Thursday, November 17, 2011

17/11/11 - English



We pray for the Palestinian Leadership as they frame their next phase of struggle toward recognition and statehood, after the rejection of the application for full membership in the UN Security Council. We pray for their safety and clarity as they bear the weight of responsibility to care for the whole of Palestinian society.  We pray too, that the world community will soon live up to its stated ideals, and respond with real action to the worsening plight of the Palestinian people and land. Lord in your mercy…

We praise God because every person is uniquely and wonderfully made. We mourn the way stress and oppression can weaken the body and damage the soul. We give thanks for the community program about ‘alternative medicine’ at Sabeel Jerusalem this week, an event that will feature stress management and healing techniques in the context of the occupation. We pray for God’s healing touch on the lives and bodies of each participant. Lord in your mercy…

Our memories are a way of cherishing the things we love, who we are, and the things we never want to lose.  Sabeel will gather the community in Nazareth this week, in a program entitled, “Nazareth in people’s memories.”  In this cultural event, they will also celebrate 18 years of Sabeel’s work in Nazareth. We pray that the community’s memories of coexistence, justice, and peace will once again become reality. Lord in your mercy…

Martin Luther King Jr. once preached, “faith is taking the first step, even when you can’t see the whole staircase.” We give thanks for the steps of the Palestinian Freedom Riders this week. Just as young people in the southern United States boarded buses in an effort to end segregation in the 1960s, a number of Palestinians plan to board Israeli-only buses this week in an attempt to end segregation in the West Bank. We pray for their safety and determination under great pressure. Lord in your mercy…

We rejoice in God’s provision of wonderful, visionary leadership for Sabeel in Palestine and its Friends around the world.  We are grateful for the faithfulness of members of Sabeel’s current Board and Executive Committee. We join in prayer for the elections for the new Board and Executive Committee members, in Ramallah, on Friday.  We also pray for the search process taking place for Friends of Sabeel North America. We pray for wisdom and contentment for all involved. Lord in your mercy…

With the World Council of Churches we pray for Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea.

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