Dios completará la obra.

Oremos.

Dios de abundancia,

Nos resulta complicado confiar

en que baste actuar con fe,

como Tú nos invitas a hacerlo.

Te imploramos que actúes a través de nosotros

para levantar un mundo libre de hambre.

Te lo rogamos en el nombre de Jesús,

Amén.

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The shorter days here in the Northern Hemisphere create more darkness in our lives. We are tempted to jump to the shiny bright celebration of Christmas, but if we stay with our Advent practices, we can be more present to God’s work changing our hearts so that we might join in Christ’s work of changing the world.

This Advent season, we begin our journey by turning our hearts toward God. We remember that we can trust in God’s unmatched mercy and immeasurable grace—for God so loved the world, we’ve been blessed with a savior, the Prince of Peace. Then we turn our hearts to the broken places in the world that so desperately need the light of Christ’s hope, peace, joy, and love.

Please join Bread for the World this Advent season in these practices so that we might follow Jesus’ example and work to be the light of hope, peace, joy, and love in the world.

God’s hope is key to our efforts to end hunger. Through our faith in Christ, we endeavor to advocate for the more than 700 million people experiencing hunger around the world. People are not only in need of food, but there’s a global hunger for justice, equity, and security. This is why our work is grounded in the distinct hope that Christ’s arrival brings.

Will you continue to join us in prayer and reflection this Advent season? As Christians, we can come together to spread hope, peace, joy, and love in Jesus’ name while working to end hunger in our time. Download our free Advent devotional and learn more about our Advent themes here.

Rev. Nancy Neal is the minister for spiritual formation and wellness at Bread for the World.

The post Preparing Our Hearts During Advent appeared first on Bread for the World.

Jesus’ birth brings light and hope to a world often plagued with the darkness of violence, injustice, and brokenness. And although it’s only God’s redemptive love that can truly heal nations and communities, we as Christians can do our part in spreading good by following the example of Jesus, who compels us to love our neighbors near and far.

At Bread for the World, this principle is the foundation of our efforts to end hunger. Through our faith in Christ, we endeavor to play a role in kingdom building by advocating for the more than 700 million people experiencing hunger around the world every day. 

In the U.S., the measure of hunger is food insecurity; an estimated 40 million Americans, including 12 million children, are uncertain of where their next meal will come from. And over 50 million people across 45 countries are facing emergency levels of hunger, meaning they are on the brink of famine.

People are not only in need of food, but there is a global hunger for justice, equity, and security. This is why our work is grounded in the hope that Christ’s arrival brings and is inspired by God’s redemptive love. 

In the last two years, we’ve seen a pandemic, climate change, and worldwide economic woes shake up our lives and complicate access to nutritious food for groups already disproportionately impacted by hunger. As such, we are committed to urging those in power to do everything possible to pursue a world where everyone has food security. 

To carry on in this work, we diligently seek and rely on God’s guidance and faithfulness. It is only through Christ, who strengthens us daily, that we may be steadfast and fruitful in our efforts. 

Join Bread for the World in observing this Advent season as we reflect on the coming of Christ – Immanuel, God with us; the one who brings hope, peace, joy, and love to our troubled world. 

Here are Bread for the World’s 2022 weekly Advent themes:

Advent 1: “Hope for the World”

Scripture: Matthew 3:1-12 NRSV

Reflection: We begin Advent with an exercise of repentance. We turn away the things in this world that we think can save us—whether that is money or food or friends or busy-ness. In turn, we trust in the hope of a God more powerful than death, who came in body and flesh to walk among us.

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Advent 2: “Peace for the World”

Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5 NRSV

Reflection: We wait for the coming of the Prince of Peace so that the world might be reconciled, and peace might prevail. A peace that is anchored in justice and mercy. A peace that shows compassion for those whose lives are disrupted, whose bodies are broken, and whose voices are so often drowned out.

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Advent 3: “Joy for the World”

Scripture: Luke 1:46b-55 NRSV

Reflection: Our hearts are filled with joy and anticipation as we wait for the Lord to come and set us free. This joy can open our eyes and stir our hearts out of complacency so that we might shine the light of Christ’s joy to our neighbors and friends, and so that we are not satisfied with things as they are. 

