A prayer for the people whose lives were ended in the English Channel

Following the tragic deaths of 27 people in the English Channel, the Revd Sonia Hicks and Barbara Easton, the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Conference, offer the following prayer:

Holy God, your Son, Jesus Christ stilled the storm on the Sea of Galilee.

We pray for those whose lives were ended in the English Channel.

Men, women and children searching for a better life, seeking a better life only to find death in the chilly depths.

We pray for those still determined to make that journey no matter what the risks.

O God, help us, in the West, to urge our political leaders to find a better solution to the migrant crisis as people try to escape from persecution, war and poverty.

May we campaign for more safe corridors so that the people smugglers cannot continue to prey on the desperation of others.

May we open our hearts to the refugees in our midst remembering that the Holy Family journeyed to Egypt to escape the murderous intentions of the Herod.

We ask these prayers in and through the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen

Listen to an audio recording of the prayer below