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.
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MFSA Lenten Devotions
​by UMKR contributors
​See MFSA's Advent reflections related to Palestine/Israel in ourAdvent and Christmas collection
MFSA Lenten Devotion 2024 - Week 3
By M. Theresa Basile
The season of Lent: in many of the places we live, natural light dims in this time of year, and that fits this liturgical season well. It is traditionally a time of fasting and a season for silence and introspection.
In this Lenten season of 2024, the darkness and the silence seem more poignant, particularly when our minds turn to Palestine/Israel, as news reports ensure they will. There is the terrible silence from tens of thousands killed who can no longer call out to us and the laughter we will never hear again from 12,000 children. Twelve thousand children. And rising.
There should also be cries and screams breaking into our Lenten contemplation, from the traumatized and terrified, begging for the world to hear them and see them, find them worthy to live, worthy of our notice, our love, our protection. Read more​​
MFSA Lenten Devotion 2022 - Week 2
By J. Paula Roderick
​"About 2 weeks ago, I received a simple request from Methodists for Social Action -. would I be willing to do a reflection for Lent- sharing about how my faith informs and drives my political and social justice work? How do I view my justice work as an expression of my faith? I was daunted by the task: not because I don’t engage in political and social justice actions, I do. But, in my mind, social justice actions often take place outside of church. In the busyness of the days and week, I go to church for prayer and serenity; but more often than not, I organize within progressive groups who are more concerned with action, with creating change.
....This Lenten season, I’m setting an intention to start each morning in prayerful reflection, to bring to God in faith the matters that I feel so passionate I give my time to throughout the month. More than the daily prayer that opens my day, I’m talking about being intentional with each group, or issue, or problem that calls me to do justice work. Here’s what my first few days or so look like: " Read more
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MFSA Lenten Devotion 2019 - Week 5
By Lisa Bender
"Jesus wept. Luke 19:41 is the shortest, but one of the most powerful verses in the Bible. Jesus continues to weep today - over the treatment of LGBTQIA+ persons in our denomination, the caging of asylum seekers under a bridge, the threat of climate change, and racism ingrained in our institutions.
Jesus also continues to weep over Jerusalem, as I discovered during my first visit to the Holy Land in 2012. That is when I came to fully understand the plight of Palestinian Christians who live under a harsh and unjust Israeli military occupation.
Our son Nick was living in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, Palestine, while volunteering at the Quaker Friends School. To reach his apartment, we drove a car with the right color license plates, so we could have access to the segregated roads Palestinians cannot use and get into the many areas of Israel and the West Bank that Palestinians may not go." Read more
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MFSA Advent Devotions related to Israel/Palestine can be found with our Advent and Christmas collection
Go to our Faith Life Home Page
​See many resources for the Advent and Christmas season
See prayers and more in our section for the War of 2023-24
See prayers and personal support during the Covid-19 pandemic
Scroll down this page to see these resources related to Palestine/Israel:
• Lent/Holy Week
• Pentecost
• Litanies and liturgies
• Prayers and poems
• Sermons
• Music and choral materials
In the column on the right, see MFSA Lent and Advent Devotions by UMKR contributors​
Prayer for Palestine
A beautiful song written and composed by United Methodist Ed Darling. UMKR is grateful to receive this submission.
Click here to download the sheet music​
​​Songs by Garth Hewitt
Garth Hewitt (photo, right) is an English songwriter and musician and an Anglican priest. An active supporter of the Palestinian solidarity movement and has written and performed many songs about Palestine. See the playlist "Palestine is Calling" on his Youtube channel:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgojc6cyuz0NmCD3tqBK296NmAHV2Wehf&si=OVVTZtN8Tyf5r2vH
His songs include: My Name is Palestine, ​Cry for Hope, Where is the Land of Palestine, Lament for Gaza and more
​Faith Life Assorted Resources
See MFSA Lenten Devotions related to Israel/Palestine on the right »»
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​​For the Advent and Christmas season, we have a special collection:
Go there
See also: We have many beautiful prayers more in our website section
​on the War in Palestine/Israel 2023-24 Go there
​Lent 2017: What Would They Say Now? | View PDF
Produced by FOSNA's theology committee, this Lenten Study for 2017 includes six reflections It journeys through the Scriptures, exploring the experiences of particular Biblical characters—Abraham, King Hezekiah, the exiled community in Babylon, Mary of Nazareth, the Magi journeying to Bethlehem, and Jesus on the Mount of Olives—and pondering the similarities and differences between the “then” and the “now” in each sacred location. Includes photos, discussion questions and opportunities for action.