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Advent 4: “Love for the World”

Scripture: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19 NRSV

Reflection: God loved the world so much that God came to walk among us in human flesh in the person of Jesus, the Christ. As we wait for our savior, we reflect on that deep abiding love that Jesus demonstrated through teaching, healing, and forgiving sins. 

Christ’s arrival is the greatest sign of a brighter future. In the spirit of Advent, we’re encouraged to deepen our efforts to help end hunger in our time. We hope you will continue to support us by speaking up, praying, and giving. May Christ’s light shine in us as we come together to bring hope to those experiencing hunger around the world.  

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As Christians from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and North America, we share a fierce resolve to stand and work together to end the hunger crisis made worse by climate instability, to renew God’s creation, and to bring our planet into balance, forming a beloved community in which all of creation can thrive. Climate justice is our means for furthering this resolve.

The Earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1)

We lament:

• that many of us experience hunger, loss of shelter, loss of livelihood, poor health, environmental injustice, forced migration, fear, and distress due to climate shocks;
• that healthy diets are unaffordable for almost 3.1 billion people – 40% of the world population;^[1]
• that more than 100 million people are forcibly displaced – 1 person in every 78 on Earth;^[2]
• economic systems that exploit the land and vulnerable people in mostly low-income communities for the benefit of the few;
• a planet that is wildly out of balance, with the number of weather and climate related disasters increasing fivefold over the last 50 years^[3]: supercharged hurricanes, severe drought, prolonged and intensifying waves of heat, massive floods, acidifying oceans, melting glaciers and polar ice caps, and rising seas;
• the creatures and life-systems that have been and are being decimated, and the web of life that is unraveling before our eyes.

We confess:

• that the extreme patterns of living and livelihoods of some of us cause the extreme suffering of our brothers and sisters: 10% of the world’s wealthiest individuals are responsible for around half of global greenhouse gas emissions;^[4]
• that some of us experience the impact of these extremes more than our brothers and sisters do: namely, people disproportionately affected by historic inequities that are also racialized, women and children, and those living in the Global South;
• that Christianity has too often been complicit in the exploitation of the Earth and our fellow human beings and that we have repeatedly ignored the fact that Biblical justice and righteousness are central to our identity as Christians;
• that too many Christians have ignored the findings of climate science, have failed to recognize how climate-fueled extreme weather severely harms our brothers and sisters and increases hunger, and have failed to recognize the urgency to act and address the climate emergency.

Prayer for Repentance 

O God, our Creator, turn us away from the patterns of this age that include patterns of domination, overconsumption, individualism that ignores the common good, commodification, exploitation, and othering. May we heed your wisdom and the wisdom of our ancestors, our bodies, and your whole creation. Give us strength to turn toward ways of love, trust, reconciliation, justice, and grace. Amen.

To address the hunger crisis made worse by climate change, we draw from the wellsprings of our Christian faith. We affirm the intrinsic goodness of the world that God created (Genesis 1). We recognize that the first task that God entrusted to human beings was the responsibility to care for God’s creation (Genesis 2:15). God’s love embraces not only humanity but also the rest of creation (Genesis 9:8-17). Jesus gave his life for the whole world, so that all things could be reconciled (Colossians 1:15-20; Ephesians 1:10; 2 Corinthians 2:19). The power of God’s Holy Spirit renews the face of the Earth (Psalm 104:30) and makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).

Jesus taught us to find him among “the least of these” (Matthew 25:31-46). We recognize Christ’s suffering presence in the communities hurt first and hardest by climate change: those without adequate means to flourish, the historically underserved, and those least likely to have a voice at the table where policy decisions are made – the very people who suffer disproportionately even as their contribution to global emissions is almost negligible. We also recognize Christ’s liberating, life-giving presence in the individuals and communities who refuse to settle for a killing status quo and who rise up to affirm the dignity of all people and the sacredness of Earth.

Guided by the Spirit given to us in Jesus, we regard the climate emergency as not only a socio-political and economic challenge, but fundamentally as a spiritual and moral summons to all people of faith and good will – including Christians – to participate in the growing worldwide movement to restore reverence and justice for Earth and all her communities – human and other-than-human.

Before God, we commit ourselves to share in Christ’s mission to reconcile us to God, each other, and the rest of God’s creation.

