Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of July 3, 2023
Next week Kumi Now will mark the date of the launch of the Palestine Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement, (BDS), on the 9th of July, 2005. The BDS movement seeks to inform the public about ways in which international corporations are profiting by their support for the Israeli occupation in various ways, such as their help in the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank.
• Lord, we pray that more and more people around the world will stop investing in companies whose products and services are used to violate Palestinian human rights and to contravene international law. Lord, in your mercy…
Kjartan Ruset, a Norwegian advocate for a just peace between Palestinians and Israelis, has just died. After he met the founder of Sabeel, the Anglican priest Naim Ateek, Kjartan was inspired to set up Friends of Sabeel, Norway, which later became the group known as Sabeel Kairos, Norway. His work on the steering committee between 2001-6 did much to raise greater awareness about the difficulties facing Palestinian Christians under the Israeli occupation.
• Dear Lord, we give heartfelt thanks for the advocacy work for Palestinians carried out by Kjartan in his native country of Norway. We pray for his family and friends as they mourn his loss. Lord, in your mercy..
The former Lutheran World Federation President, Bishop Munib Younan, has been awarded an honorary doctorate and the Order of the White Rose in Helsinki, Finland. He received the award for his work as a religious leader and for his service in support of Palestinian Christians. A collection of articles written by international academics has just been published to celebrate his life’s work.
• Lord, we give thanks for the dedication and tireless advocacy given by Bishop Younan. We thank you for his perseverance over many years and for his repeated calls for righteousness and justice for Palestinian Christians. Lord, in your mercy..
On Wednesday, the 28th of June, Jonathan Kuttab’s new book entitled, ‘The Truth Shall Set You Free’ was launched. The Executive Director of Friends of Sabeel North America and Palestinian human rights lawyer writes about his personal journey from anger at the injustices he witnessed in his work to a deep commitment to peaceful activism.
• Lord, we pray for your continued guidance and support for Jonathan Kuttab in his legal work, his work for Sabeel and his writing. We thank you for his commitment to promoting a just peace in Palestine/Israel. Lord, in your mercy..
We are deeply saddened by the death of Maysoon Asadi Masri, a prominent Palestinian writer at the age of sixty. Maysoon was a highly influential figure in the literary world, both for her captivating storytelling, as well as for her literary reviews. She supported other local writers and artists by featuring their work in local newspapers and other publications. She also contributed articles for Sabeel’s ‘Cornerstone’ magazine.
• Lord, we mourn the early death of Maysoon, may she rest in peace. We also want to celebrate her artistic legacy and pray that she will inspire many other young Palestinian writers in the years to come. Lord, in your mercy …
On Wednesday, the 21st of June, relatives of the Ahmad family in the village of Turmus Ayya were busy preparing for a family wedding. A number of them were getting ready in a room in the courtyard of the family home. However the celebratory atmosphere suddenly turned to terror when more than four hundred armed Israeli settlers raided the village, setting fire to homes and cars, throwing rocks and threatening the residents. One young Palestinian and father of two children, Omar Qattin, was killed in the raid. Young Palestinians helped the Ahmad family to escape from danger, but the damage to their home was extensive. The young couple were later married before just a few family members with ‘no singing and no joy’.
• Lord, we pray for Omar’s family and especially for his wife and young children as they grieve his loss. We pray for the Ahmad family who had been planning their wedding for sometime, only to have their celebrations turned to ashes by the settler raid. We pray for all those whose lives have been devastated by the escalating violence, the shootings, arson attacks and physical assaults. Lord, in your mercy..
• We join with the World Council of Churches in their prayers for Sudan, South Sudan and Uganda. Lord, in your mercy…