LWF will launch a Women’s Prayer Book featuring contributions from women in LWF member churches across the globe. Cover art: Savanna Sullivan and Kaleb Sutherland
A new prayer collection will be launched on 27 May written by women from LWF member churches across the globe
(LWI) - Together We Pray is the title of a new prayer collection, inspired by a woman of the Reformation era and written by contemporary women in countries across The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Due to be released on 27 May the book aims to highlight the voices, visions and challenges facing women in the communion’s member churches, showcasing their creativity and sharing their theological wisdom with the global Christian family.
In the foreword, LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt notes that when women’s voices are silenced or marginalized – as they have been over the centuries – “the whole body of Christ suffers loss. When women’s theological insights, spiritual practices and experiences are honored,” she writes, “the whole communion is enriched.” The new volume “is a testimony to the living faith of women who [....] continue to share the church’s witness through prayer, leadership and prophetic commitment to justice,” she says.
Every prayer in these pages reflects courage, resilience and trust in God’s presence.
Rev. Dr Marcia Blasi, LWF Program Executive for Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment
The idea of bringing together voices of women from around the global communion is the brainchild of Rev. Dr Marcia Blasi, outgoing LWF Program Executive for Gender Justice and Women’s Empowerment. Seeing the idea come to life, she says, “fills me with deep gratitude and joy. Every prayer in these pages reflects courage, resilience and trust in God’s presence and I am so thankful to all the women who helped to create a resource that will nurture faith, strengthen community and inspire hope across generations and contexts.”
Together We Pray is a collection of prayers written by lay and ordained women, young and old, theologians, leaders, students and activists in many areas of church life. It is structured around the words of the Lord’s Prayer and is inspired by the work of Katharina Schütz Zell, a 16th century woman who played an important role in the Reformation movement. A prolific writer and outspoken voice for social justice, she wrote a meditation on the Lord’s Prayer to comfort a friend suffering from illness and loneliness.
The first part of the new volume features short meditations on the lines of the Lord’s Prayer, followed by prayers that reflect the various themes. A second section features prayers for special occasions, including for healing and well-being, for pregnancy and childbirth, for racial justice, for peace and interreligious solidarity, for the rights of indigenous communities, for survivors of sexual violence and for the restoration of healthy relationships.
“The prayers are written in the simple language of everyday life and are a reflection of the faith journeys of women in so many different parts of the world,” says Rev. Rebecca Daniel, head of chaplaincy and development for the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain, who helped to coordinate the contributions. “They are written in different styles, some short, some longer, reflecting the diversity of cultures and spiritual practices, but all rooted in the Lutheran understanding that God walks alongside us and accompanies us,” she added.
‘Together We Pray’ will be published online in the LWF’s four official languages (English, German, French and Spanish) with editions in other languages planned to follow after. The launch will include a webinar featuring several of the contributors reflecting on the purpose of the collection, both as a teaching tool and as a spiritual resource to connect, strengthen and sustain believers throughout the Lutheran world and beyond.
