Liturgy for International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel

It's Time for Palestine

It's time for Palestine.
It's time for Palestinians and Israelis to share a just peace.

International Church Action for Peace
in Palestine and Israel, 4-10 June 2008
A joint advocacy initiative convened by the World Council of Churches

ECUMENICAL SERVICE
By the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem

St. Stephen's Basilica
(Ecole Biblique)

6 Nablus Road – Jerusalem
Wednesday June 4th, 2008
5 pm


Prelude Music:

Greetings:

Opening Invocation: In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen

“Let justice roll down like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

We gather today to remember, to pray and to seek direction after 60 years of conflict. Living under the Occupation for 41 years has left the people of the Holy Land an unending dread. We know as Christians that there is hope in God and there is a path to justice and peace. Yet we ask “how long O Lord?”

Let us pray

O loving God,
We remember those who struggle for freedom,
We remember the disabled who cling on to hope,
We remember the injured who fight for their life,
We remember the captives who yearn for freedom,
We remember the deportees who long for the homeland.
We remember our towns, villages and camps that are often under
siege.
We remember the children whose eyes reflect the light of the future,
We remember the brave who say “no” to injustice,
We lift the olive branch which says “yes’ to a just peace

O God, we call upon you to grant us your patience,
determination and power, so that we may say:

No to hate and yes to love,
No to death and yes to life,
No to falsehood and yes to truth
No to oppression and yes to justice,
No to cruelty and yes to mercy,
No to violence and yes to the path of peace,
No, no matter what it may cost, and yes, no matter what it may cost.
For you are the source of love leading to reconciliation and forgiveness.

Hymn: In Christ there is no East or West
In Christ there is no East or West,
In Him no South or North;
But one great fellowship of love
Throughout the whole wide earth.

In Him shall true hearts everywhere
Their high communion find;
His service is the golden cord,
Close binding humankind.

Join hands, then, members of the faith,
Whatever your race may be!
Who serves my Father as His child
Is surely kin to me.

In Christ now meet both East and West,
In Him meet North and South;
All Christly souls are one in Him
Throughout the whole wide earth.

Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah ch.32 vv16-18 (Arabic, English, Hebrew)

Psalm 5 (Read together)

Give ear to my words, O Lord:
give heed to my sighing
Listen to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God, for to you I pray.
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice:
in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.

For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil will not sojourn with you.

But I, through the abundance of your
steadfast love, will enter your house,
I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
Lead me, O lord in your righteousness
because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.

For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction;
their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels;
because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
so that those who love your name may exult in you.
For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
You cover them with favor as with a shield.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be
world without end,
Amen


Psalm 121
ترنيمة رفعت عيني إلى الجبال
رفعت عينى إلى الجبال
معونتى من عند الرب
لا يدع رجلك تزل
يحفظك الرب من كل سوء
لا تؤذيك الشمس بالنهار
يحفظك الرب من كل سوء
الرب يحفظ دخولك وخروجك
من حيث يأتى عونى
خالق السماء والأرض
لا ينعس لا ينام
يحفظك الرب نفسك
ولا القمر بالليل
يحفظ الرب نفسك
من الآن وإلى الأبد


Epistle: Colossians ch3. vv12-17 (Arabic, English, Hebrew)

Hymn: Be still for the presence of the Lord.

Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here. Come, bow before Him now, with reverence and fear. In Him no sin is found, we stand on holy ground. Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here.
Be still, for the glory of the Lord, is shining all around. He burns with holy fire, with splendor He is crowned. How awesome is the sight, our radiant King of Light! Be still, for the glory of the Lord, is shining all around.
Be still, for the power of the Lord, is moving in this place. He comes to cleanse and heal, to minister His grace. No work too hard for Him, in faith receive from Him. Be still, for the power of the Lord, is moving in this place.
Gospel: St. Mathew Ch. 5 vv 1-12 (Arabic, English, Hebrew)

Address:

Music:

* Short silence for Meditation *

Prayer of Penitence:

O God of justice and judgment, bring your mighty hand into the deep pit of violence, despair, and ruthlessness that shapes the lives of so many in the Holy Land.
-Kyrie eleison

We thirst for justice, O God, because we know that there will be no peace until equity prevails for all people and until the forces of evil are defeated by your commandment to love, respect, and honor all our sisters and brothers.
- Kyrie eleison

We thirst, too, that a pervading sense of your righteous judgement will fill this land, not from vindictiveness or desire for retribution, but in order that the power of your Word might become real for those who suffer and those who cause suffering. Both are badly damaged by the violent insanity that prevails in the Holy Land.
-Kyrie eleison

