The View From Here

October 13, 2023

by Don Christensen

Dear Friends,

My heart is heavy. Since 1965-66, when I lived and worked with the YMCA in Israel, my life has been shaped by experiences and relationships with Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the Holy Land. I received their hospitality, friendship, and protection as well as witnessed their suffering and humiliation.

Presently, I serve on the steering committee of the UCC Palestine/Israel Network (UCCPIN). We are a group of pastors and lay persons committed to the peace with justice struggle for all Palestinians and Israelis. We are engaged in a campaign to invite local churches to declare themselves “Apartheid Free Congregations.” I see this as a natural extension of the racial justice work to which our MPUC congregation is deeply committed.

Meanwhile here is an excerpt from A Prayer for Peace in Israel and Palestine by Rose Marie Berger from the Sojourners Community that spoke to me:

God of Love,

We lift up Palestine and Israel – its people, its land, its creatures. War is a monster that consumes everything in its path. Peace is a gift shared at meals of memory with Christians, Muslims and Jews. Let us burn incense, not children. Let us break bread, not bodies. Let us plant olive groves, not cemeteries. We beg for love and compassion to prevail on all your holy mountains. Strengthen our faith in you, O God of All Flesh, even when we don’t have clear answers, so that we may still offer ourselves nonviolently for the cause of peace. AMEN

Finally, I call your attention to an ecumenical letter that the the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Church of Christ have signed and sent to congress.

Peace,

Don