Prayer of Commitment 

Gracious God, we pray for people who benefit from – and people who suffer from – unjust systems that exploit human labor and plunder the Earth. Make us bold to stand together as Resurrection people. Empower us to step out of fear, despair, and inertia and to join – and lead – the joyful, justice-seeking, Spirit-led, unstoppable movement to make a swift and just transition to clean, renewable energy, to support vulnerable communities, and to safeguard the world that you entrusted to our care. Amen.

Call to Action

African faith leaders have invited faith leaders from high-income countries in Europe and North America to come alongside them with policies that align in establishing climate justice and ending hunger. Together, we seek public policies that yield measurable results and meaningful change for those disproportionately affected by hunger and climate change. We recognize that high-income countries have historically been the highest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions and have strategic roles to play in ending the dual hunger and climate crisis. This informs our demands for the following actions:

For All Parties at COP27

• The Adaptation Fund, and other climate justice funding mechanisms, must conform to evidence on gender and accessibility and embed Locally Led Adaptation Principles in their processes.
• Stop the politicization of climate change discourse, which is killing people around the world; accept the moral urgency of addressing the climate crisis with ambition, equity, and resolve.

For Governments and Decision Makers in the North

• Fulfill all milestone commitments made by those responsible for polluting the planet and invite the initiatives that build on these commitments.
• Fulfill the promise to mobilize $100 billion annually to fight climate change.

For Government and Decision Makers in the South

• Environmental policies, action plans and Nationally Determined Commitments should be formulated in ways that guarantee economic and ecological justice and should be fully implemented.
• Create a policy and legislative environment that enables smallholder farmers to fully utilize all available climate change adaptive measures to address food insecurity.

For the Private Sector

• Prioritize community and environmental health and sustainability in all its practices and move beyond a rigid focus on profit-making.
• The private sector must be responsible partners in addressing the climate crisis and loss and damage, and must advance practices that heal, rather than perpetuate, historic inequities.

For Young People of Faith

• The time for action is now! Young people will inherit the Earth that older generations bequeath them. We urge older generations to leave a healthy, habitable planet for those who come after.
• We celebrate youth leadership in climate activism, and we call for ecumenical unity as old and young stand together to advocate for a safe and healthy world.

For Church Leaders, Faith Communities and Faith-based Actors

• Biblical teachings, guided by church teachings, inspire, empower, and motivate us to love each other and creation with passion and to prioritize environmental action in our faith communities and our everyday lives.
• As Christians who confess and lament our past unfaithfulness and who are determined to seek climate justice for God’s whole creation, we urge all Christians and all people of faith and good will to join us in taking bold action to restore the Earth.

Signatories

^[1] The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022: https://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/2022/en/

^[2] UNHCR data in displaced populations: https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/insights/explainers/100-million-forcibly-displaced.html

^[3] WMO news report 31 August 2021, https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/weather-related-disasters-increase-over-past-50-years-causing-more-damage-fewer

^[4] SEPTEMBER 2020  Stockholm Environment Institute & Oxfam The Carbon Inequality Era: An assessment of the global distribution of consumption emissions among individuals from 1990 to 2015

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Rapidly rising numbers of people living with hunger and malnutrition in dozens of countries call for redoubled efforts against hunger and its causes at every level, from the U.N. General Assembly to humanitarian agencies and nonprofit groups delivering lifesaving food to advocacy organizations such as Bread for the World.

Near-famine levels of hunger threaten people in parts of Somalia, and conditions are worsening. This would be the country’s second famine of the 21^st century. The first, in 2011, killed an estimated 260 million people, half of them children under 5.  

With Somalia on the brink of famine, we need global attention and action to save as many lives as possible. During this year’s 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), President Biden announced more than $2.9 billion in new assistance from the U.S. government to respond to global food insecurity, including $150 million for Somalia.

People in Somalia have endured decades of political strife and violence. The last central government that was acknowledged by all regions and recognized by the international community fell in 1991, with halting progress toward national unity since 2012. Waxing and waning levels of armed conflict and more than 30 years without the protection of a stable central government have created alarming levels of life-threatening hunger and malnutrition. For at least the last dozen years, the problem has been exacerbated by damage to the environment and economy due to climate change.

Hunger crises are categorized by the severity and number of people affected by hunger and malnutrition in a community or region. While these distinctions are necessary because resources are virtually always limited and aid workers must set priorities, they make little difference to families and individuals struggling to find enough to eat. People-centered measures such as how much food a household has on hand and whether the family’s young children are moderately or severely malnourished are much more meaningful distinctions. Famine, the most severe stage as defined by experts, means that more than 30 percent of children under 5 are acutely malnourished.

