Prayers and Readings for Refugees, Immigrants and American Muslims

All faith traditions teach about welcoming the stranger, supporting the vulnerable, and helping those in need. In response to the cruelty of the recent presidential executive orders, as people from diverse spiritual communities, we lift up our hearts in prayer and join our minds and lives in solidarity.

MVPJ has just begun collecting prayers, statements and other faith-based readings from diverse traditions for refugees, immigrants, Muslim-Americans, and others who are hurt by these orders. If you have resources you would like to share, please let us know.

We encourage congregational leaders to speak out for friendship and peace with our Muslim sisters and brothers and against Islamophia and hate of any sort. Find ways to educate your congregation about Islam and build relationships and understanding across religious differences. Invite a speaker from American Muslim Voice, CAIR or ING. Organize a time of fellowship and community building between communities. Consider using your church sign as a way to make a public statement of solidarity and friendship with the Muslim community.

Click on the link to access the full prayer or statement.

Prayer for Refugees from the Roman Catholic Tradition
Lord Jesus, today you call us to welcome the members of God's family who come to our land to escape oppression, poverty, persecution, violence, and war.

Prayer for Syrian Refugees from the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Coordinator
God of Mercy, We can no longer pretend to be distant from the heartbreak afflicting your children who have fled Syria in fear of their lives, ... We know the truth: all of these children are our sons and daughters, and their parents are our brothers and sisters, and we owe them a room in the inn, a place of safety, a chance to live and thrive...

Prayer for Our Nation from RitualWell, proposed as a new Shabbat morning prayer by Rav Shmuly Yanklowitz
O God and God of our Ancestors, help is in our struggle. ... We pray that the vision of the prophets - the redemptive power of justice, relief for the poor, welcome for the marginal, protection for the oppressed, care for the sick - and the vision of the Constitution of a more perfect union be brought about. Buide the incoming leader of this country away from his basest instincts, thwart his plans ot target certain groups and strengthen white supremacy; for You know, God, that all were created in Your image...

Declaration of Conscience from the Unitarian Universalists
In this extraordinary time in our nation's history, we are called to affirm our profound commitment to the fundamental principles of justice, equity and compassion, to truth and core values of American society. In the face of looming threats to immigrants, Muslims, people of color and the LGBTQ community, ... we affirm our belief in the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

An Open Letter to the President from a Lutheran Bishop of Jerusalem posted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 
Jesus said: "I was a stranger, and you welcomed me." (Matt 25:35) Dear Mr. President, Salaam and grace to you... in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I write to you from the Holy City of Jerusalem in a spirit of prayer. ... As the Lutheran Bishop in Jerusalem, as a refugee and as a global citizen, my plea is that you will reconsider your recent decisions regarding refugees and immigrants, ... reflect upon the foundational values of the United States and of Jesus ...

Church World Service, Religious Leaders and Refugees Statement on Ban on Refugees includes statements from the President and CEO of Church World Service, Syrian refugees, an Iraqi refugee, and national leaders of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), United Church of Christ and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Prayer for our Country by Rabbi Drorah Setel: Holy One of Blessing, You have taught us that every human being is created in Your image, that we are called to protect the vulnerable and love the stranger, to house the homeless and feed the hungry, and to work for a world of peace. Let us do all we can to realize those values in our beloved country. As citizens of the United States we are blessed with freedoms unequaled in the history of the Jewish people. Let us honor and use those freedoms of speech and assembly, of consent and dissent, to create a nation in which there truly is liberty and justice for all.