The much-loved story of the Prodigal Son has inspired literature and art for two thousand years. We love to read about our God, so generous that nothing—not even total rejection of God and all the ways God would have us live—can cut us off from God’s unfailing love and mercy. No matter how far we stray from what God has intended for us, God will always welcome us back. All we need to do is return, turn toward God (“turning” is the definition of repentance); the door is always open. It’s interesting that the prodigal son had not reformed his life; he had not gotten his life together. He returned at the lowest moment, when he had lost everything. And this darkest moment is precisely when God welcomed him back with a lavish party, an extravagantly abundant celebration.
How different this notion of God is from the God who punishes evildoers by rewarding suicide bombers with a special place of honor in heaven; or the God who has promised all of the land, from the Euphrates to the sea, to descendants of the Israelites who practice one particular form of religion. How large and grand God seems in the story of the Prodigal Son; how tiny the God of the young man who walked into the Park Hotel in Netanya and killed 30 people with his suitcase-full of bombs, or the settler attacking schoolchildren on their way to school in the Hebron hills…..or the God who smiles upon American hegemony in the world, for that matter.
The signers of the Kairos Palestine document know a very large, generous, abundant God. The God of this document, “A Moment of Truth, a Word of Faith, Hope and Love from the Heart of Palestinian Suffering” is the prodigal God of our story today. Palestinian Christian leaders of thirteen denominations issued their call to the world in this document on December 15, 2009. It calls upon the international community and, in particu
lar, the church community, to recognize their complicity in the occupation of Palestine and to take action and stand against this occupation that is causing so much suffering and despair.Photo: signers of Kairos Palestine, Lutheran Bishop Mounib Younan, second from left
Like the South African Kairos Document issued by church leaders in 1985, the Palestinian church leaders hope that this document will begin discussion in churches around the world, encouraging them to talk about the injustice of the 43-year occupation of Palestine by Israel. The document calls the military occupation of their land a sin and defines true Christian theology as “a theology of love and solidarity with the oppressed, a call to justice and equality among peoples.”
The document begins with a list of ways that the occupation is making life unlivable for Palestinians and discusses the ways Israel’s actions violate international law. Proclaiming, “The land has a universal mission,” the document sets forth the theological and biblical understandings that shaped their statement. It identifies signs of hope and proclaims a prophetic mission for the church, “to speak the Word of God courageously, honestly and lovingly in the local context and in the midst of daily events.” Finally, it looks to the future with faith and hope.
Do we believe we are created in the image of God, or do we imagine a God created in our own image? How is God looking at the lives of Palestinians and Israelis, two peoples in one land, suffering the effects of sixty years of war and terror? What is God doing there today, and what would God have us do?
These church leaders invite us, “Come and see.” They promise to welcome us as pilgrims. They invite us to “know the facts and the people of this land, Palestinians and Israelis alike,” and “to see the face of God in each one of God’s creatures.”
And they look to the future: “In the absence of all hope, we cry out our cry of hope. We believe in God, good and just. We believe that God’s goodness will finally triumph over the evil of hate and of death that still persist in our land. We will see here "a new land" and "a new human being", capable of rising up in the spirit to love each one of his or her brothers and sisters.”
AMEN!
Read about the document: http://www.aaper.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=quIXL8MPJpE&b=5492575&content_id=%7bCE92264D-510D-419B-9524-93966890E472%7d¬oc=1
View the document itself: http://www.kairospalestine.ps/sites/default/Documents/English.pdf
O God, you welcome us home with a love so much greater than anything we can imagine. We have sinned against heaven and before you. We are no longer worthy to be called your sons and daughters. Yet you throw open doors of exclusivity and shame, and you welcome ALL who enter, without judgment or conditions. Help us, who have been created in your image, to follow your example of extravagant love. By your generous welcome, break down our barriers of fear and shatter our so-carefully-guarded opinions. Give us courage to use our own prophetic voices in your work of reconciling the world. Amen.
If you would like to accept these Christian leaders’ invitation to “come and see,” think about making your own pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There are many opportunities, and we have a group going from the Rocky Mountain Synod. Check it out: http://www.pilgrimageholyland.blogspot.com/
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