Genocide and grace
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12–14; 2:18–23; Psalm 49 (sung); Luke 12:13-21 Church of Scotland, Geneva, Auditoire de Calvin, August 3 2025 “We called the report Our Genocide because that’s exactly what it is. It is genocide against humans who live here, carried out by humans who live here.”[1] So says Yuli Novak, director …
How have things come to this?
Address to the Presbytery of Lothian, April 28 2018 Rev Páraic Rèamonn I left St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church in Jerusalem on Easter Monday, April 2 2018, but then spent some weeks on deputation in Scotland Moderator, It’s a pleasure and a privilege to speak here tonight. I am a son of this Presbytery, ordained …
Come, Lord, and open in us the gates of your kingdom
December 15 2017 Last month saw the publication of Naim Ateek’s latest book, A Palestinian Theology of Liberation.[1] On November 3, I was at the Notre Dame Centre in Jerusalem to launch the book, along with Cedar Duaybis and Omar Haramy of Sabeel, Ann-Sofie Lasell of the Swedish Christian Study Centre, Russ McDougall of the …
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Why is there a conflict in Israel/Palestine?
December 5 2016 Nothing enlivens our faith so much as walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Nothing awakes our compassion so much as seeing how Christians, Muslims, and Jews in the land of Jesus today suffer as a consequence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the occupation of East Jerusalem, …
Why is the Church of Scotland in Israel/Palestine?
October 25 2016 What follows is, more or less, what I said to the Presbytery of Edinburgh on October 4 and later repurposed, with appropriate tweaking, for the International Presbytery in Lausanne on October 8. My thanks to both presbyteries for their warm hospitality. Moderator, let me bring greetings from the Presbytery of Jerusalem. Not …
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My heart is in Jerusalem
Yom Kippur, October 12 2016 – The solar-powered hot-water tank on the roof of my apartment yesterday died of terminal rust. Somewhat to my astonishment, and with a little help from my neighbours and my landlord’s parents, we got it replaced by lunchtime, just before West Jerusalem began to go quiet in the run-up to …
A world that knows not love
December 16 2015 Carrie Ballenger Smith is a pianist, in between serving as pastor of the English-speaking congregation in the Church of the Redeemer in the Old City. Jonas Schaefer is a guitarist, in between working at the Ecumenical Accompaniment office in Jerusalem. My wife Vivien is a soprano soloist, in between being my wife …
Happy New Year!
September 15 2015 We don’t get much Bible study in the Guardian or the New York Times. But in this as in so many other ways, Israel is different. Haaretz – the liberal daily that most resembles these two newspapers – is just one of many sources to offer reflections on the portion of the …
A striking thought
September 15 2015 On Tuesday last week, I wrote a letter on behalf of Tabeetha School in Jaffa to Reuven Rivlin, the president of Israel. On Thursday, I helped craft a letter for Angus Morrison, the moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland, to send to David Cameron on the same subject. …
Come and take a walk with me
June 30 2015 Emma Pritchard was an Ecumenical Accompanier serving with Group 56 in the West Bank. She wrote this song based on her own experiences and those of her team, and she sang it as a solo in the handover service in St Andrew’s Scots Memorial Church on Monday, June 15. Come and take …