Off to Palestine: Standing Where Jesus Would Stand

Palestinian children in Massafer Yatta, West Bank, Palestine. October 2023. (Photo by Rev. Linda Noonan)

On April 29, I will be traveling to Israel and Palestine to represent the United Church of Christ and St. John’s UCC on a delegation of bishops and denominational leaders. I will return on May 10.

I am not going to walk where Jesus walked as much as I am going to stand where I believe Jesus would be standing right now – with those who have been forcibly displaced from their homes and ancestral lands, denied basic human rights, and are daily witnessing the genocide of their people.

And yet, the faith of the Palestinians is astonishing. We have so much to learn from them about trust in God and the power of community. They are begging us to not avert our eyes and inviting us to be in solidarity with those who suffer. Throughout our scriptures, we are told that God stands with the oppressed, and God’s people are called to defend those who are crushed by the powerful, whoever they may be. We can do that by praying, and also by taking action for an end to the war in Gaza, an end to illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, and a just peace for all people in the Holy Land.

This will be my second trip. I was there last in September and October of 2023, and we were in the West Bank when the war on Gaza began on October 7. This is a story I sent to the United Church of Christ News about our experience – (Link found below)

I feel proud to represent St. John’s on this delegation and am so grateful for your support and care. I will do my best to send back some brief reports, which Grace Marchione, our Communications Coordinator, will share with the congregation. I welcome your prayers for those who are traveling, the ones we leave behind (like some of you, my family would have preferred that I sit this trip out!), and those that we meet.

In the words of the prophet Isaiah, let us “learn to do right; seek justice; defend the oppressed.” (Isaiah 1:17.)

Pastor Linda

Read Rev. Linda's UCC Article

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St. John’s Love
St. John’s UCC, you sure know how to roll out the Welcome Wagon! I have felt such warmth, enthusiasm, support, and love in my short time here. I can only imagine – and trust – that visitors, guests, and neighbors experience the same “St. John’s Love” when they come through our doors. I’m excited to work together and to continue to, as your banner outside proclaims, “Draw the circle wide.”

Amazing Staff and Leaders
You have a wonderful, gifted, and committed staff. They are helping me learn the ropes, get oriented, and have even shared their secret stashes of tea and sweets! We are working on clarifying processes and procedures, and beginning to identify some priorities as we go. I know you’ll continue to support them as we find a new rhythm, and strengthen the foundations for the collective vision and mission which will unfold in this time.

The Ministerial Staff has been a blessing. Andrew’s musical leadership and deep theological grounding is truly magical. Pastor Tom’s gentle, wise presence has been a gift and I’m grateful for our partnership. And your leaders? You are in good hands, church!

Listening As a Priority
Pastors talk. A lot. (I mean, it makes sense. We are paid to use our words!) We preach. We pray. We teach. I will still do all those things (and by the grace of God, not be too long-winded about it). But I also want to listen.

One of my priorities for the next months is to listen. To listen to folks who are here and participating. To listen to those who are feeling at the margins, looking in, unsure about how or if to engage, and have their own stories to tell. To listen to our neighbors and the Lansdale community. I want to listen to you. I want to hear who you are, what you love, what you long for, and ways you have been touched or shaped by St. John’s UCC.

This will happen over time, and not overnight! Along the way, I will be inviting people to “Listening Sessions.” Some of these will be open to anyone. Some will be focused on particular groups or identities or interests. (I’ll start with children and youth, because I believe we are always strongest when we center the voices and experiences of our young people.) So, stay tuned for some of these conversations. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Blessings,
Pastor Linda

ps. Folks are asking what to call me. Pastor Linda, Reverend Linda, or Linda – are all fine!

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St. John’s is about to enter an exciting new chapter with the arrival of our new Settled Lead Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Linda Noonan. But before we open this chapter, I would like to take a look back to recognize and acknowledge where we have been and how far we have come.

St. John’s has been on a journey not completely unlike the people with Moses – St. John’s members and friends have been wandering through the wilderness for an extended time. While it may feel like 40 years, at times over the last two and a half years, many St. John’s folks have been presented with arduous and even exhausting challenges. Yet, upon deeper reflection, there is something worthwhile and even precious about this time.

A time in the wilderness cuts through the unhelpful chatter in our collective minds – it brings what is necessary to actually live into much deeper clarity. While the purpose of the church hasn’t changed over the last few years, the way we “do” church, in many aspects, has. I have observed that St. John’s folk have learned through this wilderness time to be much less focused on the externals of what we do— and to accept the need to adapt in order to keep moving forward.

A time in the wilderness requires everyone at St. John’s to not just address the “how” of being the church. It leads us to ask the “why” questions – questions like: why do we want to update our technology? Why is it important to have Christmas Eve service at a certain time? Why do we need to invest in our ministry team positions? All these questions and more get at the root of what it means to “be the church” in this day and age.

Traveling through the wilderness also tests our relationships at times. When it feels like the stakes are high – and they certainly are for a wilderness people – the friction that may be barely perceivable in times of plenty rises to the surface. In the church, thank God, the people of the church also come to realize, through grace, that these relationships are what will keep us alive. These relationships, which have grown over many decades, become even more vital when a people realizes how much is at stake and how much interdependence is involved in the very act of reaching “the Promised Land!”

So, as we emerge from the wilderness, let St. John’s proclaim that we see the Promised Land, and we are moving together with a vision that invites all to journey and to dwell with us. A Promised Land that only God can fulfill. Peace!

Pastor Tom Adil,
Acting Lead Bridge Pastor

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