We all want something to do, some way to help in the face of immeasurable violence, so we are going to make origami paper cranes. We are going to pray with our hands.

It’s not much. A handful of origami is not going to end the war in Ukraine or provide relief to the thousands of refugees that need help. However, it will carve out time to sit in prayer, and to think honestly about the people of Russia and Ukraine- people that belong to God.

The popularity of this act roots back to a a twelve year old girl in Japan, who was diagnosed with luekemia following the atomic bombs. Her symptoms, and her ultimate death, were a consequence of war.

In her final days, Sadako Sasaki spent her hours folding 1,000 paper cranes, making a wish with each one. People caught word of her act, and began to connect this hands-on practice with healing and prayer.

Since then, the origami paper crane has been an international symbol for peace and healing. Beginning in 2007, the family began sending Sadoko’s paper cranes around the world to places in need of hope.

When the twin towers fell, people left paper cranes along the fence at ground zero. When the Sadoko family got word, they donated thousands of paper cranes to the 9/11 museum, crafted by Japanese students throughout Japan. The donation even included one of Sadoko’s originals.

When a deadly tsunami struck the banks of Japan in 2011, the United States welded a statue of a paper crane, made from debris at the twin towers and sent it back to Koriyama, Fukushima, a town devastated by the tsunami.

When my mom’s best friend was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, I watched my mom spend hours each night, folding 1,000 paper cranes for her friend Julie. Each one was filled with prayers of peace and comfort.

So we invite you to make one, or two, or ten, and to pray as you do.. At Coffee Hour, you will find a paper crane station set up with instructions and origami pages. We invite you to make one, or two, or ten, and to pray as you do.

If you are not able to join us in worship and would like to participate, we encourage you to make a paper crane of your own at home! Download instructions here. There are dozens of excellent tutorials on youtube that you can follow along with! Drop your paper cranes off at the church in the coming weeks, if you’d like to add them to the installation, or keep them for yourself as a reminder of hope.

It’s not much. A handful of origami is not going to end a war, but it is something.
And people of faith have always started with something.

So join us.
Let’s pray with our hands.
Together, we can create beacons of hope.