Sabeel Wave of Prayer

Each Thursday at noon in Jerusalem, Sabeel holds a Communion service that is open to the community. It is a time to join together to celebrate the Eucharist, to discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, and to pray for the specific needs of this region. Following the 2006 Sabeel International Conference, the Friends of Sabeel coordinators met and discussed the idea of "Waves of Prayer." The premise is that in their respective time zones, individuals and groups around the world will pray together at 12:00 on Thursdays, in solidarity with Sabeel in Jerusalem and with "Friends of Sabeel" worldwide. Starting in Australia, passing through Palestine, and on around the world we will pray for Peace with Justice and focus on specific issues each week.

Wave of Prayer for Thursday, July 10, 2008

We pray for the small steps forward in this region. We pray that the fragile Gaza ceasefire, the prisoner swap that has been negotiated between Israel and Hezbollah, and ongoing efforts at reconciliation between Palestinian political parties can be signs of hope for a more peaceful and cooperative future.

We pray for residents of the West Bank village of Na'alin, in the Ramallah district. The Israeli military has imposed a curfew in Na'alin in retaliation for continuing demonstrations against the construction of the apartheid Wall on their land. The route of the Wall was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice four years ago this Wednesday. We pray that in spite of violent retaliation, nonviolent resistance to the Wall and to occupation will continue to grow in Na'alin and throughout the occupied Palestinian territories.

We pray for the Birzeit Festival which begins on Sunday, July 13 for one week. We are grateful for this opportunity for residents of this Christian village on the West Bank to share their culture, art, crafts, and traditions. We pray that the festival will be encourage and empower the local community during this difficult time.

We thank God for the successful Friends of Sabeel North America conference held in at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice in San Diego last weekend. We are grateful for this opportunity to share the truth about the situation for Palestinians and hope that this conference planted seeds of justice and peace in the hearts of those who attended.