Israel and Hamas (Part 2)
Many of us have been deeply disturbed by the stories and images coming from Israel and Gaza. We have heard our leaders condemn the violence perpetrated by Hamas and heard leaders condemn the staggering toll of suffering in Gaza with over 10,000 people who have died. This conflict raises a lot of questions. How do we respond as people of Christian Faith? I’d like to share the words of two leaders I have found helpful. The first is a prayer from Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger.
A PRAYER FOR ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN SOLIDARITY
Our Father in heaven,
Creator of all humanity,
Whose mercies are upon all His creatures and Whose love is withheld from none.
Who has sanctified the Holy Land from the River to the Sea and placed here both Palestinians and Israelis, Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Let our unique and particular covenants with You never blind us to Your love of all Your creatures. May our love of You, of our nation and of the land, never prevent us from loving the other peoples of this land of Yours, and may it never prevent us from honoring their love of this land.
Help us to break free of the hubris of exclusivity that imprisons us in a narrow perspective and allows us to be concerned only about our own.
Help us to heal our suspicions, fears, and hatreds
and to aspire towards harmony and brotherhood.
Help us to fully see the humanity of all
and to expand our concern, our identities and the circles of our love to embrace all the peoples of this land.
Help us to remember that our fates are intertwined and that our destiny is to live together; that one people’s pain, suffering, loss or restriction will only bring the same for the other;
and that the welfare and the happiness of one depends on the welfare and the happiness of the other.
Elevate our wills
to desire for the other
what we desire for our own people.
Grant us the courage and the strength
to join forces to search together
and to dedicate ourselves
to the implementation of the common good of all the peoples of this land of Yours.
In this way may we bring joy to Your land and gladness to Your city, and may You look favorably upon us and bless us all with peace. Amen.
The second thing I’d like to share are the encouraging words and thoughtful resources from our Bishop Tom Berlin.
Dear Friends,
As the Israel-Hamas war rages and continues to impact the Middle East, I am sure you are dealing with questions... This is a turbulent topic, and often divisive. We want to speak pastorally and help people consider world events in the light of our faith in Christ and his Lordship. I want to share some thoughts that may assist you and provide some resources that I have found helpful. You will find links below to videos related to the history of Israel and Palestine, a resource that Wesley Theological Seminary shared last week, the statement of the Council of Bishops that was released on October 9, 2023, and a prayer related to peace written by a Rabbi that was shared with clergy from The Florida Conference who were in Palestine earlier this year studying conflict resolution.
For those of you doing this work, I offer some thoughts that I hope will assist you.
Be informed – Find dependable sources of news that offer facts about this conflict, both the deaths and harm inflicted to Israelis by a Hamas surprise attack and the war that has consequently resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians. Educate yourself about historic realities behind this conflict as well as what has happened since early October.
Talk to people who are from the region or who have family and friends there and listen to how they are experiencing the pain of this conflict. Relational work will inform your conversations and allow you to understand perspectives of those whose lives are more directly impacted by these events.
Acknowledge the complexity and the pain of this war. Be present with people in this complexity and resist the urge to make a difficult topic sound like it is simple. There will be no simple solutions to end this war, and many more will suffer the loss of life, health, and property before it is over. In the way of Christ, we can be empathetic to the grief God must feel in the wake of such loss and harm of God’s children.
Use “I” statements and questions to help people think beyond a singular perspective: “I wonder what I would want my country to do if a group invaded with no warning and killed so many innocent people?” “I wonder what I would do if my children did not have access to drinking water, food or needed medical care?”
Keep Jesus as Lord of the conversation. It is easy for people to think more about their opinions, experience of anger, and even a desire of retribution over the losses in Israel and Palestine and less about the commandments of Christ related to the way we are called to live, speak, and treat other persons. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and calls us to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9; Matthew 5:38-48).
This is a time to pray and act in ways informed by prayer. There is a great deal to pray for, including hostages still at risk, civilians in harm’s way, the grief of those who have lost loved ones, those who await news of those who are missing, and care for the wounded. We pray for children who fear for their lives amidst the sounds of war around them. We pray for the leaders of countries involved in this conflict and for world leaders who work for its just resolution. It is helpful when the church models this behavior in worship. People can then act, contacting elected officials, being generous to those providing aid and care, and doing what the Holy Spirit leads them to offer at this time.
I pray for God to give you wisdom and know that you work to be a blessing to everyone you serve and those in the interfaith community where you live.
In Christ,
Bishop Tom Berlin
LINKS:
The Israel-Palestine Conflict: a brief, simple history
United Methodist Church Bishops condemn violence in Middle East; call for prayer, action
"A Prayer for Israeli-Palestinian Solidarity" by Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger
Video from Wesley Theological Seminary related to war between Israel and Hamas