During this year’s UNGA meetings, the United States convened a global food security summit that was co-chaired with leaders of the European Union, African Union, and Spain, and co-hosted with Germany, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Colombia. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to act with urgency and at scale to alleviate the dire consequence of hunger. Such global commitments are important, but they cannot achieve progress on their own. Actions are essential.

People in famine or near-famine situations are most in need of the resources the United States and other industrialized nations are fortunately able to make available. The U.S. commitment of additional food security resources during UNGA 2022 could enable more of the estimated 36.1 million people affected by severe drought in Somalia and other countries in the Horn of Africa to rebuild their lives.

The new commitment of $2.9 billion will save lives through emergency interventions and investment in medium to long-term food security assistance. Both are essential to ending hunger: feeding people now and enabling them to avoid future emergencies.

It is essential for the global community to continue to lift up and support our neighbors who are suffering, whether they live in Mississippi or Somalia. We must work to end hunger as well as pray to God on behalf of people living with hunger.

Abiola Afolayan is senior international policy advisor with Bread for the World.

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This week, we have adapted the final Advent prayer in response to the devastating tornadoes that tore through several states in the South and Midwest.

I cannot pinpoint the exact moment when I realized that I am loved; loved ardently, eternally, unconditionally, with a love that knows no bounds. Eventually, I couldn’t help but seeing it: Love is pervasive and contagious. Love is the most powerful gift, with an infinite variation of expressions. Like loaves and fish, love multiplies as it is freely given. Like the break of dawn, love brings light to the darkest night and fills life with the brightest warmth. I saw it in the smile of an elderly woman who got visited today; heard it in the cry of a newborn; tasted it in the food that we shared and the fight for justice so that others will not go without; felt its strong pull in the patient hand of a Good Samaritan. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8) and its power is transformative. Will you love others today?

Let us pray:

“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.”  (Psalm 46:1-3)

In this Advent season, we cry out, Come, Come, Immanuel.

We pray for our siblings in Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee,

who face the devastation of tornado damage.

We pray for those who have lost loved ones,

for those who are waiting for help,

for those who have lost everything.

We pray for those who need food,

for those who need shelter and clothing

and protection from the cold weather.

May they find the hope, peace, joy, and love

in disaster response teams,

in neighbors,

in government and community leaders,

and in leaders rising up in the crisis.

May they be comfort for your people, O God.

We trust “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God'” (Luke 3:4-6).

We pray in the name of the one who comes,

Wrapped in swaddling clothes

and lying in in a manger,

born in Bethlehem.

Amen

María del Mar “Mar” Muñoz-Visoso wrote this reflection. She is executive director of the Secretariat for Cultural Diversity in the Church of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). She holds a Master of Theological Studies from Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. In 2010, she received the Benemerenti Medal from Pope Benedict XVI for exemplary and sustained service to the Catholic faith. 

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It was my sister J who first taught me about joy. She has a full-time job and is the primary caregiver for three ailing family members. “I am NOT going to let anybody steal my joy!” she said one day as we were cooking for someone. (In my family we cook, sing, and then plan the next round of cooking and singing). I don’t even remember what prompted the sentence, but there it was, joy – in the form of a grace we all possess. J owns her joy completely and spreads it around. Walk into her house and the joy is as palpable as the pots on the stove. It’s been years since she first spoke that sentence, and even I’m sure of it. As we cooked together last week, it had morphed into “Nobody can steal my joy. Period.” 

May God help us to recognize the joy in our hearts; to apprehend the simple joys hidden in plain sight, to be open to learning from others, and how to kindle a deeper joy so we may become flames of energy to manifest skillful acts of love that can bring about a just society and an end to hunger in the world. 

Let us pray:

Patient and Loving God,
We are caught in the hustle and bustle—trying
to make ends meet, trying
to plan just right, trying
to get all the justice work done, trying
to make everyone happy, trying…
Time moves so quickly, we struggle to
pause,
to recognize this advent season.

Stop us in our tracks.
Give us wonder.
Give us anticipation.
Give us longing.
Prepare our hearts for your gifts of
Hope
Peace
Joy
Love
Wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger,
born in Bethlehem.
We wait for the one in whose name we pray,
Amen.

