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, February 25, 2010



Last week, Friends of Sabeel-North America hosted a large conference in Seattle. This week, another conference will be held in Honolulu. On March 5, a third Sabeel conference will take place near San Francisco. The conferences feature Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim speakers. We pray that these events will inspire new and powerful action to change American policy toward Israel and Palestine.

This Thursday marks the 16th anniversary of the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in Hebron. In 1994, an Israeli settler's killing of 29 people at prayer resulted in riots and curfews and the closure of Shuhada Street-the main artery of the city. In the past week, Israel included the Cave of the Patriarchs (Ibrahimi Mosque) and Rachel's Tomb (in Bethlehem) on a list of Israeli heritage sites. On Thursday, Palestinians will hold a nonviolent action to pressure Israel to end its chokehold on Hebron and to reopen Shuhada Street. We pray for the safety of all people involved in Thursday's action.

Friday, March 5, is the World Day of Prayer. This year's prayer was written by the women of Cameroon. They say, "In the Cameroonian context, people praise God even in, and especially during, difficult times in their lives. This is because generally we consider life to be God's greatest gift to us. As long as one has breath, there is hope. So we sing in the hope that things will be better." May it be so.

Starting March 12, Bethlehem Bible College will host a conference titled "Christ at the Checkpoint: Theology in the Service of Peace and Justice." The conference is designed to reach people and churches not previously involved in Palestine. We are thankful for all organizations that encourage Christians to explore Christ's message of justice and peace and to then apply that message to their lives.


This week we join with the World Council of Churches in praying for:
France, Germany