6/10/11 - English

We woke up this week to news of a mosque burning near the Bedouin village of Tuba Zangria, in the Galilee.  Graffiti on the outside walls of the mosque saying “revenge” and “price tag” sent the message that the act was by a right wing Jewish group in violent retaliation to the bid for Palestinian statehood last week at the United Nations. Additional political backlash came from key members of the Israeli Knesset who introduced bills intending to punish the Palestinians for their bid. Even as the attacks and legislation attempts are causing widespread outrage, we pray that they will not start another cycle of violence. We pray that the perpetrators of the violence will be brought to justice. Lord in your mercy…

We give thanks for the ongoing work God has allowed Sabeel to do locally. This week Sabeel will host an ecumenical prayer service on Thursday, October 6^th, an event that will bring together churches from all across Jerusalem to pray for deliberations at the United Nations. We pray that the family of nations will reach the decision to accept Palestine as a full member state.  Following the prayer service, the annual clergy retreat will take place October 9^th-11^th. We pray for God’s continued provision of strength and funding for Sabeel’s programs. Lord in your mercy…

We celebrate the 80^th birthday and ongoing life and work of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. As a citizen of South Africa and survivor of apartheid, he has worked tirelessly at home and abroad to spread the Gospel message of justice, reconciliation, and forgiveness.  We are grateful for his patronage of Sabeel, for sharing his wisdom, and inspiring generations of peacemakers.  We pray for his continued health and vitality, and that God will raise up leaders like Archbishop Tutu, in this time of great need. Lord in your mercy…

We remember the many organizations worldwide that struggle for greater wellbeing for all of God’s children. This week we lift up the Christian Peacemaker Teams organization, which is celebrating its 25^th anniversary of nonviolent peacemaking efforts.  At their Peacemaker Congress October 13^th-16^th, they will share stories from their accompaniment and undoing oppression work in the West Bank as well as in Colombia, Iraq, and Canada. We pray that through this event many new people will be exposed to the situation of their brothers and sisters around the world, and will be compelled to become active in the eradication of violence and injustice. Lord in your mercy…

With the World Council of Churches we pray for Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan