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, October 15, 2009
On Monday, Israel demolished several Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. These are the first demolitions in weeks. More than 24,000 Palestinian houses have been destroyed by Israel since 1967. We pray for the newly homeless families sleeping in tents in Jerusalem this week. Do not let us remain silent in the face of such injustice-may we raise our voices and act to end this practice.
In September, 15 Palestinians were killed and over 230 were kidnapped or arrested by Israeli forces. We pray that these figures will be recognized as individual tragedies and not merely as numbers in a long conflict. May we have the compassion to recognize some of the pain and loss in each of these stories.
Olive harvest has begun in Palestine. Many communities are unable to reach their trees due to the Separation Wall or proximity to settlements or military intervention. We pray for all the people who will take part in this important harvest in spite of the obstacles. We pray for Sabeel's young adults who will be helping at-risk communities to harvest their olives in the coming weeks.
October 20 marks the 16th anniversary of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center. We are thankful for the generous prayers, support, and solidarity shown by thousands of people around the world as we struggle to make Christ's message of justice and peace relevant in our present day.
This week we join with the World Council of Churches in praying for:
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle.html
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