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“HOPE”
by Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour

 

“Like living stones
let yourselves be built into
a spiritual house.”

1 Peter 2.5

Living stones...
It is common for the Christian community in Palestine, Israel, and other parts of the Middle East to refer to themselves as “the living stones.” This phrase is meant to convey the fact that these communities trace themselves all the way back to the earliest churches and very first disciples of Jesus in the land in which he lived, and died, and rose again.

  • This cycle of prayer is produced jointly by the Churches Beyond Borders Communion (CBB), The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and The Episcopal Church (TEC).

  • Find prayers for each day throughout the season of Advent for specific congregations, ministries, and outreach initiatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (EDJ).

  • On the four Sundays of Advent, the prayers are those written personally by
    the Presiding/National/Primatial bishops of the 4 churches,
    focusing on themes of:

      • Truth,

      • Justice,

      • Peace, and

      • Hope. 


 

This Advent, as we prepare to welcome Christ anew
into our fragile world, 
let us uphold our siblings in faith--
the living stones who may be shaken now,
but, in Christ,
whose faith will not be moved.

 

 

2023 Advent Cycle of Prayer for Churches in the Holy Land & the Middle East