Many thanks to Ana Hernández for writing this advent reflection. Ana is a composer/arranger, workshop facilitator, theomusicologist, songleader, and author. She travels around collaborating with groups small and large to deepen community and create beautiful liturgies in many different styles. She facilitates meaningful conversations using the Art of Hosting modalities. Ana’s work aims to bring each of us to a sustainable place in terms of showing up, being present, and listening generatively, so we can remember how beloved we all are.

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“Peace on Earth!” the angels cried out to startled workers on the land. Agricultural laborers living on the land and close to the land. Shortly, this will again be proclaimed in churches around the world—across the lands. In recent months (and indeed my entire life) I have found peace on the land. Though this has taken many forms, I think at this moment of trail running or hiking and the habanero peppers in our garden. The change of seasons, crunch of acorns, changing angle of light through changing sizes and shades of leaves is marvelous, and when quiet, reminds of the Creator for whom we wait in expectation to again come close. Finding peace and stillness in the land. Land, when healthy, producing enough. When food laborers well and at peace—enough for all, peace on earth. Peace in the land and hunger fading away like the winter sun.

Let us pray:

Patient and Loving God,
We are caught in the hustle and bustle—trying
to make ends meet, trying
to plan just right, trying
to get all the justice work done, trying
to make everyone happy, trying…
Time moves so quickly, we struggle to
pause,
to recognize this advent season.

Stop us in our tracks.
Give us wonder.
Give us anticipation.
Give us longing.
Prepare our hearts for your gifts of
Hope
Peace
Joy
Love
Wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger,
born in Bethlehem.
We wait for the one in whose name we pray,
Amen.

Rev. Dr. Nathan Hosler wrote this Advent reflection. He is the director of the Church of the Brethren’s Office of Peacebuilding and Policy and a pastor at the Washington City Church of the Brethren in Washington, D.C.

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Hope for bread.

What causes the refugee to cross borders?

What caused the enslaved to abandon slavery and reach for freedom?

The prisoner of hope becomes a living hope as they trust in the God of hope. The living hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Archbishop Desmond Tutu often says that we who believe in the resurrection have no option but to hope.

Isaiah writes (9:2): those sitting in darkness have seen a great light. This is the light that is embodied by the prisoner of hope. Hope is Christ in us, God with us, and God for us. If God is for us, then who can be against us? Just actions create hope. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we may abound in hope (Romans 15:13). May the power of the Holy Spirit activate an abundance of hope in us as we overcome injustice in the world.

Let us pray:

Patient and Loving God,
We are caught in the hustle and bustle—trying
to make ends meet, trying
to plan just right, trying
to get all the justice work done, trying
to make everyone happy, trying…
Time moves so quickly, we struggle to
pause,
to recognize this advent season.

Stop us in our tracks.
Give us wonder.
Give us anticipation.
Give us longing.
Prepare our hearts for your gifts of
Hope
Peace
Joy
Love
Wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger,
born in Bethlehem.
We wait for the one in whose name we pray,
Amen.

Siki Dlanga – a proud South African of the Madiba clan – wrote this Advent reflection.
She is the youngest board member of the South African Christian Leaders Initiative and founder of Freedom Mantle, which mobilizes young Christian leaders to be engaged in social change in South Africa.

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This landmark resolution called for increased United States leadership in the effort to reduce malnutrition in children all over the world.

This success set the stage for the introduction and passage of the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act (H.R.4693) by the House Foreign Affairs Committee in July. This bipartisan legislation has the potential to improve the lives of tens of millions of women and children around the world.

Malnutrition is responsible for nearly half of all preventable deaths among children under age five. Nearly 60 million children are in danger right now.

Protecting the nutrition of women and children during the critical 1,000-day period between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday can make an enormous difference in the lives of children.

And studies show that every $1 invested in improving nutrition for the world’s poorest children returns $16 in benefits because of improved health and increased economic productivity.

The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act directs the U.S. government to create a comprehensive plan to end global malnutrition. If passed, the act will give the USAID the ability to set a long-term strategy and coordinate nutrition interventions across multiple agencies.

The act will also increase investments in high-impact nutrition programs, including prenatal vitamins, support to breastfeed, vitamin A supplementation, and life-saving treatment for severely malnourished children.

Bread for the World was instrumental in helping to draft the language and concept for this bill. For more than a decade, Bread for the World has been leading advocacy efforts and focusing on malnutrition as central to advancing progress on ending hunger. 