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Reflection for Lent 2016 | View PDF
An introduction to the days of Lent from longtime Palestinian peace activist and Christian leader Nora Carmi. Nora’s reflection on the potential Lent holds for us—rooted in scripture and based on the faith of the “living stones” of Palestinian Christians—challenges us to commit to making God’s Land “a promising land where the oppressed are liberated and the oppressor regains, once more, his humanity.” By Nora Carmi
Holding Our Hurting Hearts: Lectionary Meditations for Lent 2016 | View PDF
Powerful and heartfelt meditations on the gospel readings for each of the six Sundays of Lent, offered as inspiration for preaching, teaching, and praying, in hopes we “may touch the boundless divine yearning for justice, woven into Creation and into humanity by the One who made us.”
By Rev. Diane Dulin
A Litany for Holy Week: Troubling Days in Jerusalem | View PDF
A responsive litany appropriate for Palm Sunday or any day of Holy Week, connecting the drama of the first Holy Week to current realities in Jerusalem. By Rev. Diane Dulin
Devotional for Lent 2015 | View PDF
Reflections from United Methodists serving in Palestine and Israel, shared by the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem.
Devotional for Holy Week 2015 | View PDF
Reflections from United Methodists serving in Palestine and Israel, shared by the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem.
Pentecost
Litany of Spirit and Solidarity for Pentecost | View PDF
A responsive litany that uses Pentecost passages from Acts 2 for contemporary solidarity and spirit. By Rev. Diane Dulin
Litanies and liturgies
The Gaza Bombardment of 2014: It is Now A Year Later… | View PDF
A responsive litany of lament, confession, and Palestinian resilience on the anniversary of Israel’s brutal 2014 attack on Gaza. By Rev. Diane Dulin
Litany of Kairos Questions | View PDF
A responsive litany patterned after the Sermon on the Mount, raising common questions and misguided understandings about Palestine and providing replies. By Rev. Diane Dulin
Liturgy of Public Resistance: The Wall Will Fall | View PDF
Designed for use during the 2015 World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel but appropriate at any time; it uses passages from Kairos Palestine to highlight the destructive impacts of the Separation Wall. By Rev. Diane Dulin
Prayers and Poems
A New Song Even Though | View PDF
A poem prayer for World Communion Sunday written in the midst of violence and despair.
By Rev. Loren McGrail
Church of the Checkpoint |View PDF
A description of Checkpoint 300 between Bethlehem and Jerusalem and a prayer for use there, along with other suggestions for public worship at the site. By Rev. Diane Dulin
I Allowed Myself | View PDF
A poem lamenting the heartbreaking death of a small infant. By Rev. Loren McGrail
Prayer for Hem of His Garment | View PDF
A prayer based on Mark 5:21-43, calling forth the courage required for dreaming, hoping, and reaching out for wholeness or for justice. By Rev. Loren McGrail
Sermons
Rebuke, Disrupt, Shout | View PDF
A sermon based on Matthew 25:14-30, presenting the Parable of the Talents as a lesson about power, greed, and corruption. By Rev. Loren McGrail
Music and Song
Build Us a Table | View PDF
Composer Lori True calls this song “musical preaching.” Words by Ruth C. Duck speak of the inclusiveness of the Eucharist and include a call to tear down walls that “keep the world from our eyes and our heart.”
O Spirit of Peace/Yarabba Ssalami | View PDF
A Taizé-style song written by an anonymous Palestinian author and used by Christian churches in Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon during the passing of the peace. The words call for peace to come to every heart and to the land.
Many commonly used hymnals and supplements contain songs that would be very appropriate for a worship focus on Palestine. In The United Methodist Hymnal, possibilities include “What Does the Lord Require of You” and “This Is My Song”; look in the topic index under Justice or Social Concerns for others. In “The Faith We Sing, “We Are Called” and “The Summons” are often used. In the UCC’s New Century Hymnal, look under Peace or Freedom and Liberation.