English 13 January, 2022

 

Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Thursday 13^th January 2021

 

Kumi Now has started for 2022, with information being sent out on a weekly basis regarding the topics for that week. We will be starting exciting new webinars from 1^st February, starting with webinars with influential and innovative Palestinians followed by a webinar panel discussion on February 15^th. These webinars will continue on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of each month at 6pm. Watch out for more information in coming weeks.

• Lord, as Kumi Now launches for another year, we pray that all those involved will find these sessions interesting and informative. We pray that the information provided will encourage those who wish to act for a just peace in the Holy Land at a time when this seems further away than ever. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

Suleiman al Hathaleen (Hajj Suleiman), a 75-year-old activist and community leader from the South Hebron Hills was hit by an Israeli police tow-truck as he protested against the removal of vehicles from the community of Umm al-Khair. Suleiman was left without help in a coma with head injuries along with spine, rib, and hip fractures.

• Lord, we pray for the swift and full recovery of Suleiman. We are thankful for the skills and knowledge of those responsible for his treatment. Grant strength to the communities of the South Hebron Hills as they struggle daily with threats from settler communities and oppression by Israeli authorities. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

As Palestinian farmers looked on, more than 500 dunams (125 acres) of cultivated land were destroyed by Israeli occupation forces in the Jordan valley on Monday 3^rd January. The land, used to grow wheat, was used by the Israeli tanks as part of a training exercise for the Armored Engineering Corps.

• Lord of all the earth, we pray for the Palestinian farming communities who can do nothing but watch as their crops and land are destroyed. We pray that these farmers will have the strength and opportunity to re-sow their crop and that crop be allowed to grow to harvest. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

On Tuesday 18^th January, Bethlehem will see its third and final round of Christmas celebrations. The Armenian community will celebrate the birth of Jesus on this date based on the Gregorian calendar.

• Help us, Lord Jesus, to keep our eyes fixed on you each day, not only during seasonal celebrations. Let us worship you with open hearts, so that you may ‘dwell in our hearts through faith, that we may know the love of Christ and be filled with all the fullness of God’ (Eph 3:17) Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

At the 16th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, held mid-December, Palestinian embroidery (tatreez) was added to the UNESCO cultural heritage list. While the practice originated in rural areas, the culture of stitching and wearing embroidered items is now common across cities and villages, with different patterns representing the various regions in historic Palestine and can act as an indicator for the economic and marital status of the woman wearing it.

• Lord, we are thankful for the skills and creativity of those who sew tatreez and for the recognition by UNESCO of its importance to Palestinian culture. We pray that this skill will continue to be passed through the generations and highlighted as an important symbol of the Palestinian people. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.

 

• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for the countries of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Lord, in your mercy…hear our prayers.