United Methodists are responding to Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth ,a statement of faith and urgent call to action from Christians in Palestine. UMKR seeks, through nonviolent means and in partnership with Palestinian Christians, freedom, justice and equality for all Palestinians and Israelis.
Education Worship & Devotional Resources
DEVOTIONS AND STUDY MATERIALS
MFSA Advent Reflections by UMKR Contributors
MFSA Advent Devotion 2023 - Week 1
By Jonathan Brenneman
Seeking God in a Time of Genocide
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.
Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:16-18
This is how the “Christmas story” ends (in Matthew), with the death of every male child in Bethlehem. Amidst the exaltations of “Peace on Earth” and “Hosanna;” the gifts of the magi, and the elation of the shepherds, it is easy to miss the devastating political situation that surrounds the birth of Jesus.
The story (in Luke) begins with a pregnant teenager forced to give birth far from home due to the whims of an Emperor. It ends with the holy family fleeing as refugees to Egypt and a massacre against the children of Bethlehem.
As a Palestinian, looking at this story amidst the ongoing genocide of our people in Gaza, these aspects of the story resonate too well. As of my writing, nearly 5,500 children have been killed by the Israeli bombing. We don’t know how many will die of hunger and thirst, because Israel has not allowed food or water to the million people they have made homeless. (Written prior to the four day truce that was just negotiated on Friday, November 24 and the current 2 day extension.) There are 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza. half of them have lost their homes to Israeli bombs. They have had to flee. In the damaged and under-resourced hospitals, there are no beds left among the tens of thousands of injured people. Many of these women will be giving birth with no clean water, no food, no shelter, and no safe hospital. They are in a situation like Mary, having to birth in an unfamiliar and unsafe place. Read more
MFSA Advent Devotion 2022 - Week 5
By Rev. Lenore Hosier
"While I had passed through Beit Sahour on my earlier trips to Palestine, it was on my trip in 2009 when I went with Global Ministries as one of our conference Mission Ambassadors where I was first introduced to the reality “on the ground” in that little town bordering up against Bethlehem. As part of our immersion experience, I was dropped off at the home of a local Palestinian Christian family to enjoy true Middle Eastern hospitality as I stayed in their home for the night. I confess, it was intimidating to go alone into a home in a strange town with people who seemed so different than those back home. I was not even sure if I would be able to communicate since I did not speak Arabic. There we sat, me with the husband, wife and five children from infant to teen, not quite sure where to begin. What began with food around their kitchen table, though, turned into laughter and stories that lasted well into the night." Read more
MFSA Advent Devotional 2021 - Week 2
By Rev. John Wagner
"Scrooge’s goodhearted nephew Fred has come to his uncle’s office to wish him a happy Christmas. Scrooge calls Christmas a “humbug” and angrily declares it has no real meaning and no real value. Fred responds that for him it is a sacred time, but also “a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time” and the only season, “when... one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely” and remember how we are all “fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.” Of course, by the end of the story, Scrooge is completely won over to Fred’s point of view, in large measure because he is given the extraordinary opportunity to peer into the lives of those who were previously invisible to him. He now sees their well-being as intimately connected to his." Read more
MFSA Advent Devotional 2020 - Week 2
By Rev. Alex Awad
"Embedded in Luke’s narrative of the events that lead to the birth of our Lord (Luke 1:67-78) are some inspiring songs that were sung by men and women who anticipated the incarnation of the Messiah. One such song is Zechariah’s psalm. He sang it immediately after the birth of his son, John, who was later called John the Baptizer. Although this was a song of praise and thanksgiving for the birth of the child, the song also provides insight into the religious and political conditions of Zechariah’s time. In addition, the song expresses the profound yearnings for salvation, freedom, peace, and justice felt by the Jews of that era." Read more
MFSA Advent Devotional 2019 - Week 4
by Bridget Cabrera
"Over Thanksgiving and the whole first week of December, I had the opportunity to attend the 10th Anniversary of the Kairos Document and the International Sabeel Conference in Bethlehem, Palestine. We started with the 10th anniversary of the Kairos Document. Written by Palestinian Christians and entitled “Kairos: A moment of truth,” the document is a word of faith hope and love from the heart of Palestinian suffering. The writers of the document introduce themselves, “We are a Christian Palestinian movement, born out of the Kairos Document, which advocates for ending the Israeli occupation and achieving a just solution to the conflict. The Kairos Document is the word of Christian Palestinians to the world about what is happening in Palestine. Our word is a cry of hope, with love, prayer, and faith in God. We address it first of all to ourselves and then to all the churches and Christians in the world, asking them to stand against injustice and apartheid, urging them to work for a just peace.” Read more
MFSA Advent Devotional 2018 - Week 2
by Giselle Lawn
"This is my first Advent season living in Palestine, more specifically the West Bank, Bethlehem in particular. Experiencing Christmas in Bethlehem this year may be the best Christmas yet for me. During this week of Advent, making my own preparations for Christmas, I visited the community of Ein Karem, situated to the west, but near, in the hills between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Ein Karem is where Mary came to visit and stay with her cousin Elizabeth while both were pregnant. Here, John the Baptist was born and subsequently hid while Herod's soldiers were killing all males under the age of two. Also, this week in Bethlehem, I visited the Milk Grotto Church. Only a five-minute walk from Nativity Church, site of Christ's birth, the Milk Grotto Church sits over the location (grotto, cave) where the Holy Family took refuge (also hiding from Herod's soldiers) prior to their flight to Egypt. This church gets its name from the tradition that Mary breastfed Jesus while here and when her milk fell onto the rock, the rock became white in color. During this Advent, it is noteworthy to me that even before John or Jesus could live into and fulfill their ministries, their families were experiencing life under oppressors, occupiers and the powerful." Read more
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for the Advent and Christmas season
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See the menu for this collection on the right ►
The Kairos Palestine Document and study materials
Read and discuss the document that has galvanized Christians throughout the world and sparked movements in over 20 countries
Our movement, United Methodist Kairos Response (UMKR), is named for the landmark document - Kairos Palestine: A Moment of Truth - launched from Bethlehem in December 2009. Kairos Palestine has been called the "Letter from Birmingham Jail" of our time. In this document, along with their profound statement of faith and vivid description of life under a brutal military occupation, the Christians of the Holy Land have asked for meaningful action that will help to end the Israeli occupation and achieve equality and justice for all the people of Israel-Palestine.
See the document and study materials from several sources, on our website
More devotions and study materials from Kairos Palestine will be posted in September and October 2024
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Advent & Apartheid: A Three-Part Study
From the Apartheid-Free Communities campaign:
https://apartheid-free.org
We are at a moment in history when a growing number of networks are using the word apartheid to describe the on the ground realities of Palestinians - in the past few years many human rights organizations (US, Israel, Palestine, international), as well as new outlets and denominations are naming apartheid – and we recognize that Palestinians have long named their reality as apartheid. With our commitments to justice, liberation and challenging all forms of racism, it is so important for us to take seriously the charge of apartheid and what it means to continue to work for the liberation of our siblings in Palestine and Israel.
This three-week study is based upon A Dossier on Israeli Apartheid, by Kairos Palestine and Global Kairos for Justice (with contributions from FOSNA Executive Director Jonathan Kuttab). This study was developed by Rev. Dr. Allison Tanner, National Organizer for the Apartheid-Free Communities campaign.
Week 1: Apartheid and the Palestinian Experience
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/605b9c30759b851bb093a7b1/t/6517211d61735f6c93b2b176/1696014621850/Apartheid+Advent+Week+1.pdf
Presentation Slides, Advent specific
https://www.fosna.org/s/Advent-Apartheid-BS-1.pptx
Week 2: Biblical and Theological Reflections
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/605b9c30759b851bb093a7b1/t/6517212992316677fa61d803/1696014633466/Apartheid+Advent+Week+2.pdf
Week 3: Faithful Responses
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/605b9c30759b851bb093a7b1/t/6517212f42f8226d2b35ef87/1696014639546/Apartheid+Advent+Week+3.pdf
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Cornerstone Magazine
Issue 86, Christmas 2023
Includes:
Christmas Amidst Massacres
by Samuel S. Munayer
Do Not Be Afraid! A Palestinian Reflection on Advent
by Shadia Qubti
Immanuel Born in Gaza: Re-Reading the Christmas Story
by Yousef AlKhouri
Standing in the Furnace Against the Tyrant:
Christmas in Palestine
by John S. Munayer and Samuel S. Munayer
Justice and Repentance:
Reflections on the Palestinian Christian Call for Repentance
by Tony Deik
See this issue of the magazine
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An Advent Guide with Reflections on Palestine/Israel
from the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network (PIEN), Australia
Each week during Advent, read firsthand accounts from recently returned Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) of their experiences during their deployment with the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (WCC-EAPPI). Along with their stories and photos are bible readings, further resources and prayers to offer. We encourage you to use these prayers and reflections for your own Advent journey and to share with others.
EAs deploy for three-month placements, living alongside vulnerable Palestinian communities and bear witness to the communities’ suffering. They work alongside an international Christian network standing in solidarity with people of all faiths, building the foundations for justice and peace in Palestine and Israel.
Together at this exceptionally challenging time let us journey alongside people in the Holy Land who are suffering today in the land which embeds the footsteps of Jesus.
This is not an official EAPPI document. Opinions expressed herein represent the opinions of the EAs involved and do not necessarily represent the views of the EAPPI program or the World Council of Churches.
This resource is produced by the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network (PIEN) with assistance from returned EA Rev Dr Helen Richmond. PIEN is a network of Australian Christians and supporters who are seeking a lasting peace in Palestine and Israel.
See this resource and download it
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Kairos Palestine Christmas Alerts, 2013-2023
Every year, Kairos Palestine - the Palestinian Christian movement that brought the world the Kairos Palestine document - publishes a collection of timely devotions and reflections for each Sunday in Advent.
2013 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert 2014 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert
2014 Liturgical Supplement for KP Christmas Alert
2015 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert 2016 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert
2017 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert 2018 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert
2019 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert 2020 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert
2021 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert 2022 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert
2023 Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert
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ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS SEASON COLLECTION
1. Prayer and Liturgy -go there
2. Sermons and Reflections -go there
3. Music and Song - go there
4. Devotions and Study Materials - on this page, see below
5. Statements - go there
See an abundance of Prayers related to the Holy Land here
See other Worship and Devotional resources here