Weekly devotion: Lifting up marginalised women in Lebanon
The Middle East Council of Churches, Lebanon
A group of women participate in an interactive awareness session run by the MECC
This week we’re praying for the Middle East Council of Churches, a regional ecumenical organisation that brings together different churches in the region for a common Christian witness. Embrace supports the MECC with their women’s empowerment project in Lebanon, which helps women improve their employment prospects through training classes. The training classes are aimed at Lebanese and Syrian refugee women living in two marginalised areas, characterised by poverty and a lack of opportunities for women.
The focus is on developing vocational skills, such as sewing, knitting and repairing clothes, depending on each group’s needs. The MECC also runs awareness sessions on a range of topics, including communications skills, gender-based violence and coping with stress. In 2023, 10 women project participants will receive specialised training and tools to start their own businesses.
Bible reading
‘As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”’
Luke 10:38-42
Thought
Staff at the MECC are passionate about lifting up women, empowering them to meet their potential and lead fulfilling lives. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus’ example. In first-century Palestine, when the story in Luke 10 took place, it would have been outside the cultural norm for a woman to sit at the feet of a rabbi. Yet Jesus’ response to Martha’s complaint upholds the value, dignity and worth of women, demonstrating to everyone present that women had a right to learn and be educated.
Ask yourself: Everyone has been created in God’s image, regardless of their gender identity. How should this impact the way that we interact with others?
Prayer
Loving God, we thank you for the love, care and respect that Christ showed to women and other marginalised groups when he walked on this earth. We lift to you the women that the MECC are helping in Lebanon. We praise you that you know each of them by name and we pray that the training they receive will equip them to move out of poverty and live life to the full. Help us to push past the bounds of our culture and treat others with the love and respect they deserve. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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