Lutherans Urged to Pray and Fast for the Middle East
Lutheran leadership in Palestine urged fellow protestant Christians around the world to join with the world’s Catholics – at least when it comes to prayer and fasting for the Middle East.
Lutheran leadership in Palestine urged fellow protestant Christians around the world to join with the world’s Catholics – at least when it comes to prayer and fasting for the Middle East.
On Dec. 20, 2004, the Palestinian Lutheran Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan asked global Lutheran communion partners to support the initiative of Roman Catholic bishops in the Middle East and Africa to observe Wednesday, December 22 as a day of fasting and prayer for Israel and Palestine, according to the Lutheran World Communion.
The Lutheran World Communion (LWF), of which Younan’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan (ELCJ) takes part, is the largest umbrella organization for any one Protestant denomination; LWF has 138 member churches in 77 countries and has a membership count of 65 million.
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Younan explained that in light of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Christians must do more as the world’s peacemakers.
"If all the churches of the world recognize their duty toward the Holy Land, and if they all join together in common and concerted action to sensitize their governments, their people and the international community, their intervention will become a decisive factor in the attainment of justice, peace and reconciliation in the Holy Land," he explained.
Younan’s call reflected that of the Roman Catholic Bishops, who on Oct. 11-16 called on Christians worldwide to “do more” to show their commitment for peace in the Holy Land.
Meanwhile, in his statement, Younan reminded his fellow Lutherans to be sensitive to all sides of the conflict.
"We do not call you to take one side against the other. On the contrary, we want you to help both sides find the way to reconciliation,” he said, adding that the situation has caused pain to all inhabitants. "The situation has dragged on for many years now, and requires, today more than ever, action to put an end to the sufferings of all inhabitants of this land, Jews, Christians and Muslims, who have become equally incapable of ending the conflict, fettered as they are in a spiral of cruel and irrational violence."
Younan concluded his call with a reminder of the peaceful scenery of the Advent season.
“We believe that the babe of the manger in Bethlehem will hear the yearnings of every suffering person and will transform the hearts and minds of peoples and politicians toward justice, peace, forgiveness and reconciliation for Christ is our only hope in our troubled Middle East,”
Lutherans and Catholics in recent years have undergone several levels of fellowship to strengthen the relationship by focusing on similarities rather than differences. Just last month, the two groups celebrated the 5th year anniversary of the signing of a landmark document on Justification.
