(RNS) — Lent is a time of reflection for many Christians, and each year a host of devotionals are published to bring insight and inspiration to the 40 days of contemplation leading to Easter.
For the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a liberal denomination of close to 3 million members, the Lenten offerings this year include one focusing on the plight of Palestinians. The devotional, called “Sumud,” an Arabic word meaning “steadfastness,” offers churches and individuals a six-week study with videos and reflections to raise awareness of and advocacy against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands and its military rule over Palestinians.
More than many other U.S. denominations, the ELCA has spoken boldly on the issue of Palestinian inequality and dispossession in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip. That’s in part because the denomination partners with six Palestinian Lutheran churches that comprise the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. The 2,000 members of those churches and their leaders have been especially vocal in opposing Israel’s war in Gaza — none more so than the Rev. Munther Isaac, pastor of Christmas Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, who has emerged as one of the leading champions for the Palestinian fight for justice and liberation in Gaza and for the 3 million Palestinians living in the …
