​World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement led by Christian women
who welcome you to join in prayer and action for peace and justice.

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Am I Being Unfair to You?

Program written by the
World Day of Prayer Committee of the ​Philippines
Matthew 20:1-16

Mabuhay! Come to the circle and tell your story!
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In the story Jesus told about the kingdom of heaven, he saw no wrongdoing in giving equally. However, the workers who felt entitled to receive more greatly complained. This dialogue is turned into a question for the 2017 WDP theme - “Am I Being Unfair to You?”

As we prepare for worship, women and girls from the Philippines enter carrying symbols with a story. Merlyn, Celia, and Editha represent the lives of many Filipino women and girls who are victims of domestic violence or sex trafficking, migrant domestic workers in the country or abroad, and survivors harmed emotionally and economically by disasters in the environment or unsustainable development policies.

How can we hear these stories and not realize the sinfulness of structures that consolidate economic inequality? We are called to confess and take on our ethical responsibility to answer God’s call for justice.

A traditional cultural practice, known as dagyaw, is introduced in the program. Dagyaw is a communal way of laboring each other’s farms and equally benefiting from the harvest. It is used more frequently among organic farmers for sustainable agriculture.

“It is a good practice for building and sustaining a community, an actualization of compassion and care for each other.” Maybe this is the key to a collective answer to “Am I Being Unfair to you?”

All God’s Creation is Very Good!

Program written by the
​World Day of Prayer Committee of Suriname
Genesis 1:1-31 

A heri grontapu di Gado meki bun doro, dóro!

As in the beginning, God created from chaos. But everything that was created found its place in creation. All were related to each other – the earth with the light, the waters with the sky, the tree seeds with the living creatures, and the humankind with God. None could exist without the other, and the source of all was God.

There was goodness in that integrated system of relationships. But essential to that was the commitment to care. And we know that we are failing!

Women from Suriname lift up their voices to remind us that we are caretakers of God’s creation! They are bringing to our attention the urgent need for caring at a time when more than 180 countries have signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. A commitment to keep the earth cooler depends on public policies implemented by governments, but also on our personal lifestyle.
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As one of our Guiding Principles affirms “prayer is rooted in listening to God and to one another.” Through the worship service, we listen to the multicultural and multi-ethnic people of Suriname. They take us to their communities and through their concerns. History is before our eyes! The flora and fauna are remarkable! The everyday life is weaved into the prayers.
How good is God’s creation? That is the question to meditate and respond to with a personal commitment to care for creation. But it can also be an opportunity for the WDP motto “Informed prayer and prayerful action” to be affirmed in the community. What is it that we, as the WDP movement, can do to keep God’s creation good?