May the hearts of both those who suffer and those who kill, maim terrorize, or dehumanize others through their dependence on military might remember that you are the ultimate judge of all our thoughts, words, and deeds.
-Kyrie eleison

We ask for your mercy and forgiveness for any part we have contributed to the pain of others by what we have done or what we have not done. We ask your forgiveness for our silence when we see oppression and do not speak out. We ask your forgiveness when we speak words that hurt rather than heal.
-Kyrie eleison

Merciful God, so much conflict is within us. Our jealousy, our pride our passion, our power-seeking and our greed all disturb the balance of life and undermine the harmony of society. Forgive us, and lead us by your Spirit, that in our lives love may go hand in hand with peace so filling our community with joy
-Kyrie eleison

The Absolution

The Peace
Christ is our peace.
He has reconciled us to God in one body on the cross;
we meet in His name and share His peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.

All: And also with you

Sharing of the Peace Hymn of Peace: (Armenian) Litany for Peace:

"I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a hopeful end."

Jeremiah 29: 11

V. Heavenly Father, we praise and glorify you. You are our only refuge in a troubled world.
R. We praise and glorify you, Lord.

V. We thank you for the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ, in Bethlehem; his refuge in Egypt, his childhood in Nazareth and his ministry in this Land.
R. Father, we thank you

V. We thank you for his death on the Cross here in Jerusalem, where he carried our sin and suffering, and for his glorious Resurrection in which he gave us new life with him.
R. Father, we thank you.

V. So Lord, we come before you with all our troubles and pains
R. Lord, have mercy on us.

V. We pray for all victims of bloodshed and violence as well as for the perpetrators of these evils.
R. Lord, have mercy on us.

V. we pray for the children and young people that you may give them hope for the future.
R. Lord, have mercy on us.

V. We pray for all bereaved families, the unemployed, the elderly and all who seek to help them.
R. Lord, have mercy on us.

V. We ask the guidance of your Holy Spirit for all the leaders of this Land; that they may be inspired to work for your peace with your justice.
R. Lord, have mercy on us.

So we pray together:
Gracious Father, your love knows no limits. Fill our hearts with your compassion; open our eyes to your presence in the world; enlarge our minds to understand your will. Take our hands and minister through them. Speak through our words and direct our feet in the path of peace that Christ may be revealed in us and the world may believe. Amen

The Lord's Prayer; (each in their native tongue). Hymn: Lord make me a channel of your Peace ( Prayer of St. Francis).

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred let me bring your love.
Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord
And where there's doubt, true faith in you.
[Chorus]
Oh, Master grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace
Where there's despair in life, let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there's sadness, ever joy.
[Chorus]
Make me a channel of your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we're born to eternal life.


The Closing Prayer to launch 'International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel, 4-10 June 2008

Heavenly Father,

We give you thanks and praise for your gift to us of your only Son, Jesus -- His birth in Bethlehem, His ministry throughout the Holy Land, His death on the Cross and His Resurrection and Ascension. He came to redeem this Land and the world. He came as the Prince of Peace.

We give you thanks for every Church and congregation around the world that is praying with us this day for peace. Our Holy City and our Land are much in need of peace.

In your unfathomable mystery and love for all, let the power of your Redemption with your Peace transcend all barriers of cultures and religions so filling the hearts of all who serve you here, of both peoples - Israeli and Palestinian - and of all religions.

Send us political leaders ready to dedicate their lives to a just peace for their peoples. Make them courageous enough to sign a treaty of peace that puts an end to the Occupation imposed by one people on another, granting freedom to Palestinians, giving security to Israelis and freeing us all from fear. Give us leaders who understand the holiness of your city and will open it to all its inhabitants - Palestinian and Israeli - and to the world.

In the Land you made holy, free all of us from the sin of hatred and killing. Free the souls and hearts of Israelis and Palestinians from this sin. Give liberation to the people of Gaza who live under unending trials and threats.

We trust in you, Heavenly Father. We believe you are good; moreover we believe that your goodness will prevail over the evils of war and hatred in our Land.

We seek your blessing especially on the children and young people, that their fear and the anxiety of conflict may be replaced with the joy and happiness of peace. We pray too for the elderly and the handicapped, for their well-being and for the contribution they can make to the future of this land.

We pray, finally, for the refugees across the whole World. God give the politicians the wisdom and courage to find suitable and just solutions.

All this we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

The Blessing:

The Final Hymn sung during the Procession of Light.
( each member of the congregation will be given a lighted candle to carry as they leave the Church )

يا رب السلام أمطر علينا السلام
يا رب السلام املأ قلوبنا السلام
Yarabba ssalami amter aalalyna ssalam
Yarabba ssalami imla' qulubana ssalam