Thursday, July 17, 2008

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 17, 2008

As news of corruption scandals in the Israeli government dominate the local news, we pray for all those in public office who are tempted by power and corruption. We pray for all those without access to power for whom such news might lead to a lack of trust in the political process and in the hope for a peace brokered by governments.

We pray for the Syrian Orthodox community as the Sabeel young people witness with various members of the community this weekend in commemoration of their genocide of 1914.

We thank God for the continuing ministry of Sabeel's Open Forum, a space where people can share in discussion the pressing questions that face the Christian community. We reflect on the meeting this Tuesday where the local community gathered to share and strategize on the problems in Jerusalem with increasing settlement growth inside East Jerusalem.

We celebrate the peace tapestry project initiated by Friends of Sabeel Netherlands. As we begin to gather the pieces together, we are in awe of the multiple visions of peace that the International Friends of Sabeel have collected.

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