Day of prayer and reflection

Day of prayer and reflection: 7th June 10am - 1pm

Opening Worship

Leader: 

It's time for Palestine.
It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace.
It's time to respect human lives in the land called holy.
It's time for healing to begin in wounded souls.
It's time to end more than 60 years of conflict,
oppression and fear.
It's time for freedom from occupation.

All who are able to speak truth to power must speak it.
All who would break the silence surrounding injustice must break it.
All who have something to give for peace must give it.
For Palestine, for Israel and for a troubled world,
It's time for peace.
From Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum

Silence

Reading: Psalm 122:6-9
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
 “May those who love you be secure.
 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels." For the sake of my family and friends,
 I will say, “Peace be within you.”
 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
 I will seek your prosperity.

Silence

Reading: Luke 4:18-19

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
 because he has anointed me
 to proclaim good news to the poor.
 He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
 and recovery of sight for the blind, 
to set the oppressed free,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

Silence

Prayers

Leader: God full of compassion, who heals the broken- hearted and binds up their wounds, we ask you to show all your children the way of love and compassion, so that hatred ceases to scar their lives.  Jesus Lord of love,

Response: In your mercy hear us

Leader: Source of Life, we call upon you to send your abundant blessings into every home, Israeli and Palestinian, so that new hope may overcome old fears. Jesus Lord of life,

Response: In your mercy hear us

Leader: Righteous One, who exhorts us to pursue Justice, we fervently pray that a spirit of righteousness may prevail, so that both peoples find the courage to reach a just settlement of their differences. Jesus Lord of righteousness

Response: In your mercy hear us

Leader: Maker of Peace, who teaches us to be seekers of peace, we entreat you now to spread your tabernacle of shalom over all the inhabitants of your land, and to support the peacemakers among both peoples in their efforts to walk the path of reconciliation, so that a just peace may reign supreme at last speedily in our own day. Jesus Lord of peace

Response: In your mercy hear us

Adapted from Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue prayers for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Leader: Let us listen to the Lord's Prayer Aramaic (the language Jesus spoke) and then join together to say the Lord's Prayer in English

Reader 1: May God bless you with discomfort …
at easy answers, hard hearts,
half-truths, and superficial relationships.
May God bless you so that you may live
from deep within your heart
where God’s Spirit dwells.

Reader 2: May God bless you with anger …
at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people.
May God bless you so that you may
work for justice,
freedom and peace.

Reader 3: May God bless you with tears …
to shed for those who suffer from pain,
rejection, starvation and war.
May God bless you so that you
comfort them and turn
their pain into joy.

Reader 1: And may God bless you with
enough foolishness to believe
that you can make a difference
in this world and in your neighbourhood,
so that you will courageously try
what you don’t think you can do,
but, in Jesus Christ you’ll have
the strength necessary to do.

Reader 2: May God bless you to fearlessly
speak out against injustice,
unjust laws, corrupt politicians,
unjust and cruel treatment of prisoners,
senseless wars, genocides, starvation,
and poverty that is so pervasive.

Reader 3 May God bless you that you remember
we are all called
to continue God’s redemptive work
of love and healing
in God’s place, in and through God’s name,
in God’s Spirit, continually creating
and breathing new life and grace
into everything and everyone we touch.

Franciscan Blessing for Justice and Peace

Leader: Let us share the Peace

Prayer stations

These are the prayer stations we used for our day of prayer and reflection on Kairos.

Prayer station 1: Using water to discriminate

1: Water to discriminate 

· Israeli per capita consumption of water is four to five times higher than that of the Palestinian population of the Occupied Palestinian Territories
· In the West Bank, Settlers consume 6 times the amount of water used by the Palestinians.
· In the Jordan Valley, Settlers consume vast amounts of water for crops while the Palestinians’ water supply has been disconnected.
· Water is not scarce in the region, but..
· Israel uses water to discriminate between Israelis and Palestinians and to force the Palestinians off the land.

Fill five containers of water from the font.
Place them in front of you, one on your left and four on your right.
Look at the single container of water, and imagine that you are a Palestinian, with not enough water for your family, your animals and your crops.
Look at the four containers of water, and imagine that you are an Israeli living in the Occupied West Bank, with as much water as you ever need.
Perhaps you would like to pray for justice and equality for all in Israel and Palestine.
Please pour the water back into the font afterwards.

2: Colouring sheets

Sit quietly and as you colour, allow yourself to pray for the situation in Israel/Palestine and that justice and peace will come to the Holy Land.

3: Light a candle

Light a candle and place it in the sand tray. Spend some time in silent prayer before the candle thinking of all those who are suffering in the Holy Land at this time, but also of all those who are working for peace, justice and reconciliation. Meditate on the words from St John’s Gospel “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”.

4: Post a prayer

Write a prayer for Israel and Palestine and stick it onto the map of Israel and Palestine. Spend a few minutes reading your own prayer and any others which have been placed on the map.

5: The Separation Wall

Information about the wall

· The barrier is over 700km long.
· Around 90% is a fence, with vehicle-barrier trenches and a 60 metre exclusion zone.
· Around 10% is an 8-metre high concrete wall.
· 85% of the wall is inside the West Bank, rather than in Israel
· The barrier separates many Palestinians from their land.
· Palestinians require a permit to leave the West Bank
· Workers queue from 4am in the morning to get through the checkpoints at the map and images of the separation barrier

The wall has been the subject of nearly 1000 graffiti images. You can even order graffiti on line and get it drawn locally!

What emotions does the wall generate in you? What message would you like to convey to the Israelis and Palestinians.

Take a blank image of the wall and draw your own message or picture, aimed at either the Israeli or Palestinian side of the wall.

Pray for the people who live on each side of the wall, that they may one day be able to live in peace with one another.

6: Take a brick from the wall

Take a brick out of the Wall and lay it on the Cross template. As you do it pray that the Wall will come down so that families and communities can be reunited and there will be proper access to work, medical resources and education.

7: Jigsaw Puzzle

Assemble the pieces of the puzzle and as you do, pray for all young people living in Israel/Palestine that though education, cultural and sporting activities they may learn to trust one another and live side by side in peace and harmony.

What is Kairos

Kairos Palestine

Kairos Palestine was issued in 2009 by the heads of all 13 Churches in Jerusalem. It is a call to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, to the International Community and to the World Churches to accelerate the achievement of justice, peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land.

Kairos Britain

Time for Action, the British response to Kairos Palestine, was launched in August 2013. It calls on British Christians to:-

· Be aware of the situation in Israel and Palestine,

· To reflect prayerfully on it, and

· To respond faithfully and courageously.

St John’s Kairos Action Plan

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St John the Baptist Parish Church, Crowthorne, approved our Kairos Action Plan in October 2013.

Since then we have been learning about the situation in Israel and Palestine.

Today is our opportunity to reflect prayfully on all we have learned.

Becoming a Kairos Congregation

On 9th July, our PCC will consider whether we should become a “Kairos Congregation”.

Please take some time this morning to help our PCC by providing your own thoughts on this issue.

If we decide to become a Kairos Congregation, we would be joining other Christians in the UK in actively seeking justice and peace for Israel and Palestine.

We would need to work out the details of how we would take this forward, but it might include some of the things listed on the sheets on the table.

Please take a sheet and tick the things which you think our Church might consider and also whether these are things that you might consider supporting personally.

Prayer Meeting for Peace at the Vatican

The Pope has invited the presidents of Israel, Shimon Peres, and Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, to join him for a Prayer Meeting for Peace. This will take place in the Vatican on the afternoon of Sunday 8 June. Please pray for then as they meet.