2026 - Why We Must Pray for One Another

I pray for peace in the Middle East. I pray for peace in my beloved country, Iraq, Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization. I pray for peace in my beloved country, Syria.

I pray for peace in my beloved country, Lebanon. I pray for peace in my beloved country, Egypt. I pray for peace in my beloved country, Israel and Palestine.

I pray for peace in the entire Middle Eastern region. I pray for peace and a change in my beloved country, Iran. I pray, my beloveds, I pray, I pray.

I pray for humanity to slow down a bit. Everybody's on fire. Everybody's on the edge.

Everybody is angry. Everybody's drawn the sword about to fight, to break, to destroy. Relax.

What has become of this human race? Where is the respect? Where is the love? Doesn't matter that you believe in a different way, in a different God, whatever God you believe in, that's your choice. But that does not mean we should not respect one another. That does not mean we should not pray for one another.

That does not mean that we should not live in harmony with one another, even where we have our differences and our disagreements. And I believe that freedom of speech and freedom of religion must always be preserved and protected at all times, at all levels. Because this is a God-given gift.

No human has the right to take it away. In fact, when you remove the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion, you will end up with more fighting, arguing, and destroying things. Let the human race express their freedom of speech and religion.

But when it's taken to the next level, people being killed, people being hurt, then implement the necessary law to reprimand, punish justly those who break the law. But I can be absolutely free in my speech, religiously, and at a human level, and there should never be any restrictions on that. Because I'm not hurting anyone, I'm not attacking anyone.

I'm simply expressing what I believe in. I believe that Jesus Christ is God. I believe that Jesus Christ was crucified over 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem.

He was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead and went up to heaven and sat at the right hand of His Father. And He will come again to judge the dead and the living. I believe Jesus Christ is the true living God that was revealed in the flesh.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way, the truth, and the life. I believe Jesus Christ is the only one that can make peace possible. And I believe that when Israel and Jerusalem both acknowledge that it was Jesus Christ who was crucified on Golgotha, then peace will be made possible.

It was not Isaac, it was not Ishmael, but it was the Lord Jesus. I have the right to express this. I'm not attacking, I'm just stating my belief.

But I pray for my beloved Jewish people. I pray for my beloved Arab Muslim people. I lived with them for years.

I'll never deny my heritage. We love, we pray for, even when we are having our indifferences in our beliefs, in our way of living. But that doesn't stop us from loving and praying for one another.

I pray for peace in Australia, our beloved country, the true blue down under, mate. Let's put the prawns on the barbie. I pray for Australia.

I pray that a change happens where the real Australia comes back. The Australia that embraced me once upon a time. That Australia that welcomed me once upon a time.

I want that Australia to come back where it was an absolutely beautiful country living in a multicultural society. Living with so many different religions in this country, but we were living in love and harmony and peace. I want that Australia to come back.

Where I go out and I don't need to worry about looking behind me who is following me. I want to go out without being afraid of who is going to come and kill me just because of my identity being a Christian or a Jew or any other religion. No one has the right to kill, take this life because God gave it.

God is the rightful author to take it at the appointed time. I want to go back to that country, the true blue down under. I traveled the world, but every time I come back to Australia, I felt I was home.

Today, I have my question mark. I want Australia to be back. The way Australia should be.

G'day mate. Leave Australia alone. Whatever you want to believe in, believe in.

That's your belief. But Australia is the country that brings us all together. And if you don't like Australia, then leave.

To wherever you wish to go. Leave Australia alone. I pray for America.

I pray for Canada. I pray for Europe. I pray for Asia.

I pray for Africa. I pray for the entire world. For all the entire human race.

And I pray above all for the unity of the church. The holy, apostolic, universal church to be united. Lord, unite us.

Lord, deliver us. Lord, have mercy on all of us. Lord, bestow your love and peace in 2026.

May this year be a blessing to all of you, my beloved. And may the Lord, through His grace, use you for His glory. May you glorify Christ in your life in this year.

And many, many years to come. May the Lord Jesus bless you. May the Lord Jesus bless your families.

May the Lord Jesus bless your loved ones. May the Lord Jesus give you good health and good spirit. May the Lord Jesus grant you your wishes according to His divine will.

May the Lord Jesus hold you with His right hand. And overshadow you with His eternal love. May the Lord Jesus lead you and guide you.

