Prayerful Solidarity for Gaza
Hundreds of Christians are uniting together this Lenten season to walk the length of the Gaza Strip - 41km - in prayerful solidarity, calling for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza and for the NZ government to allow family members of Gazans living in Aotearoa to have humanitarian visas.
The pilgrimages are planned in Auckland, Whanganui, Wellington and Christchurch and are part of over 125 walks planned in 17 countries around the world as part of the global GazaCeasefirePilgrimage movement over Lent.
One of the coordinators for the Wellington Pilgrimage, Rev Maria Kirkland from Taitā, says how encouraged she's been at the number of people wanting to physically respond to what's unfolded in Palestine.
"Many people are using this walk as a prophetic response to stand against the killing and destruction in Palestine. Lent is a time where we look to the journey of Jesus to the cross so it seems so right that we too take a journey and remember the many who suffer in places of conflict," she says.
“The pilgrimages offer an embodied way to respond - there is something very tangible about walking 41kms in your own city to demonstrate how small an area this is and to respond to the violence occurring in Gaza. There are moments and times in history where the Church has united together against injustice and oppression - this is one of those," said Maria.
The idea for a pilgrimage was started by James Harris, a Kiwi who was part of Blueprint in our Diocese for a number of years and now lives in Australia. Feeling heartbreak and helpless at the suffering occuring in Gaza, he was moved to walk the distance of Gaza in prayerful solidarity. His impromptu action raised money for relief and has become a mustard seed for Christians to unite in embodied action this Lenten season.
There are two pilgrimages happening in the Wellington Diocese over Lent. The first will be in Whanganui pilgrimage on Saturday 16 March, starting in Castlecliff. The Wellington pilgrimage will be the final pilgrimage globally, on 28 March, Maundy Thursday - marking the Last Supper before Jesus’ death, and will include a prayer service on the steps of Parliament that MPs from all parties have been invited to attend.
The pilgrimages symbolically mirror the walk from Gaza City to Rafah which Palestinians have been forced to take because of Israel’s military assaults and forced evacuations. In the past four months, Israel’s military attacks have displaced 1.9 million people, over 85% of Gazans. The Israeli military have killed at least 30,000 people in Gaza (with another 8,000 missing), including more than 11,500 children.
In the midst of overwhelming suffering and powerlessness, the pilgrimage offers a tangible way to stand together in unity as the church worldwide, joining in prayerful protest, solidarity and hope.
Rev Craig Harris from Whanganui is helping organise the pilgrimage there because “because I can't stay silent in the face of so much suffering.”
Pilgrimage has a long tradition in the life of the church as a spiritual practice. Pete Grieg, founder of the 24/7 prayer movement says that “Pilgrimage is a journey into the unknown, with God, in search of God.” It’s a sacred journey, a way to pray with your body - with a desire to seek God, to share in God’s heart for all creation, particularly the vulnerable.
The pilgrimages in Aotearoa have been coordinated by Common Grace Aotearoa and Aotearoa Christians for Peace in Palestine in response to Palestinian Christians (in New Zealand and the Holy Land) calling for support from fellow Christians about the horror being experienced by Palestinians. Alex Johnston Common Grace says:
“The justice of Jesus values every life as made in the image of God. We are joining with Christians around the world in condemning the ongoing tragedy of death and violence in Gaza inflicted by the state of Israel in response to the horror of the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7. These pilgrimages seek to be acts of solidarity, prayer, protest and mobilising practical support.”
The pilgrimages in Aotearoa are raising money for Christian World Service’s partner on the ground in Gaza, the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees, which is operating its Rafah Primary Health Clinic and working with mothers and children. You can donate to support that work here.
The walks will stop for prayer at a variety of churches along the way, as well as with Jewish and Muslim friends who are also calling for a lasting ceasefire. The journey is divided into sections for people to join in smaller lengths, with some parts more accessible and suitable for tamariki and whānau. There will be breaks along the way, with reflective space, prayer and lament.
We are encouraging all those across the Diocese to join collectively as a church with other Christians throughout the world in this prayerful and prophetic action this Lenten season.
To sign up and take part in the pilgrimage, and receive details on the route and times in the coming weeks register here:
Saturday 16 March - Whanganui pilgrimage - RSVP here
Thursday 28 March - Pōneke pilgrimage - RSVP here
Find out more about the pilgrimages happening nationwide at commongrace.nz/gazapilgrimages
