Lent & Easter


SERMONS

God Is Breaking In, by Mark Braverman, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Holy Thursday, April 24, 2014
The message of the risen Christ is that God has changed, God is doing something new and unprecedented. So also with the message of Pentecost, a call to a radical reorientation, a change of heart and mind. Jesus’ appearance on earth, his resurrection, the arrival of the Holy Spirit – all are kairos moments, God breaking into history and challenging his people to hear a new message. The message of Kairos Palestine challenges the Church today theologically and politically, a challenge to bring about the kingdom of God here on earth.
The Elephant in the Room, by Mark Braverman, St. Johns Episcopal Church of Georgetown, March 30, 2008
The Easter experience is about waking up, being reborn from a previous existence and transformed. That requires true seeing and believing, the heart of the religious experience. The Christian scriptures that blame the Jews for Jesus death is the elephant we don’t want to deal with, for they have been the source of much persecution.  We have lived for millennia with the consequences of both anti-Judaic scriptures and the first century struggle between the Jews who became Jesus’ followers and those who would not. Today Israel has lost its way and needs to return to the messages of the prophets, to have their eyes opened and to see with their hearts, to remember the lessons of Passover, and to embrace the challenge of Jesus the Jew, the man, the prophet.


DEVOTIONAL & STUDY MATERIALS

Kairos Palestine Lent/Easter Resource 2019

For Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, focusing on a different issue for each day, highlighting the deep impact of the Israeli occupation on all levels of life in Jerusalem.
By Kairos Palestine View and download

Kairos Palestine Lent/Easter Resource 2018
This year the Easter Alert sheds light and raises awareness about the deteriorating situation – not only during Easter time – to show the urgency of the situation in Palestine, especially Jerusalem and to encourage Parishes, laypersons and clergy all around the world to remember this season that marks the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. By Kairos Palestine View and download

Kairos Palestine Lent/Easter Resource 2016
We begin a year of preparation towards the Jubilee year of 50 years of occupation. The reflections and articles in the Easter Alert can be a tool for your  work of advocacy within your church and community circles. View and download

Kairos Palestine Lent/Easter Resource 2015
Seven weeks of reflections on the meaning of the Easter message and the realities of life for Palestinians today. By Kairos Palestine  View and download

Find all of Kairos Palestine’s Christmas and Easter Alerts at their website.


Lent 2017: What Would They Say Now?

Produced by FOSNA’s theology committee, this Lenten Study for 2017 includes six reflections.  It journeys through the Scriptures, exploring the experiences of particular Biblical characters—Abraham, King Hezekiah, the exiled community in Babylon, Mary of Nazareth, the Magi journeying to Bethlehem, and Jesus on the Mount of Olives—and pondering the similarities and differences between the “then” and the “now” in each sacred location. Includes photos, discussion questions and opportunities for action. View and download


Reflection for Lent 2016
An introduction to the days of Lent from longtime Palestinian peace activist and Christian leader Nora Carmi. Nora’s reflection on the potential Lent holds for us—rooted in scripture and based on the faith of the “living stones” of Palestinian Christians—challenges us to commit to making God’s Land “a promising land where the oppressed are liberated and the oppressor regains, once more, his humanity.” By Nora Carmi
  View and download


Holding Our Hurting Hearts: Lectionary Meditations for Lent 2016
Powerful and heartfelt meditations on the gospel readings for each of the six Sundays of Lent, offered as inspiration for preaching, teaching, and praying, in hopes we “may touch the boundless divine yearning for justice, woven into Creation and into humanity by the One who made us.” By Rev. Diane Dulin
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Devotional for Lent 2015
Reflections from United Methodists serving in Israel/Palestine. Shared by the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem

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Devotional for Holy Week 2015
Reflections from United Methodists serving in Palestine and Israel.
Shared by the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem View and download


PRAYERS, LITANIES, LITURGIES

A Litany for Holy Week 2014: Troubling Days in Jerusalem
A responsive litany appropriate for Palm Sunday or any day of Holy Week, connecting the drama of the first Holy Week to current realities in Jerusalem.
By Rev. Diane Dulin

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