WCC-EAPPI Easter Initiative 2022

God’s justice includes a safe and secure home for all people. During generations of exile in Babylon, the people of God turned to the words of Isaiah to comfort them with promises of home. Isaiah spoke of home not only as something from the past that was lost but also as a future reality, grounded in justice, righteousness, and peace. Home is a human right and something people around the world hold sacred. As Palestinians cry out for a homeland and for safe and secure homes, we reflect on God’s promises of home in every place, for every people.

God’s justice allows all people to worship God freely. Jerusalem is a sacred city for three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, all of whom worship the God of Abraham. Isaiah, recognized as a prophet by all three faiths, declares in this biblical text that the house of God is meant to be “a house of prayer for all peoples.” The multi-faith identity of Jerusalem and of Israel and Palestine as a whole is recognized by the state of Israel as well as the Palestinian community. However, despite Israel’s stated commitment to supporting freedom of worship for all three faiths, the reality is that access to worship is unequal, and significant obstacles exist for Christian and Muslim Palestinians who seek to worship in their sacred places. This year, as the Jewish observance of Pesach/Passover, Christians’ Holy Week and Easter, and the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims overlap, it is more important than ever to advocate for safe and secure access to worship for all residents of Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

God’s justice includes healthy families and communities. Families and communities exist to care for and support every generation, from the new-born child to the eldest member. Families and communities give us identity, teach us to live and love, and offer us a purpose and a place of belonging. Yet internal and external forces—war and violence, poverty, and disaster—can threaten families and communities. When families are separated, as many Palestinian families are, the whole community suffers. This is not God’s will. We are called to work together to build healthy families and communities for Palestinians and Israelis and for all people.

Each and every person has an identity. We may find our identity inherited from family or faith, or both. Christians believe that our identity is sacred because each of us is made in God’s image and given gifts and a purpose in the world. Yet even beyond the claims of faith, identity should be held and treated as sacred. While we may think of identity as a human trait, identity is not limited to the identity of people. Places and cities also have identities—such as Jerusalem, a city with a unique and sacred identity. 

Human dignity and life are not only sacred—in fact, respect for human life and dignity is a baseline for our humanity. As Palestinians, the word “dignity” reflects many aspects of life: our way of living, pride and commitment in our work, and a reputation of integrity and uprightness among everyone who knows us. However, when Palestinians are made to cross checkpoints or borders and treated with disrespect and even violence, we are literally de-humanized. The occupation threatens our sacred human right to life with dignity.

As Christians, we recognize that we are called to love God and to love our neighbours. Love for others cannot be limited to the level of speaking nice words; our love must extend to serious actions. Solidarity is sacred because it is the result of caring and responsible love. Solidarity is the kind of love that Jesus showed and that Jesus calls us to share with one another.