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| Image by Darren Larson |
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A GREETING
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge.
(Psalm 57:1a)
A READING
Then he took a seed from the land,
placed it in fertile soil;
a plant by abundant waters,
he set it like a willow twig.
It sprouted and became a vine,
spreading out, but low;
its branches turned towards him,
its roots remained where it stood.
So it became a vine;
it brought forth branches,
put forth foliage.
(Ezekiel 17:5-6)
MUSIC
Abraham Jam is a trio whose singers are Muslim, Christian and Jewish.
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar at her grave; it is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day.
(Genesis 35:20)
A PRAYER
Dear God, we cry out to you on behalf of all those affected by the conflict in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel. Our hearts break at the devastation and suffering that we see, and we know it breaks yours, too. We ask that you would stretch out your mighty hand to bring an end to this war. We cry out for people who have been injured or traumatised, who have lost loved ones or their homes. Bring them comfort, hope, safe refuge and healing. We pray for your peace to reign. We long for your coming; we dream of hope.
- Adapted from "Prayer for Gaza and Israel," found on tearfund.org
VERSE OF THE DAY
Let your steadfast love, O God, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
(Psalm 33:22)
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| Image by Stanley Zimny |
In some of the earliest traditions of Christianity, Advent preparation begins mid-November and extends seven weeks, just as we do in Lent. The seven week version of Advent reflects not only on the coming birth of Jesus but also on the return that Jesus will make one day in which everyone will experience restoration.
This week we will venture into the more challenging places and realities of our times, almost as if it were indeed Lent. We will dwell in the places into which we long for the embodied incarnated Jesus to be born. We will remind ourselves that Jesus became one of us in a place and a time of chaos, unrest and violence, not unlike our own time. Although he brought a message of peace, there was not much peace surrounding him at the time of his birth. That means that his parents, and his family, were constantly afraid. The reassuring words of Gabriel to Mary and to Joseph would bring some comfort, but moments of fear would continue.
In the biblical story, a pregnant woman and her husband travel through dangerous territory in a tyrannical age, in order to pay their taxes, as required by law. As they travelled, Mary would no doubt have in her mind the story of Rachel. In the book of Genesis, Rachel dies while giving birth on the road to Bethlehem, and is buried there. The image is picked up by Jeremiah in his own era, because at the time of Babylonian captivity, the forced march to exile took the captives past the the place of Rachel's tomb.
And yet, here God is, once again, trying again. Mary travels past Rachel’s tomb on her way to Bethlehem. Once more, there is the attempt to renew life, to give hope, to sustain a people.
In Celtic tradition, the willow tree is considered the ‘mother’ of all trees. The weeping willow was so named because water falling down its long stems appeared to glisten like tears. Its very shape implies a dripping.
Rachel weeps for her children. The willow weeps. We weep and we pray. And we long for the seeds of the holy land to take root and grow, as they have in ages past. How can we embody this hope in our own communities as we wait for the saviour of the world to come? What projects of hope need nurturing to grow -- even just in our own communities?
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A STORY OF HOPE -- AND SADNESS -- AND HOPE
Youssef Abu Rabie, an agricultural engineer from northern Gaza had been living in camps in western and southern Gaza during most of this past year. When the occupation forces left northern Gaza in early 2024, he decided to try to go there, where famine had been at its most acute. When he arrived, he caught sight of a small patch of aubergine and pepper plants that were growing ("volunteer", as we would say in North America). They had sprung up in an unlikely place from the pods that had fallen to the ground and which the frequent rain had caused to sprout and grow. He became inspired to create a garden. Unable to find suitable soil (not-bulldozed or bombed), he managed to engineer soil from tree waste. In a small nursery space, people came together to plant what seeds they could find. The garden thrived, the seedlings grew. Then in early October, when the war was refocused on northern Gaza, the garden was invaded and bulldozed. Rabie replanted, this time with lettuce and spinach. On October 21, just as these seedlings were breaking ground, he was killed. His renewed garden, however, continues to grow, in part because many of his seeds were dispersed to people throughout the region. The journey of human suffering is always toward the hope of renewal, even when the risks are high. As Rabie wrote his friend: "This was the goal: to cultivate our land and cultivate hope again in Gaza, especially in Beit Lahia."
(Read the original story of the garden.) (Read the follow-up account of what has recently happened.)
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| Caption as it appears in article linked here and above: "Attempts to plant some plants in northern Gaza after the occupation forces left." Image by Youssef Abu Rabie |
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LC† Seeds of Hope is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!