As we prepare to celebrate of the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, we pray as David did in Psalm 104: “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” We pray for his Spirit to renew us, to renew our communities of faith, and to renew His entire creation.

Dear brothers and sisters,

 

As we prepare to celebrate of the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, we pray as David did in Psalm 104:  “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.”  We pray for his Spirit to renew us, to renew our communities of faith, and to renew His entire creation. 

 

In His enduring faithfulness, the Lord’s promise to Isaiah rings true within our suffering community of faith, the few remaining Christians in the Holy Land, and to our work at the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation in bringing to light and in truth their situation to Christians around the world.

 

“For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great tenderness I will take you back.

All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
In justice shall you be established,
far from the fear of oppression,
where destruction cannot come near you.” (Isaiah 54)

 

God also reveals to his servant Isaiah His command that we be instruments of His great promises, and that we act upon His word in supporting one another in our community of faith.  As we come to the end of the Lenten season, let us examine ourselves with the request by God in Isaiah 58, that we be instruments of His will of peace and justice: “releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke, and not turning your back on your own.”

 

Let us support one another, and bear one another’s burdens, as St. Paul exhorted the Galatians.

 

Today, Christian children in the Holy Land are able to attend a Christian school thanks to your generous sponsorship through HCEF’s Child Sponsorship Program, and families in the United States testify their great satisfaction and recompense for filling this need in the life of a child.  Children from all over the West Bank have returned home and shared with their families about the splendor of spending a day in Bethlehem, through HCEF’s Journey to Bethlehem, and of the Westerners they met who gave them gifts and provided for their journey.  Young and older men have been able to provide their families with a rare income, from the apartments that they have built and the homes they have restored for the Christian community, through the Living Stones Housing Rehabilitation, thanks to the generous donations of churches and organizations in the West.  Elders are looking forward to spending their free time in an environment of fun, or relaxing and of educational outings, in the new senior citizens’ center in Birzeit.

 

Indeed, we are witnessing that from our support of Holy Land Christians, God has provided us with all our necessities. 

 

Today, I pray that the Lord would continue to build the bridges of hope to bring peace to the people of the Holy Land, and that he would bless you abundantly in your own freedom from oppression. 

 

God Bless,

 

Rateb Rabie, KHS

HCEF President