Recently
the world witnessed the worst shipwreck in years as at least500 migrants from Syria,
Palestine, Egypt and Sudan drowned in the seas near Malta. According to the UN Refugee Agency, in 2014 over
2,500 people, including many children, have perished while attempting to cross the
Mediterranean Sea to Europe through dangerous waters on inadequate vessels.
Lord, the impoverished and oppressed people of these lands are desperate;
provide them with the means to live in their homelands and safe refuge from the
economic and political injustices they face.
Lord in your mercy…
God
of peace, this week Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presents his new
political strategy to the UN General Assembly, asking the UN Security Council
for a binding resolution and a specific date for ending Israel’s illegal
occupation of the West Bank, Gaza strip, and East Jerusalem. Lord, give world leaders the courage to
resolve this conflict as the people of Palestine have waited through failed
negotiations, unsuccessful strategies, and lack of human rights for far too
long. Lord in your mercy…
Lord,
we join with participants of the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel
(WWPPI) as they pray, educate, andstand in solidarity with Palestinian
political prisoners unjustly detained in Israeli prisons. We lift our gratitude for the many people and
organizations involved in this important initiative as nearly every family in
Palestine has been directly or indirectly affected by Israel’s arbitrary and
illegal detention of Palestinians. Lord
in your mercy…
Lord,
we ask for your continued blessing on Sabeel as we begin a busy period of
programs, including a youth meeting in Nazareth, a retreat in Bethlehem for clergy
and their spouses, a group visit to Sabeel, and a young
adult program about the challenges of Christians in the Middle East. Lord in your mercy…
We
pray alongside the World Council of Churches for the countries of Belarus, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine. Lord in your mercy…
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