Thursday
18th November 2021
On Tuesday 16th November, Kumi Now heard from Khaled
Quzmar of Defence for Children International, Palestine (DCIP) on the subject
of children’s rights. On Thursday 25th November the world will recognise the
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Kumi Now, on
Tuesday 23rd November, will hear about Gender-Based Violence and how
we can all act to end violence towards women.
·
God, you
love all your children. Look with special care upon those daughters who suffer
physically and emotionally simply because they are women. Surround them with
your protecting angels this day, that they might know safety. Give them that
measure of your Spirit that they might not lose heart but entrust their lives
wholly to you. Give us the courage to stand steadfast at their side, never
wavering to speak the truth of their plight and to put our own lives to the
test on behalf of our beloved sisters. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.
After 113 days, 24-year-old Miqdad Qawasmeh ended his hunger strike
on November 11th following an agreement that he will be released
from his administrative detention by Israeli occupation forces in February
2022. Miqdad has been held without trial or formal charges since January 2021.
·
God of
the suffering, we pray that Miqdad will have a full recovery from the effects
caused by his hunger strike. We pray that the Israeli authorities will keep
their agreement and release Miqdad. Grant to all those currently under
administrative detention the strength to endure, and to the Israeli
authorities, the understanding of the wrongs they commit and the grace to end
them. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
On Wednesday 9th November the Knesset, Israel’s
parliament, approved by 51 votes to 50, in a preliminary vote, a bill to build
a new public hospital in the northern city of Sakhnin. If further approval is
given, this hospital would be the first public hospital to be built in a mainly
Palestinian city, where healthcare has mainly relied on private hospitals and
clinics run by churches and NGOs.
·
Lord of
healing, we pray that the Israeli authorities will carry through with the
agreement to build a new hospital in Sakhnin and that the other hospitals
suggested are also built. We pray that all those in need of hospital care will
be free to access it and that your healing presence will descend upon them and
the doctors who care for them. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayer.
Monday, November 15th marks the anniversary of the
Palestinian Declaration of Independence. The declaration was written by
Palestinian Poet Mahmoud Darwish and proclaimed by Yasser Arafat on 15th
November 1988. The text speaks of peace and justice, declaring that; “The
State of Palestine, in declaring that it is a peace-loving State committed to
the principles of peaceful coexistence, shall strive, together with all other
States and peoples, for the achievement of a lasting peace based on justice and
respect for rights, under which the human potential for constructive activity
may flourish, mutual competition may centre on life-sustaining innovation and
there is no fear for the future, since the future bears only assurance for
those who have acted justly or made amends to justice.”
·
God of
mercy, even as we long to understand that which is often beyond our
comprehension, we lay before you the hearts, minds, and bodies of all those
suffering from oppression in Palestine and Israel and the ongoing occupation.
Shower upon all the people of the Holy Land the spirit of justice and peace.
Give to all people the blessings of well-being, freedom, and harmony, and,
above all things, strengthen us to care for all those in need. Lord, in your
mercy…hear our prayers.
After a long break due to Covid-19, Sabeel is returning to important
in-person activities in Palestine. On November 22nd and 23rd,
Sabeel will hold a clergy retreat for over 40 local clergy, a time for them to
come together in peace and fellowship whilst exploring faith and the pathway to
a just peace.
·
We pray
dear Lord for your blessing on this Retreat and for the ecumenical spirit that
prevails in the Sabeel programs. Guide the speakers and the participants to be
nourished by this fellowship and help them disseminate the right attitude in
their parishes so that the “Other” will be a Blessing. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.
Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA) are holding an Advent event
to encourage clergy and others to ‘Be Alert: Preach Palestine.’ The campaign
asks everyone to “lift up Palestinian people such that they would come to
experience the joy, justice, and peace of Christ’s liberating reign, as a very
real light in the present darkness.” (https://www.fosna.org/preach-palestine-blog)
·
Dear
Lord, we pray that Christians around the world will respond to the message to
‘Preach Palestine’. Lord of mercy and compassion, we ask you to move the hearts
of believers in different lands. We pray for their renewed efforts to alert their
congregations and their governments to the suffering of the Palestinians under
prolonged occupation. We pray blessing upon FOSNA as they work tirelessly for
justice and peace in Palestine and for the success of the ‘Be Alert: Preach
Palestine 2021’ campaign. Lord, in your mercy...hear our prayer.
Six new booklets produced by Rev Dr. Naim Ateek will be launched at
a Zoom event on Friday 3rd December. The booklets cover a range of
topics based on lectures, sermons, and messages written by Rev Ateek over many
years. (sign up at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsd-ysrjwqGdez8XvN9_C4HWkX-asdretE)
·
Lord,
we give thanks for Rev Ateek, his faithful and ongoing witness for justice and
peace based on your word. Bless these writings as they are released in booklet
form for the first time and set a seed in the hearts of those who read them so
that they may find words to stir their hearts and motivate their actions. Lord,
in your mercy…hear our prayers.
·
We join
with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for Aotearoa New Zealand
and Australia. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.
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