Worship
We can support both Israelis and Palestinians by taking part in a churchwide effort that began in Advent 2000. The Ecumenical Prayer Vigil is an opportunity for ELCA members to join Christians all over the USA in regular prayer for peace and healing. Participants focus their prayers on one day each month for the Christian communities in Jerusalem, for all those who are suffering in the Holy Land, for Palestinians and Israelis, and for peace in the Middle East and the world.
Many synods and congregations around the ELCA have maintained this Prayer Vigil, such as English Lutheran Church in La Crosse, WI. There, 15 to 25 students, working adults, and retired couples gather on the 20th of each month, regardless of the day of the week. Because the prayer vigil is publicized in local papers, at least a third of the worshippers come from outside the congregation.
Lenten Resources
- Churches for Middle East Peace Lenten table top tent with pictures and reflections for each week of Lent.
- A Lenten Geography: Stories of Peacemaking from Israel and Palestine - A blog by ELCA member Jan Miller, a Peace Not Walls leader and leader of several pilgrimages to the Holy Land, offers her Lenten reflections for the holy days and Sundays of Lent.
- Holy Lent Holy Land Holy People
A Lenten devotions series that includes true stories from the Holy Land, journeys through the Sermon on the Mount with copy-ready biblical commentary and preaching reflections, and original art from Bethlehem. The adaptable Word document 
also contains music, prayers, litanies, questions for reflection and discussion, and can be used for Lenten mid-week worship or Bible study. It was developed in 2008 by the Peace Not Walls task force of the Southwestern Texas Synod and is offered as a resource to the church at-large.
- New in 2012, a Lenten Study: The Way of the Cross in Mark's Gospel, by the Rev. Liz Knott, the Presbyterian founder of Pal CraftAid, with her view of stations of the cross associated with pictures and realities of the Holy Land.
These studies reflect the views of the writers and organizations that produced them and do not necessarily reflect the views of Peace not Walls.
Holy Week in the Holy Land:
2012 Easter Message by Bishop Munib Younan
2010 Easter Message by Bishop Munib Younan
Read the 2009 Easter messages from two leaders in the Holy Land:
Photos of Holy Week 2010 worship
The Holy Walk of Holy Week - A glimpse into Holy Week in the Holy Land with biblical citations, pictures of holy sites and modern realities.
An Easter Prayer for those in the Holy Land
National Council of Churches Requests Free Access for Palestinians Christians During Holy Week
Pray, educate and advocate for justice in the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel May 28 through June 3, 2012. This is an initiative of the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum (PIEF) of the World Council of Churches.
Advent Resources
On the way to celebrate what happened in Bethlehem 2000 years ago, let us not forget the people who yearn for peace with justice now in Bethlehem and all over the Holy Land. Here are some Advent reflections by various people and organizations to help us remember:
Christmas Messages and Resources from Earlier Years
2010 Christmas messages from the Holy Land
- Jerusalem Heads of Churches
- ELCJHL Bishop Munib Younan
2009 Christmas messages from two leaders in the Holy Land:
- Bishop Munib Younan of the ELCJHL in Jerusalem
- Pastor Mitri Raheb of the ELCJHL and DIYAR Consortium and Bright Stars of Bethlehem
Holy Land Communion Ware
At the 2005 Churchwide Assembly all 65 ELCA synods received communion ware crafted in Bethlehem as part of the launch for the Peace Not Walls campaign. To learn more about this project and the ways congregations and synods have used the communion ware check out Holy Land Communion Ware.
The views expressed in these materials represent the positions of outside organizations and may not necessarily reflect an official position of the ELCA.