English 27/04/2017

Sabeel Wave of Prayer
April 27^th, 2017

One thousand five hundred Palestinian prisoners continue with their hunger strike for the second week. Palestinian prisoners are refusing food in an effort to improve the deplorable conditions of the approximately 6,500 Palestinian political prisoners who are currently in Israeli jails.

·         Lord, give us the power to stand in solidarity with Palestinian political prisoners as they demand their basic rights. Give us the needed strength and courage not to abandon or shy away from their rightful demands. Remind us Lord, that you were once a prisoner when the powerful unjustly imprisoned you, and when your disciples abandoned you although they loved you.
Leader: Lord in your mercy
People: Hear our prayers

Last Sunday morning, Israeli forces closed the main entrance to a cluster of villages northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian communities are routinely subjected to arbitrary road closures by Israeli military forces for "security reasons," an act which human rights groups have denounced as collective punishment.

·         Lord, last Sunday the sick could not go to their doctors, the workers could not go to work, family gatherings were cancelled and worshippers could not go to Church. We pray for a day when the freedom of movement for the Palestinian communities becomes a reality.
Lord in your mercy…

The Palestine Museum of Natural History - part of the Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS) at Bethlehem University- opened to the public last week. The new museum currently holds more than 6,000 specimens of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. There are also thousands of photographs and other documentary material relating to fauna, flora, and human life in the area.

·         Lord, you are the creator of all this universe. Help us God to understand that we are only a small part of this world, and that we should live peacefully with the rest of your creation. We give thanks to the dedication and commitment of the founders, staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to bring the museum to life. May your words, that Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as the lilies of the field, continue to humble us.
Lord in your mercy…

Today, Thursday the 27^th of April, Sabeel will hold  an ecumenical prayer service for Palestinian prisoners at the Dominican Church in Jerusalem.  Also, many Churches throughout the West Bank and Israel are holding ecumenical services to lift up prayers in support of the demands of the Palestinian prisoners’ strike.   

·         Lord, comfort the community as it comes together in prayer. We especially pray for the rights of Palestinian prisoners to communicate with their families, the right for prisoners to continue their education behind bars, and for the right to have access to proper medical treatment. 
Lord in your mercy…

·         We join the World Council of Churches in praying for the countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Lord in your mercy…