This week, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed hope for the possibility of a diplomatic resolution with the Palestinians, and with the Arab world in general, under Donald Trump’s tutelage. Speaking at a festive dinner at his residence in Jerusalem, Mr Netanyahu told Mr Trump that he looked forward to working closely with him to advance peace in the region - ‘because you have noted so succinctly that common dangers are turning former enemies into partners’. Mr Netanyahu was referring to the reported change in the stance of Sunni Arab states in the region, who are shifting away from animosity towards Israel towards a possible working relationship.

The Russian media is repeatedly criticised for the use of misleading images, false narratives, misrepresentation, suppression and fabricated news stories when it comes to Ukraine. A regular claim has been that the Ukrainian army is committing ‘genocide’ against Russian-speakers who state that they strongly desire Russia to ‘protect’ them against Kiev. The media battle between the two countries has not gone away: neither has spasmodic cross-border fighting, regardless of ‘ceasefires’. On 15 May, a decree banned access to the country's most popular social networking sites and other Russian-based web businesses. This was described as a ‘national security measure’, part of economic sanctions against Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and has sent weapons, equipment, and troops to support and fuel the separatist side in the war in eastern Ukraine.

On Wednesday in Iraq, an IS booby-trap killed a family of twenty-three, including pregnant women and children. In Indonesia, two suicide bombs detonated outside a bus terminal, killing three guards. In Somalia, five people were killed by a Shahid suicide bomber, and in Syria children were among fifteen civilians killed by IS. Last Saturday Islamic terrorists opened fire on Nigerian villagers, killing at least seven. The list goes on. Manchester brought terrorism to the UK, but so far this year there have been 496 terrorist attacks globally, with 3,292 fatalities. We can’t remove terrorism, but God can change hearts, situations and nations. He can use situations and circumstances in Iran, Nigeria, Yemen, Somalia, Bangladesh and other nations being shaken to achieve His purposes. Terrorism is a big concept, but our God is bigger.

Recently, members of the Sudan Church of Christ gathered for worship in the Khartoum suburb of Soba al Aradi. Before the service began, a bulldozer rumbled toward the church and demolished it, the last church still standing in the area. In 2011, the Sudanese government demolished twelve churches in the same suburb, as part of its announced plan to destroy 27 churches. Sudan’s president, Umar al-Bashir, has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes. Nevertheless, he continues his campaign to rid Sudan of Christians, demolishing church buildings around Khartoum and routinely bombing Christian villages in the Nuba Mountains to the south. Pray for pastors who are experiencing persecution and have had property confiscated, for Christians in various prisons throughout Sudan, and for Christian communities experiencing bombing campaigns in their schools and hospitals.

The owner of a Christian T-shirt designer and printer business recently won an appeal case after he objected to printing a pro-LGBT message on an order of T-shirts. Blaine Adamson, managing owner of Hands On Originals, said he and his staff never refuse to do business with someone based on their personal beliefs, but he felt compelled in 2012 to decline to print a message for a gay pride event because it went against his convictions. The Gay and Lesbian Services Organisation promoting the event then filed a discrimination lawsuit against Adamson and his company. The legal action that followed went on for five years. During that time Adamson and his staff remained committed to trusting that God would honour their decision to stand by their convictions. Adamson’s lawyer said after the victorious court case that the law can't force people to express a message in conflict with their deepest convictions.

Ashers Baking Company, a Christian bakery in Belfast which was sued by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and found guilty of discrimination by refusing to bake a cake supporting same-sex marriage, has reported record profits. These topped £1.5 million last year, an annual increase of more than £170,000. In 2014, the McArthur family who own and run Ashers turned down the cake order because they said the slogan on the cake conflicted with their Christian belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. The Equality Commission sued them, and the bakery lost the legal fight a year later. According to the Christian Institute, which is backing the company, the McArthur family is in the process of appealing to the UK Supreme Court.

We’re constantly witnessing to hundreds of things as important to us (iPhones, Ford cars, Levi’s, etc). How much more, though, do we witness to Jesus as the heart of all we are? The question isn’t ‘Shall we witness?’, but ‘are we going to be good witnesses?’. If Jesus rose from the dead, every part of our lives should be different!

(written by Barry Hill, Rector of Market Harborough)

From 25 May to 4 June individuals and churches around the nation will join in a global ‘wave of prayer’ for the ten days leading up to Pentecost. There is a rich variety of activities taking place, and it is exciting to see many ways in which we can engage with God in praying for our communities and nations. Below are some of the events for which we can intercede in advance:- Ask God that many will attend city-wide praise/prayer events, and that events being held in public locations will draw many shoppers into the God-filled space. Pray for prayer breakfasts to be filled with spiritual tastes of Kingdom. Pray that the 24/7 prayer chains organised by church communities will have all slots filled, creating a mighty canopy of prayer over their communities. May those setting up prayer rooms be blessed with God-inspired fresh ideas that draw people closer to Him.

There are three weeks to go to the election: campaigning, slogans, soundbites, personal attacks, and sensational headlines rather than policies and manifesto commitments. However, Hebrews 12:1b-2a says, ‘Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.’ We need to persevere in prayer for our communities, for our nations, for those who seek election as MPs, and for the new UK Government - especially at this crucial time in our history. When the dates for ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ 2017 were announced, nobody knew there would be an election a few days after Pentecost. Many churches will be praying in a more focussed way just before the election. This would not have happened if this call to prayer had not been issued.

There are certain critical issues that quickly reveal whether a society recognises or rejects the reality that we are made in God’s image and pursue God’s values. It is vital that Christians speak out on them, even if others want to bury them. Politicians may want to tell us that the big issue in this election is the economy, the NHS, or immigration. They are not unimportant but none is the most fundamental. In fact, some of the challenges we face in those areas are simply symptoms of a deeper problem. The biggest issue isn't Brexit. It's a moral, relational and spiritual challenge; freedom, family, life and Christianity. Pray for the result of this election to cause our nations to turn and walk the ancient paths of our Christian heritage. Pray for a new confidence in the value and relevance of Christianity in our culture.