And take you to the green pastures and the still waters. May the Lord Jesus fill your life with abundant, abundant blessings from above. May the Lord Jesus heal every illness, physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, psychological.

May the Lord Jesus take away every illness, every bondage of Satan. May the Lord Jesus set you free right now. In Jesus' mighty name, I rebuke Satan and all of his foul spirits.

And in Jesus' mighty name, I rebuke every illness, physical and spiritual. May the Lord Jesus grant you His freedom. When the Son sets you free, truly you are free.

All the very best for 2026. To you, to your families, and all your loved ones. Amen.

Happy New Year. Now when we complete our liturgical service, don't go home please. There's plenty of food and drinks.

When I say drinks, I mean water, Coca-Cola, 7up, you know. If you were thinking of any other drinks, I will send you to Meydoun-e-Inqilab. And I will Inqilab you over there, brother.

And no Talabi for you either. Happy New Year, my beloveds. May the Lord Jesus bless you.

So when we finish, please make your way to the church hall. And let's have something to eat in the love of Christ as we are embracing 2026. Let's bow our heads.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen. Our good God and full of mercy, our good God and full of mercy, whose grace and mercy is poured upon all. Pour, my Lord, the compassion of the delightfulness of your love upon your servants, and again transform them in the hope of renewal to the life of repentance.

Renew in them your Holy Spirit by whom they are sealed for the day of salvation. Purify them by your compassion from all flesh and spiritual blemishes, and assure the hope of their faith by the aid of a grace, and instill the walks of their behavior and the paths of righteousness. Please them along with the saints in your kingdom by the assurance of the hope of their faith, and the adoption as your children, and in the joy of your absolving mysteries.

Empower them by the aid of your mercies to observe your commandments and fulfill your will, to confess, worship, and praise your Holy Name, the Lord of all, Father and Son, and Holy Spirit forever. Amen. Happy New Year, everybody.

That is an Assyrian kind of a chanting. Or I should say Middle Eastern, Middle Eastern customary thing, where they go... Very good. One more time.

Yalla, yalla. Yalla, put your hands together for Hawa. I think she comes to church just to do that.

She can't wait for it. And I'm getting away with it because she doesn't understand very good English. I think somebody is translating and... Oh, you naughty girl.

You naughty girl, you naughty girl. Look at the Assyrian. Quickly, quickly they go and... Very good.

The reason I pick on Hawa, because I love her very much, and I've known Hawa for a very long time. So I love you, Hawa, Habibim. But I love you all equally.

God bless you all. So Happy New Year. Just a reminder.

Next Wednesday, actually, the 7th of January, at 9am we'll be celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord according to the Old Julian calendar, 7th of January, which is equivalent of 25th of December Julian Old Calendar. So it is 25th, but Julian, equivalent to 7th of January Gregorian New Calendar. And we are doing this, commencing this year, and by the grace of the Lord, as the Lord wills it, to continue every year, to celebrate it also on the 7th of January every single year in honor of our Church Fathers.

We should never forget the faith we have now. We accredit it back to our Church Fathers. Because if it wasn't for their faith, for their sacrifices, we wouldn't have been the way we are now as Christians.

So we are indebted to our Church Fathers and their honor. We will be celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord also on the Old Calendar, which my Church followed for over 1960 years. For over 1960 years we celebrated the Old Calendar.

So the New Calendar in my Church has only been very, very recent. So I shouldn't forget about the Old Calendar. So, 7th of January is the Feast of the Nativity according to the Julian Old Calendar, and there is plenty of Christians who are celebrating it on the 7th of January as well.

The Orthodox world, majority of them, will be celebrating on the 7th of January. So we'll be doing so as well. So we'll see you on Wednesday, 7th of January, 9 a.m. This Sunday, 4th of January, is the commemoration of St. Seraphim of Sarov.

Seraphim of Sarov. We did say we chose 10 saints from the Orthodox world and from the Catholic world, and we said we will be remembering their names on the Holy Altar in this Church as a small token of thank you, Lord, and begging you, Lord, for the unity of the Church. And it's a small token of unity.

I am Orthodox from the East, and St. Seraphim of Sarov is from the Eastern Orthodox world where currently they are not in full communion, but I am remembering their saint in my Church. I pray the day comes you remember my saints in your Church. Why is it so hard? I wonder.

But I pray this year is a year of unity in every Church and in every heart of Church leaders.