Commenting on the prospects for passage of this bill, Heather Valentine, Bread for the World’s director of government relations, said, “The prayers, generosity, and advocacy of Bread for the World members have brought us to the point today where this bill is now out of committee and ready to be passed.”

She added: “Pushing for final passage this fall will mean that children get the help they need to grow and thrive.”

Act Now

Call 800-826-3688 or write to your members of Congress.  Urge them to co-sponsor the Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act. Go here to take action today!

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This periodic emergence of cicadas reminds us of the complex design of creation and its intrinsic interconnectedness. It is also an opportunity to pause to reflect on the slow, yet steady unfolding of God’s grace evident in each of our lives, including in our advocacy to end hunger. 

Much of advocacy involves people and works we will never know, but efforts that nevertheless become evident through direct works of mercy and service, faithful advocacy with elected officials, and fervent prayers that open us to encounter God anew.  Anchored in the rhythm of our seasons and their steady unfolding, we pray:

God of All Creation,

We give thanks for the ways your wisdom and beauty are revealed to us through sacred creation, including the cicadas.  Our hearts are full as we reflect on the many people, prayers, and actions that have been taken – their cumulative total known only to you – for the sake of ending hunger.

As we grow to encounter you anew through other living things, humble us to recognize the dignity of all creation and our shared partnership in caring for the earth and its resources that nurture life.

By the power of your Holy Spirit, may we see ourselves as one part of the food system, not at its top or center, but in a unique position to steward it and ensure all who are part of it are treated with equity and dignity.  And may we never tire or grow weary for an end to hunger, but look instead to the seasons and our natural surroundings for inspiration and renewal. 

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.  

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“When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, to a virgin who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David’s house. The virgin’s name was Mary. When the angel came to her, he said, ‘Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!’” (Luke 1:26-28)

We can only begin to imagine what it was like for young Mary to be approached by the angel Gabriel. It must have been a surreal experience—and it certainly summoned immense courage from her. In the verses that follow the quoted scripture above from Luke’s Gospel, Mary learns that she will bear in her womb the very Son of God, Jesus Christ

But before receiving this big news, Gabriel greets Mary by inviting her to rejoice, for she is favored and declares that the Lord is with her! As we prepare ourselves for the fourth and final week of Advent, we are invited to receive this love-filled greeting from Gabriel to Mary as it if were intended for us: we, too, are favored as beloved children of God — and the Lord is with us!

And then we are invited to respond to God’s love and care for us by extending God’s love to others, including through our advocacy to end hunger and poverty. Let us rejoice and pray

“Rejoice, favored one! The Lord is with you!”

— Luke 1:28

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Throughout the Bible, when we read, “do not be afraid,” God is often letting us know that something new and previously unimaginable is coming and in the Gospel of Luke, the angel brings good news of great joy.

God’s son is coming into the world and nothing will ever be the same again. We give thanks that as promised, God is doing a new thing and we are invited to be a part of it as we prepare for the Christ Child to enter our hearts and our lives.

Even in this challenging and often frightening world, we are given a chance to be part of the hope and love that comes through Jesus. Let us pray:

“Do not be afraid … I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people”

— Luke 2:10

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In this second week of Advent, we remember that Jesus brought us peace. First, he gives us inner peace. Because of his sacrifice on the cross, we have a promise of salvation and the Holy Spirit to lead us. Second, we have peace with others, as we put aside our differences, because we belong to the same family.

All in all, we continue to have peace of mind knowing that God will heal this broken world and will come again. Please join us in this prayer for peace:

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Advent season is a time to celebrate the anticipation of new life despite adversities! New life brings hope.

Luke 2:4-5 reminds us of this hope in the narrative of Mary and Joseph when they anticipated the birth of the Christ Child and their family life together. Their story still inspires hope today.

Despite the adversities of COVID-19, and other challenges of uncertainties in 2020, we welcome this season of Advent that invites us to remember this hope and to find signs of new life. Let us pray:

“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.”

—Luke 2:4-5

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Perhaps you have seen it on TV—the closing story of the newscast where good people respond generously to neighbors in need.

This year, many if not most of these stories are about neighbors providing food for others. It’s the restaurant owner offering free meals to those in need rather than shutting the restaurant’s doors. It’s the teacher coordinating food donations for students and their families experiencing hunger due to job loss or illness.

