Sabeel Wave of Prayer: Week of June 2, 2025
Hundreds took part in an interfaith peace march organized by Rabbis for Human Rights, with participation from religious leaders—both local and international, Israeli and Palestinian—gathering outside Jerusalem’s Old City. The event was held in response to recent unrest during the nationalist Flag March and to mark 600 days since the war in Gaza began. Participants called for a ceasefire, release of the prisoners and for respect for human rights. Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists prayed and sang together in a rare show of solidarity, emphasizing that religion does not contradict human rights but rather calls for love and justice. Sabeel was one of the organizing partners in the march.
God of all people, we come with hearts heavy from war, and souls longing for peace.Bless the footsteps of those who march for justice and the voices that rise in song and prayer against violence and hatred.Let our unity be a witness that love is stronger than fear, that faith can be a bridge, not a barrier and that every human being is sacred in Your sight.Grant us courage to keep walking and marching, wisdom to keep speaking, and compassion to keep reaching across every divide.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Israeli forces shot and wounded more than 20 Palestinians as they attempted to receive aid at a food distribution point in central Gaza; the scenes were horrific and dehumanizing. The limited aid distributed has been provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group that is part of a US-Israeli initiative designed to bypass the UN’s infrastructure for aid delivery and distribution in Gaza.
Dear God, we grieve the horror of bodies gunned down while reaching for food. We cry out for the people of Gaza who are made to suffer hunger and violence at once. Help us confront these systems of dehumanization by our own acts of resistance that honor each person as your beloved. Give us this day our daily bread, both physical and spiritual, for a world aching with need. Holy Spirit, strengthen our resolve to demand not only relief, but liberation.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Israel recently approved the construction of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, including at previously dismantled sites. This includes the formalization of nine already constructed outposts, including the Homesh outpost, built on the site of another settlement evacuated in 2005.
Holy God, we lament the relentless theft of land and breach of international law. As new settlements rise on stolen soil, we ask you to be present with those who face dispossession and to illuminate to the world the machinery of occupation at work. Tear down the walls of injusticeand plant in us the courage to resist every act of erasure. May we stand with the uprooted and labor for a future where all may dwell in safety and freedom.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Last week, hundreds of far-right Israelis stormed Al-Aqsa and UNRWA compounds amid the Jerusalem Day march. For settlers and far-right Israelis, Jerusalem Day commemorates the Israeli occupation and annexation of East Jerusalem after the 1967 war.
Beloved Christ, in your day, you did not hesitate to call out those who neglected justice and the love of God. (Luke 11:42) We raise our voices with you against the injustice happening in our current time, against those who march for hate rather than for justice and inclusivity. We ask you to instill in our hearts the resolve to work for the day that Jerusalem becomes a city that welcomes all.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer
Kairos-Sabeel Netherlands is organizing a summer conference on Palestinian Liberation Theology from 25-27 July, 2025 in the Netherlands in cooperation with the Bethlehem Bible College. The conference is an opportunity to meet others who are in solidarity with Palestinians in a Christian and European context. The deadline for tickets is June 14 and the link can be found here (if not clickable, visit the Sabeel Wave of Prayers website for the link).
Dear God, you are always present with the Oppressed, we give thanks for the work of Kairos-Sabeel Netherlands and Bethlehem Bible College. We ask that you instill in all participants wisdom and humility as they find new ways to heed your call “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly” with you. (Micah 6:8) Make us agents of your peace, and may the fruits of this conference assist us in centering a just and inclusive liberation.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Amidst countless massacres our people face, we hold onto hope that the people of conscience around the world are pushing their leaders to concrete actions. The World Health Organization voted to raise the Palestinian flag on their headquarters for the very first time. In the United Kingdom, 800 legal experts call on the government to impose sanctions on Israel. Students continue to pressure their universities to cut research and material ties to Israeli occupation.
Dear God, we give gratitude for the flickers of light breaking through the darkness, knowing your presence is with us in our actions and protests. Strengthen the people of conscience around the world. Let their pressure continue to bear fruit. May our hope not be passive but defiant, rooted in action, and faithful to the vision of a world made whole.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
Last week, more than 1,200 Israeli academics issued an open letter urging the heads of Israel’s academic institutions to publicly oppose the ongoing war on Gaza. In a notable shift from other domestic petitions, this letter centers the suffering of Palestinians and calls for immediate action to end the violence. “We cannot claim that we did not know,” the signatories wrote. “We have been silent for too long. For the sake of innocent lives and the safety of all people in this land… if we do not call to halt the war immediately, history will not forgive us.”
God of truth, we give thanks for the voices rising from within. May their words echo far beyond institutions and borders. Strengthen all who dare to speak against the machinery of war, especially in Israel, and remind us that it is never too late to choose justice, never too late to repent. May their confession lead to the transformation of a Holy Land in dire need of healing.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer
We join the World Council of Churches in their prayers for Angola and Mozambique.
Lord in your mercy…hear our prayers