I meant to get this out yesterday, Thursday, to coincide with Sabeel's weekly "Wave of Prayer." Last fall I joined the staff and friends of Sabeel for a service of reflection and Holy Communion built around the concerns expressed in that week's Wave of Prayer.
To subscribe to the Wave of Prayer devotions, go to this link: http://www.sabeel.org/waveofprayer.php
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 discuss how the scriptures apply to our lives today, to pray for the needs of this region and our world and to share the Eucharist. Starting in the Pacific Islands, passing through Asia, Palestine, Europe, the Americas and on around the globe, we pray for peace with justice.
Sabeel Wave of Prayer, Thursday, March 17, 2011
We hold in prayer the family and friends of the five members of the Fogel family who were horrendously and criminally murdered last Friday in the illegal Israeli settlement Itamar, close to Nablus. As the investigation continues with no obvious suspects, we pray for the quick apprehension and trial of the murderers.
We also remember the Palestinian families who have suffered from violent settler attacks protected by the Israeli army in retaliation to the murder in Itamar this past week, even though those who committed the crime remain unknown. We pray that the cycle of violence, repaying one wrong with another, will be broken.
Our prayers are with everyone in Japan as they face the ongoing trauma and damage from last Friday's major earthquake, aftershocks, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis. We especially pray for comfort and relief for those who have lost loved ones, homes and workplaces, for the safety of everyone in danger of nuclear radiation and for insight and strength for those responding to this disaster, including those working to keep the nuclear damage under control. We also remember the nuclear facilities around the world, many of which are in tsunami or earthquake prone areas, including in Israel, and pray for people and politicians as the question of the safety of nuclear power plants is revisited.
We pray for all the participants and leaders of current and upcoming Sabeel programs. On Tuesday, Sabeel started its community Lenten Program; this year's focus on fasting, charity and prayers will include visits to nursing homes and orphanages over the next three weeks, as well as taking part in the Contemporary Way of the Cross. In addition, this Friday and Saturday young adults from Jerusalem, Nazareth and the West Bank will join together to plant olive trees in Beit Jala.
With the Prayer Cycle of the World Council of Churches, we pray for: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/prayer-cycle.html)
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Don't fail to read the concluding statement issued by Sabeel's Eighth International Conference, held in Bethlehem last month: http://www.sabeel.org/events.php?eventid=183
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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at my blog - A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
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