“War is not the answer.”
This is the confident refrain of Jean Zaru, Presiding Clerk of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and the only female denominational leader in Palestine. Our delegation from the United Church of Christ and Christian Church – Disciples of Christ spent two hours with Jean as the day began, and it was time that profoundly impacted each of us in the room.
Jean has long been a leader in the Palestinian movement for justice and peace and a friend of the United Church of Christ. She spoke at the 1999 General Synod and was a member of our Common Global Ministries Board. She has an unshakeable commitment to non-violent resistance deeply rooted in her Christian faith.
“In the face of constant dehumanization,” she told us, “we must remember that we are created in the image of God and allow that to give us strength. But if we see the image of God within ourselves, we must also remember to see the face of God likewise in others, even in our oppressors. We must commit ourselves with love in a way that will stop the causes of war.”
The strength of her spirit and the vibrancy of Jean’s faith struck all of us powerfully as we sat with her. She is a 74-year-old Palestinian Christian who has lived her life committed to non-violence. I asked her how she, a scholar and practitioner of non-violence could remain steadfast to that commitment given the violence all around her.
“All life is sacred,” she responded, “wherever we are. So yes, I meet violence every day. I rage against injustice. I think a lot, what should we do to transform these structures of dominance and power, etc? We must be speak about structures of violence that dehumanize people wherever they are. We must be equally critical of all sides. We ourselves must be transformed by this.”
And central to everything is an intention to non-violently resist that which dehumanizes others. The term “resistance” is not negative, she insists, but rather she says, “To be human is to resist.”
Sitting next to Jean during our conversation is a young woman named Lori. She is one of our Global Ministries Interns and will be working with Jean for the next year in Ramallah. She listens with rapt attention and with excitement written all over her face. There is much she can learn from this wise woman and she is eager to get started on her journey.
All of us listening to Jean felt inspired by her example, her gentle but firm spirit, and by her undeniable faith. She tells us that the secret to sustaining this important work is connecting her faith to the rest of her life. “My inner and outer journey is very connected. My outer journey is a reflection of my inner journey.”
Sometimes in the UCC I think this may be the piece that gets lost in translation. We are the church that proclaims “to believe is to care, to care is to do.” We are the church of action. But do we stop often enough to ensure our work for justice is connected to our inner journey of faith and spiritual discipline? Can each of us articulate for ourselves how it is that our Christian faith compels us to do our own mission and advocacy work? Is our outer journey a reflection of our inner journey?
Though many of the experiences Jean shared with us this morning offered a disturbing truth about life in Palestine and Israel, she ends her time with us on her own high note. “I still have hope….always.”
So this night I will offer God my thanks for Jean and those like her who persevere in hope, and I’ll whisper into God’s listening ear my own hope for a peace that will come, for a day when each one’s life will indeed be honored as sacred.
pastorpresto 