The Women of the ELCJHL gathered together for Advent with conversation over lunch, time for study and reflection, with singing and with prayer. (©ELCJHL/E.McHan)
JERUSALEM, December 13, 2010 – On Saturday, December 11, the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) came together for an Advent gathering. Forty-five women, representing ELCJHL congregations in Beit Sahour, Beit Jala, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Jerusalem, were able to attend.
The afternoon began with conversation over lunch at the Knight’s Palace Hotel in the Old City of Jerusalem, followed by a time of study and reflection on Elizabeth and Mary–strong and faithful witnesses.
Suad Younan walked with the women through the first chapter of Luke, focusing on the dialogues between the angel Gabriel and Zechariah, between Elizabeth and Mary, and surrounding the naming of John.
Bishop Younan spoke of Elizabeth’s patience and trust in God in the midst of her barrenness, and lifted her up with the saints as a witness to the gospel in the world. Not only for her time, but for our time. Bishop Younan called those present to live in Elizabeth’s patience and to cling to our common evangelical witness.
The meeting closed in candlelight with singing and with prayer.
Bishop Younan sent special greetings to the women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Amman, Jordan, who were unable to participate in the gathering, and expressed his hope that all of the congregations would be able participate as one in the future.
Walk with the ELCJHL and the Church of Sweden this Advent!
Click on the image to visit the Advent Calendar and walk with us this season!
The ELCJHL, together with the Church of Sweden, invites you to walk with them this Advent. Their online Advent Calendar, “Fear builds walls – Hope builds bridges” includes daily Advent “You-Tube” greetings from young people in Palestine and Sweden
In their own words:
“This is an Advent calendar about hope and future. Young persons in Bethlehem, Palestine, and Vasteras, Sweden, tell about their daily life, their dreams and thoughts.
The whole idea came up last year when a Palestinian pastor told a group of Swedish visitors about his work among youth. He told that when you grow up behind a wall, the most important is to be able to see the ”windows” in the Wall. To see possibilities, to try to understand the fear that builds walls and to realize that you have friends on the other side of the wall. That is the only way to tear down walls. The only way to build peace.
For those who listened the idea started to grow, let us make an Advent Calendar where we try to make windows in the wall that surrounds Bethlehem. To show that we want that wall to be torn down, but also to show that all walls between people can be torn down. It is the story of love and reconciliation by telling others your story. Just to show that we all are equal.
In this calendar you meet young people from Palestine and Sweden. They all have their rights to dream about a good future. This is also the message of Advent, we wait for a better world to come!”
The calendar is produced in cooperation between the Diocese of Vasteras, Church of Sweden, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy land, ELCJHL, Bethlehem Media Centre of the ICB at Bethlehem and John Bauergymnasiet in Vasteras.
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