Compline for Palestine: A Call for the Church to Act

Post Author: Rev. Rebekah Hays Estera

With my red stole covered in Bethlehem stars slung over my shoulder, I proclaimed the crap out of the Gospel. I had been ordained for about four months when I was invited to apply for a scholarship to attend the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. The Association of Episcopal Deacons wanted to give an opportunity to younger deacons to experience this triennial church gathering that shapes the direction of our denomination. So I packed my collars and headed to Kentucky for a week, and found myself reading the Gospel at Compline for Palestine.

The Rev. Rebekah Hays Estera, wearing a red Bethlehem Star stole and a keffiyeh, reading the Gospel at Compline for Palestine.

While at the General Convention, I had the opportunity to watch our church governing bodies in action. They were decisive on some matters. They grandstanded on others. And they dilly-dallied on issues that should be clear. On Sunday evening, word spread of the House of Bishops decision to not move forward with several resolutions on the Holy Land, particularly resolutions with clear calls against the war in Gaza.

Through Young Clergy Women International, I had connected with The Rev. Lauren Grubaugh Thomas, co-founder of Palestinian Anglicans and Clergy Allies (PACA). This grassroots organization had a few actions planned for General Convention, and I joined in. PACA had collected quotes from Palestinian Christians which I turned into posters along with other posters proclaiming our simple message: Listen to Palestinian Christians.

Our main actions were scheduled for Tuesday, but a handful of us, frustrated at the inaction of the Bishops, decided to take those posters and stand in front of the House of Bishops as they returned to the afternoon session. Our goal was not to block their way but rather to silently confront them with the words of our Palestinian siblings.

About five of us headed towards the House of Bishops, posters in hand and keffiyeh on, when a volunteer called security for back up and then threatened to take our credentials. She lined us up behind stanchions against a prominent wall. Honestly, our little crew would have likely been lost in a crowd of a couple thousand as we planned to spread out in front of the doors. This woman inadvertently amplified our message. By the end, several more had joined in, including National Bishop Susan C. Johnson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. This action followed a lunchtime conversation with the Archbishop of Jerusalem Hosam Naoum and, combined, moved the needle in the House of Bishops. That afternoon, the resolutions were back on the table. 

On Tuesday, we all prepared for our bigger action: a poster flood in the House of Delegates (the lay and clergy body), followed by Compline for Palestine. We prepared more posters. We talked to sympathetic and interested individuals and invited them to join our flood. We learned from the day before and moved about as individuals and with our posters mixed in bags among snacks and pamphlets and convention paperwork. When the time came, a bunch of us, those on the floor and those in the visitors’ section, stood silently with our posters, using our ability to be present to speak for our siblings in Palestine.

As we flooded the House of Deputies, a literal flood started to pound down on the roof above us. The agility of activism came into play as we shifted the location of our outdoor Compline. Our group was separated as those waiting for us outside were not allowed back in and had to relocate to an underpass neighboring the convention center. The volunteer returned and told us that we could not meet for this prayer service inside the convention center. A priest who joined as we recessed from the House stepped in to moderate and bought us time and bonds of trust were born quickly. We sang, we read scripture, and Dr. Kwok Pui Lan preached. The Rev. Lauren Grubaugh Thomas delivered the words of PACA co-founder and Palestinian Christian The Rev. Leyla King.

By the end of the week, several resolutions made it to the floor for discussion and passed with modified language. I am grateful to be a part of this scrappy and agile team who kept the voices of Palestinian Christians at the forefront of Convention.

While these actions shaped my Convention experience, the most attention was perhaps on the election of a new Presiding Bishop. Retired bishops took their seats in the House of Bishops in larger numbers than in past gatherings. People speculated and whispered their favorites. Some of us straight up asked our bishops how they planned to vote. We wondered how the disciplinary cases involving three of the five candidates would impact the election. It is hard to imagine anyone stepping into the role the charismatic and prophetic Bishop Michael Curry has held for the past nine years. But as a deacon, my call in the church is on the prophetic edge. I am often less concerned about how things are, and more concerned with how they could or should be, how to bring them more into alignment with the kin-dom of God. Listening to Palestinian voices will bring us more into alignment with the kin-dom of God.

When I proclaim the Gospel, there are moments when I am out of space and time, standing with all those before me and after me. There are times when the Spirit descends upon me and I feel her heavy on my shoulder, and through my whole body. That night was one of those nights. I read the Gospel at our abbreviated and rained-out Compline Service. As I moved around and looked at people, I could see Joseph fleeing, Jeremiah prophesying, and Rachel weeping. I was there with them and with our siblings suffering in Gaza as much as I was in a conference center in Kentucky. The words I proclaimed from Matthew 2:13-18 will forever be linked to this powerful moment.