Pray with Israel/Palestine Sunday, December 15, 2019
Lectionary Selection: Matthew 11:2-11
Prayers for Israel/Palestine:
God of Every Tribe, Language, People, and Nation, we remember John the Baptist in prison and all those who in their imprisonment—whatever its kind—wonder if the Messiah has come and, if so, what difference it makes. Continue to shape us in ways that our actions become the difference that others see.
We pray especially for our sisters and brothers in Palestine—Christian and Muslim–who in their oppression cry out for peace with their Jewish (or Israeli) neighbors, a peace that is just and lasting. Awaken those in power to the truth that the earth is yours and all that is in it, the land, and all those who live upon it. Give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Guide their feet into the way of peace. In the name of the One Who is Our Peace. Amen.
Specific prayer requests from Kairos Palestine, a Disciples and UCC mission partner through Global Ministries:
- That persons traveling to Israel eschew the typical Holy Land tours and travel, instead, with alternative tours that explore the holy sites and introduce pilgrims to Jews, Muslims and Christians, including partners and mission co-workers, working for a just and lasting peace.
- That Christians will ask their members of the U.S. Congress to support House Resolution 2407, promoting human rights for Palestinian children.
Mission Stewardship Moment from Israel/Palestine:
Last month, near Bethlehem’s Manger Church and surrounded by the lights and sounds of a Palestinian Christmas, Christians from around the world gathered to observe the Tenth Anniversary of the Kairos Palestine document. I was grateful to be there representing you through Global Ministries.
“A Moment of Truth: A Word of Faith, Hope, and Love from the Heart of Palestinian Suffering” is a profoundly theological document. Grounded in the Biblical texts, it is a bold, prophetic call naming Palestinian realities as they are and describing life as God has purposed it. This ecumenical confession of faith and call to action stands alongside Christian confessions written in other times of crisis, such as the rise of Nazism (The Barmen Declaration, 1934), in the midst of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement (Letter from the Birmingham Jail, 1963), and during the struggle to end South African Apartheid (Kairos Document, 1985).
Over the years, the document and its authors, while demonized by some, have been gratefully embraced by many around the world, including by our own church leadership. In addition to educators on college and seminary campuses, persons in other settings of occupation, distress, poverty, and marginalization have embraced what is now referred to as “Kairos Theology.” In turn, the document and its supporters are nurturing a growing international movement, Global Kairos.
Kairos Palestine staff, board, and supporters lament the fact that too many Christians in the United States have adopted the heretical, political ideology of Christian Zionism, and too few of the rest of us have actually read the document and embraced its call for non-violent actions that will lead to peace. Please, read the document and support the No Way to Treat a Child campaign, which is consistent with Disciples and UCC policies.
Mission Partners in Israel/Palestine:
- B’Tselem
- Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees
- Diyar Consortium
- East Jerusalem YMCA (Palestine)
- Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI)
- Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
- Friends Meeting in Ramallah
- Kairos Palestine
- Rawdat el-Zuhur (Palestine)
- Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center (Jerusalem)
- Tantur Ecumenical Institute
- YWCA of Palestine (Palestine)
More information on Israel/Palestine: https://www.globalministries.org/israel_palestine
Global Ministries Mission Co-worker appointments are made possible by your gifts to Disciples Mission Fund, Our Church’s Wider Mission, WOC, OGHS, and your special gifts.