It’s the church creating an outdoor free food pantry so passersby can take what they need or contribute to the pantry.

Perhaps one of God’s greatest blessings is that God gave us one another that we might live into the love that God has for us and support each other in times of need. Thanks be to God. Let us pray:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food…I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

—Matthew 25:35-36

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Another election has come to pass in the United States, and God is still God — saving, loving, and ever present to all people and to all creation. In times of uncertainty and transition, the prophet Jeremiah speaks to us today through these timeless words of Scripture: “For I know the plans I have for you … to give you a future with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

For 20 days beginning on Nov. 6, Bread for the World members unite in prayer for our country, world, elected officials, and for all God’s beloved children who experience hunger and poverty, intensified by the two pandemics of COVID-19 and racism. A video from Rev. Eugene Cho along with Scripture verses and words for prayerful reflection over these next 20 days will be posted daily in English and Spanish at bread.org/prayer2020 and on Bread’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

Please join in lifting this prayer:

“For I know the plans I have for you … to give you a future with hope”

—Jeremiah 29:11

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As Christians, we bring our faith to our civic engagement, whether that is through the elections process or through our advocacy to elected leaders.

The leaders we elect make the decisions that impact people experiencing hunger and poverty here in the Unites States and around the world.

In our democracy, we seek to love our neighbors and God’s creation and we are called to elect wise and just leaders. As you prepare to cast your ballot, please pray for all presidential and congressional candidates:

Bread for the World has developed a bilingual website with everything you need to participate faithfully in the 2020 elections and vote to end hunger. Explore the website now in English and Spanish to deepen your faithful engagement in the elections and then go vote to end hunger!

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This week’s prayer is a preview of the devotional. The following words are excerpted from its Introduction.

“This devotional celebrates the hope, faith, and resilience of Latino communities, while also lamenting the evil of inequitable policies that, to this day, continue to oppress our people leading to hunger and poverty in the United States and south of the U.S.-Mexico border — even further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This bilingual Latino devotional invites you to reflect biblically on the interconnectedness of hunger, malnutrition, and climate change, issues that negatively impact Latino communities in the United States and drive migration abroad.”

The following is a prayer from Rev. Jeanette Salguero’s devotional on domestic hunger and malnutrition.

Join us in prayer:

We invite you to use this bilingual devotional with your community of faith to reflect, pray, and act.

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Tonight, the presidential candidates from the Democratic and Republican parties will meet for their first debate on Long Island in New York. Since voting is Christian stewardship, our Christian faith should compel us to seek out and elect wise leaders who will uphold justice and the common good, especially for people who are poor and needy (Psalm 72:12-14).

At Bread for the World, we believe that this is the generation that can end hunger in our time. Churches, charities, food banks, and nonprofit organizations cannot do it alone. Government programs and policies play an important role too. The leaders we elect will make decisions that impact people who are poor and hungry here in the United States and around the world. The newly elected president and Congress can lead our nation and the world to end hunger and poverty by 2030. We believe this will be possible when our leaders enact policies and programs that address the root causes of hunger and poverty.

Therefore, I encourage you to prayerfully watch the debate and consider how the issues of hunger and poverty are being addressed and if they are a priority for your candidate.

As we persevere in our work of advocacy, we pray with a deep, abiding hope in the power of Christ over all things — those aspiring to public office, Congress and legislation included. In the coming weeks, remember to pray for:

1. Those seeking public office, and our current members of Congress, that they would seek the common good with a particular emphasis on making ending hunger and poverty a priority of their public service.
2. The citizens of our nation, that they would seek godly discernment to choose candidates who will honor God’s will to do justice for the poor and those struggling with hunger.
3. All God’s children who struggle for food, that they would receive the nutritious food they need.
4. The Church here in the U.S., that it would confidently promote the hope of the Gospel by being a prophetic voice in its fervor to call for justice for those who need it most.

Bishop Jose Garcia is the director of church relations at Bread for the World.

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But then came God’s instruction: “Why are you calling out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.” Moses needed only to do as the Lord had instructed and lead the people forward in their journey. God promised deliverance, and that promise was fulfilled.

Sometimes we cry out to the Lord for rescue, and the answer we receive is simple: Do what you’ve been called to do! The Israelites needed to keep moving, resisting the stalling effects of fear. We know God has called us to work to end hunger. As we pray and cry out for that very thing, we can’t forget to keep moving forward, to continue our mission to end hunger and suffering around the world.

