This week (on
Thursday) Palestinians commemorate Nakba Day, marking the catastrophe inflicted
on their community when the State of Israel was created in 1948. Forcible
eviction across borders, as well as internal displacement, massacres, and many
other traumas characterize the Palestinian experience, and the Israeli
government continues many of these policies today. God of mercy, we cry out in
lament in the face of grave injustice. Please hear our cries, and come to our
aid! Lord in your mercy…
As we remember
the Nakba, we pray particularly for the Palestinian refugees and Palestinians
living in the diaspora. Driven from their homes and villages, denied the right
to return, these people without a land cry out for a restorative justice to
prevail. Lord, we know you stand with the poor and oppressed, and ask that you
empower us to seek a just peace. Lord in your mercy…
Gracious God,
the people of Gaza endure collective punishment by the
Israeli government in the form of the siege and blockade, and though they try
to live lives of dignity, they are being choked by the actions of Israel. Lord,
please impart your joy and peace on the people of Gaza, and let them see their
society built up and strengthened rather than torn down. Lord in your mercy…
Lord, please
bless the work and activities of Sabeel, both the Jerusalem office and the
Nazareth office. Help guide the Jerusalem staff as they prepare a young women’s
program and a young adult trip this week, and be with the Nazareth staff
through several group visits and the third meeting of their “Generations
Continue” series. Lord in your mercy…
Lord, we pray
alongside the World Council of Churches for the countries of Kenya and
Tanzania. Lord in your mercy…
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