June 29, 2017 –
Prayer Petitions: 24 June 2017
ACT PALESTINE FORUM
PRAYER VIGIL FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
24TH of every month
Every day in the month ahead, we continue to pray with and for our sisters and brothers in Palestine and Israel who have called for an ecumenical prayer vigil across the globe on the 24th of every month.
APF encourages its friends and partners to visit the APF website and APF Facebook page often to find, and also contribute, updates, photos, stories, advocacy ideas, and special prayers.
ACT Palestine Forum Prayers
24 June 2017
Prayer Focus: The Annexation of Jerusalem
Jerusalem has been and continues to be one of the most contentious issues related to the 50 year military occupation of Palestine. Following the occupation of the West Bank in 1967, Israel unilaterally annexed East Jerusalem to its territory, in contravention of international law. Palestinians who were living in Jerusalem were given the status of “permanent residents” of Israel. This residency typically provides them with greater freedom of movement than Palestinians from other parts of the oPt and allows them to pay into the social services system to receive health and social security coverage. However, this status can be revoked on various grounds, denying the affected residents their right to live in the oPt, including East Jerusalem (UN OCHA oPt). East Jerusalem is physically isolated from the rest of the West Bank by the Separation Barrier, restricting movement, resource access, employment, and economic activity for Palestinians. In this 50th year of occupation, we pray for a solution to this prolonged injustice and for the continued hope and perseverance of all those working for peace.
Read more about the effects of the occupation on occupied East Jerusalem here:
https://www.ochaopt.org/location/east-jerusalem
http://www.btselem.org/jerusalem
http://www.alhaq.org/advocacy/topics/wall-and-jerusalem
Prayers
Lament
(Normal Font: Leader, Bold Font: All)
Give us a voice
and we will cry out.
We will raise our voices to sing
Our feet will dance
Wherever there are signs of life around us.
Give us a voice
and we will sob.
Weeping with your world,
like a child holding a broken treasure,
a child that will not be comforted:
weeping at the divisions and separations of churches and our communities;
weeping at misused powers that oppress others and destroy the earth;
weeping at the brokenness of our lives;
weeping with those who lost their loved ones because of wars and conflicts;
weeping with refugees and displaced people;
weeping with the abused and unloved children and youth;
weeping with those who are discriminated against;
weeping with the hungry and the thirsty as they search for a just peace.
Give us a voice to name truth
and expose falsehood;
to encourage the downhearted
and confront the powers.
Give us a voice that speaks with passion
and a voice full of compassion.
A voice that is gentle
and a voice that knows when to be angry.
When there is no word to convey our grief and anger,
and when we cannot pray,
help us to believe
that the Spirit groans with us and intercedes for us.
Give us a voice,
and we will proclaim the living Christ.
Voices buried deep will shout out.
Voices that have been submerged will emerge.
Voices that have never been heard will be raised.
Even stones will cry out.
We hear the words of the Spirit of Christ whispering to us.
Keep the dream alive.
Watch and wait.
One day I will return.
One day justice will flow like a river.
And I will establish peace for you.
Amen.
Lament from the WCC Global Day of Prayer for Just Peace in the Holy Land, 2017
Full order of service can be found here:
Please find a printable version of the prayers here: 24 June 2017 Prayer Vigil