The theme of the 2024 World Week for Peace is "Whatever you did…, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). In a reflection, Rev. Ashraf Tanous from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, brought forth the question: Am I ready for the day of judgement? “This question is very important in my life as a Christian and especially today in 2024, especially in the midst of all kinds of violence that is happening here in this universe,” he said. “As a Palestinian Christian, I ask myself, am I really ready? How can we be ready?” Tanous reflected that Jesus gave us many teachings on this question, in part by asking questions himself. “When I was naked, did you give me clothes? When I was sick, did you take care of me? When I was imprisoned, did you visit me? "And Jesus answers us, and tells us: Whenever you do it to my brothers and sisters, you have done this to me,” said Tanous. “Today, we have lots of critical questions, especially according to what is happening in the land of the Bible, the Holy Land. What’s happening in the land of the cradle of Christianity. Are we doing our job?” Tanous acknowledged that these are very hard questions. “We are seeing what is going on. We are able to judge. We are able to see the truth but we are silent and this silence is not what Jesus told us to do,” he said. “There must be a stop of the war and the image of God must be restored.” He reiterated that every person is made in the image of God. “We are crying a cry of hope,” he said. “Let us be a source of hope. I invite you today and ask you to question yourself: Are we following the word of God?” Part of the prayers of the people read, “We cry to you in prayer, Lord, for our sisters and brothers in Palestine and Israel. Where people are paralyzed by injustice, war, fear and violence, where hearts are stubborn and tired, where political prisoners and hostages are separated from their loved ones, where despaired families have been forced to leave their homes, where children have been killed and maimed and cannot go to school without risking being subjected to violence, where farmers cannot harvest their crops without risk harassment. “God let your love and life-giving power flow; encourage, release, and protect all your children who fight to keep the hope alive.” As part of the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, the WCC is also praying this week for the churches and people of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Learn more about the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel | 
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