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, January 13, 2011
We pray for "the peace of Jerusalem" after the Monday demolition of the historic Shepherd Hotel and planned building of a Jewish-only settlement in its place in the heart of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. We pray that these actions, criticized by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton as a "disturbing development [that] undermines peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution" and condemned by the EU and the UN, will be a catalyst to draw attention and put an end to the systematic undermining of the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

At least 165 Israeli professors have declared an academic boycott against Ariel University Centre because of its location in a settlement illegal under international law. We give thanks for this strong statement from Israelis who recognize that illegal settlements in the West Bank are a major obstacle to peace and pray that such important initiatives will continue within Israel and around the globe.

As Sabeel's 8th International Conference Challenging Empire: God, Faithfulness and Resistance approaches in less than two months, we pray for the spiritual, mental and physical preparation of the participants and speakers, and for strength, clarity, and grace for the organizers. We also pray that more people will be moved to join us for this gathering in Bethlehem before the registration deadline. (See http://sabeel.org/events.php?eventid=167 for more information).

We give thanks for the hard work of those who redesigned the Sabeel website at www.sabeel.org. We pray that through this renewed website the ministry of Sabeel will continue to grow and serve you, Lord, and the cause of justice, peace, and reconciliation of all the people in this land.

With the Prayer Cycle of the World Council of Churches, we pray for:
Cyprus, Greece, Turkey

(http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle.html)
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle.html