Blessed are those who act justly,
    who always do what is right.

- Psalm 106:3

The Flames of Inequality

Environmental racism describes the ways environmental harms are not experienced equally. Communities that experience marginalization are often more likely to experience environmental hazards, pollution, and climate-related disasters which deepens existing social and economic inequalities.

Canada’s wildfires provide a powerful example. Indigenous communities are among those experiencing significant impacts, including threats to homes, livelihoods, and culturally significant places. 

At the same time, Indigenous peoples have longstanding relationships with the land and waters and hold knowledge and practices that offer important perspectives on caring for creation and responding to climate change. Yet frequently their voices are excluded from the decisions that affect them.

Environmental justice means asking who has a voice in decisions about the land, whose knowledge is valued, and who bears the consequences of those decisions.

Canadian Geographic's article on environmental racism and Canada's wildfires offers further background on these issues.

Creator God, may the smoke of our wildfires rise to your nostrils. Hear the cry of the earth to you. Empower deep and lasting change in our power structures, inclusion, and earth care.  We pray in Jesus’ name.  

Health Justice

Alberta’s recent policy allowing some privately paid and self-referred access to MRI testing highlights a difficult question: when access to healthcare varies, can the ability to pay influence who gets care sooner? At the same time, Canada’s health workforce shortages are contributing to gaps in physician access, longer waits, and emergency-room pressures across the country.

For people with fewer financial resources, delays in diagnosis and treatment can carry particularly heavy consequences by way of employment limitations and the ability to be flexible. Health justice asks us to consider not only how we care for people when they are sick, but whether our systems provide fair access to care.

Healer God, we pray for a strengthened Canadian healthcare system. Give wisdom to those who make decisions. May Canadian policy makers hold particular concern for those who face the greatest barriers.

Peace in Russia and Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has increasingly become a story of nations drawn into one another’s conflicts. Recent reporting highlights North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Russia, which in turn has Vladimir Zelensky urgently appealing to South Korea and Japan for support and defense. 

The situation shows the expansion of war and how the consequences are carried by ordinary people: increasing numbers of soldiers sent to fight, families separated, civilians displaced, and communities whose homes and futures are destroyed.

God of peace, give wisdom to those who lead nations. Protect those caught in war, strengthen those who work for peace, and give your Church courage to seek justice and reconciliation. Provide ways for peace that does not simply end violence, but makes flourishing possible. 

Becoming (part of) the Answer to our Own Prayers

Beyond the Headlines: Faith, Community and the Stories that Shape Us

Join a new justice education series from Thrive, World Renew, and the Christian Reformed Centre for Public Dialogue. This four-part series explores immigration, food justice, climate justice, and gender justice through a biblical lens—equipping participants to recognize harmful narratives, understand root causes, and take meaningful, faith-informed action. Learn more and register today!

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