With confidence in God’s calling, let’s pray together for:

1. All those who suffer from the effects of hunger, that they might be filled with good things.
2. The church to follow God’s call to work for an end to hunger through prayer, action, and giving.
3. Our leaders in Congress, that they make hunger a priority by enacting effective tax policies that reward our nation’s hardworking families.

When you commit to joining in praying for an end to hunger, we will email you twice a month with specific prayer requests and sample prayers. Learn more about how you can get involved with prayer at Bread.

Photo: Lobby Day 2015. Zach Blum for Bread for the World.

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This week, Pope Francis will visit Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia. As a prominent world religious leader brings faith to bear on our government, President Obama will welcome him to the White House, and Francis will make the first-ever address by a pope to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. Over the past two years, Pope Francis has led the Catholic Church by example: praying with and serving the disabled, disfigured, and the destitute. His humility and willingness to refuse the trappings of privilege when they interfere with opportunities to love and serve others is inspiring to all Christians.

In the first chapter of Isaiah, the prophet heralds God’s call to repentance to the people of Israel. The Israelites had rejected God’s precepts, and Isaiah was there to call them back, saying, “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Plead the rights of widows” (Isaiah 1:17, NLT). God promises to restore Israel if only they would seek the things he calls them to. “Zion will be restored by justice; those who repent will be revived by righteousness” (Isaiah 1:27).

Over these next two weeks, join us (and Pope Francis) as we follow Isaiah’s call to pray for all people in need and to plead for justice. Specifically, pray for:

1. The desperate, the widow, the orphan, and all people who suffer in this country and around the world, that they would be relieved of suffering, receive justice, and find wholeness.
2. The church, that we would follow the example of Jesus and those around us, like Pope Francis, who truly seek to follow him in service to people who are hungry.
3. For our elected officials in Congress, that they would open their hearts to the message Pope Francis brings, especially as he calls for justice for prisoners, care for creation, and inclusion for the marginalized.

When you commit to joining in praying for an end to hunger, we will email you twice a month with specific prayer requests and sample prayers. Learn more about how you can get involved with prayer at Bread.

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We know that God desires for all those who bear the image of God to flourish. Christ’s life of sacrifice and service calls us to work for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. The SDGs represent one way that the world’s leaders have chosen to align with God’s desire for flourishing by supporting the development of all those who bear God’s image.

While you’ll hear a lot from Bread for the World about the SDGs over the coming years, we thought it appropriate to pause here at their nascent beginning to ask in prayer for:

1. People who most desperately need help around the world, that they too would flourish in their expression of the image of God.
2. The church, that we would support the sustainable development of all of our neighbors with prayer, action, and giving.
3. Our government’s leaders, that they would prioritize the good of the most desperate in our society.

When you commit to joining in praying for an end to hunger, we will email you twice a month with specific prayer requests and sample prayers. Learn more about how you can get involved with prayer at Bread.

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While God is the ultimate ruler and King, we are entrusted by God to care for the earth as stewards. We must live out our calling for the good of all creation.

But for many, the environment seems distant and the problems with it too big to solve. However, stewardship of the earth is foundational to ending poverty and hunger. Without a stable environment, smallholder farmers around the world face the possibility of starvation. Famine and want go hand in hand with the irregular weather patterns caused by climate change.

As followers of Christ, we cannot practice good stewardship without caring for God’s environment, our home, and God’s gift. God’s grace, wisdom, and strength will help us in our tasks, especially in the face of major environmental challenges. And so we ask you to join us as we pray for:

1. All of creation, that it would be maintained and strengthened in the service of God’s intent. We also note Pope Francis’ recent inauguration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on September 1. May many join in prayer for the good of all of God’s creation.
2. The Body of Christ, that we would see the value of good stewardship of the earth and be good representatives of God’s care through prayer, advocacy, and conservation.
3. Our government’s leaders, that they would enact policies that lead to environmental conservation and sustainability.

When you commit to joining in praying for an end to hunger, we will email you twice a month with specific prayer requests and sample prayers. Learn more about how you can get involved with prayer at Bread.

Photo: Jane Sebbi, left, a farmer and mother of seven, tends to her 12 acres of land in Kamuli, Uganda, along with her sister-in-law.

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