As the temperature increases
across the region, so has settler violence. Palestinian
firefighters extinguished a blaze started by Israeli settlers near Tulkarem, in
the northern West Bank, earlier this week. Hundreds of acres of olive groves and
crops burned. This incident was one of several
over the weekend; some of the settler’s violent provocations led to injuries
and hospitalizations of Palestinian villagers who came to put out the fires. Lord in your mercy…
We pray for the Kairos Palestine
meeting taking place this week on the Isle of Iona, in Scotland. It is an
opportunity for northern Europeans to engage with Naim Ateek and Mark
Braverman, experts on the 2009 Kairos document, and prayerfully explore ways of
practical action. We pray for a refreshing time of worship, reflection, and
witness to the belief that the opportune time is now to act for justice and
peace in Palestine/Israel. Lord in your mercy…
With the agreement to allow the
Central Elections Committee to work in Gaza, the rift between the two major
political parties in the Palestinian territories is beginning to mend. We pray that this mending between Fatah and
Hamas will go toward the direction of peace and democracy. Lord in your mercy…
We pray for the children’s and
young adult programs with the Holiday World Children’s Special Education initiative
on June 2. We praise God that Sabeel
Nazareth has a program with these children; the desire to meet them grows from
the belief that each human is created in the image of God, and because of our
differing abilities we have so much to learn from one another, al-Hamdu Lillah!
Lord in your mercy…
With the World Council of
Churches, we specifically pray for the churches and populations of Botswana and
Zimbabwe. Lord in your
mercy…