God of life, thank you for breathing life into us so that we can come to praise you with a grateful heart. We thank you for creating this world and all the diverse creatures and peoples. You allow us to experience your presence across lands, cultures, and languages. As we enter Asian Heritage Month, we especially give thanks for the richness and diversity in Asian cultures, which have enriched our faith and understanding of you.
God of history, we thank you for continually working in our history. As we reflect on the history of Asian Canadians, we honor the contributions and sacrifices of many Chinese laborers who built the Canadian Pacific Railway, and we remember the struggles of many Southeast Asian refugees in the 70s and 80s, as well as all the rising anti-Asian hate crimes since the outbreak of COVID-19. Although this history is filled with many difficulties and injustices, we still proclaim that you are the God who directs history. And we believe that you are present with us wherever we are. You are our refuge in times of trouble and our strength when we are rendered powerless. We witness your grace as you continue to bless the Asian communities in this country and use the stories of these communities to bless this land.
Living in this broken and divided world, we often forget to love our neighbors and overlook the struggles that many Asian siblings and other minoritized communities experience. Sometimes, we even become the ones who bring hurt to these communities. For the sake of Jesus Christ, forgive us.
God of reconciliation, fill us with your Spirit of peace. As we have been reconciled with you, help us to remember and care for our neighbors, seek justice, share peace with one another, and honor your creations. (Here you may add specific prayers for the Asian communities or the Asian congregants in your church.)
Rejoicing in your amazing love, we lift our prayers and praise to you, almighty and eternal God; through Jesus Christ, Amen.
— Wing Yi Wong, a Ph.D. Candidate in Homiletics at Emmanuel College, University of Toronto. She is the first generation in her family to pursue higher education and one of the first female homileticians in Hong Kong. Committed to theological education and social justice, Wing Yi has 10+ years of intercultural preaching, teaching, and ministry experience in Hong Kong and Canada.
For the original version of this prayer in Chinese, see our worshipresources for Asian Heritage Month.