“We rely on people to come and see real life for us on the ground.” 

It was through heartfelt conversations around the living room table, surveying bullet-ridden refugee camps, and the Spirit’s leading that we experienced the Holy Lands through new eyes. We expected to retrace the footsteps of Christ, but we had no idea that we would be invited into the story. A monument stands in Bethlehem with the names of hundreds of children slaughtered by Israeli soldiers. "Rachel is weeping for her children" is eerily painted over camps. The land that was riddled with violence when our Savior entered the world, was resounding with the same story in the Palestinian community. Just as Mary and Joseph had to flee, families like the Ayesh family are exiles in their own land. Blood still cries out from the ground.

As we pondered these revelations, we asked ourselves the question, “could it be that in caring for these beloved communities we are tending to the wounds of the Christ”? 

In Luke 4:14–20, Jesus stood in these sacred lands proclaiming his mission to bring “freedom for the prisoners” and “to set the oppressed free”. Who are the oppressed or imprisoned people groups that our churches often overlook domestically and globally?

Prayerfully read these invitations and consider how might Christ be inviting you to respond:

1. “See” with New Eyes

If you plan on visiting the Holy Lands, we urge you to listen and experience the land with new eyes. Visit the West Bank, commune with Palestinian families over coffee, and leave any preconceived notions at the door. Christ views the Palestinian community as beloved daughters and sons of God, deserving of dignity and freedom; we are invited to do the same.

2. Start a Learning Group

Gather your friends or small group to learn more about the Palestinian occupation, give to organizations that invest in the wellbeing of the Palestinian community, start a prayer group, and commit to exploring some of the resources below as a community:

 MAPS OF THE VANISHING PALESTINE 

2020 MAPS OF THE PALESTINE & ISRAELI CONFLICT

DIVIDED JERUSALEM VIDEOS

A PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY OF LAND

PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE FOR PEACE

3. Vote for Compassion

We not only serve a God that cares for the oppressed but a refugee king that deeply identifies with these communities. Our prayer is that the people of God would rise up to radically seek shalom for all peoples, including precious children in United States detention centers, Black sisters and brothers, Native communities, and global neighbors (like the Ayesh family) living under occupation. In caring for the oppressed, we tend to the wounds of Christ. 

One of the ways we can directly impact is by exercising our privilege to vote, particularly those of us whose vote has international implications. A vote that many brothers and sisters are not afforded elsewhere.

For example, November 3, 2020 there is an election taking place in the USA that will significantly impact the lives of our global neighbors. The Trump Middle East Peace Plan signed on September 15, 2020, promises to redraw the boundaries reducing Palestinian land by 15%, giving large portions of Jerusalem and Jordan Valley to Israel. Additionally, the plan denies the internationally-recognized “Right of Return” to their homes for Palestinian refugees. This plan grants Israel sovereignty over illegal housing settlements in the West Bank and has potential to displace thousands of Palestinian refugees in UN camps. Trump’s agreement ignores the atrocities that Palestinians like the Ayesh family face and leaves these global neighbors with greater vulnerabilities. If you possess the freedom of the American vote, we urge you to wield that right compassionately, supporting candidates and policies that uphold liberation for the oppressed, care for vulnerable communities domestically and globally, and maintain the dignity of all peoples.