On Sunday morning, shofars will be blown from over 100 locations across New Zealand, as the start of a wave of blessing around the world towards Israel. Katikati residents Trevor Harvey, Rob Holding and Shimshon Chaddock will join others in blowing their shofars from Lindemann Lookout.
Last year, about 30 joined their gathering, and this year they are expecting more.
'It's a coordinated event up and down the country,” says Rob, who is the pastor of Katikati Christian Centre. 'Showing support for the nation of Israel.”
Trevor brought his ram's horn back from a trip to Israel, after visiting the Sea of Galilee and Bethlehem.
'My grandfather was born in Russia,” says Shimshon, who moved to NZ with his family in 2009. 'He escaped from the Czars who were killing Jews, to the USA, and later moved to Israel.”
Israel's Independence Day is May 14, commemorating becoming a nation 70 years ago in 1948, but April 29 was chosen as the day to release a blessing of love and unity from around the world.
'We are called to love all people,” says Nations Bless Israel NZ national coordinator Jane Troughton. 'Blessing Israel does not mean we do not want to see blessing, wholeness and God's best purpose for all others too. We're responding to the call in Genesis 12:1 'I will bless those who bless you.” There's something that happens as we bless others.
'We recognize that Christians haven't always blessed the people of Israel, and that there have been injustices that the Jewish people have suffered. This is part of a journey of reconciliation and looking for the wellbeing of others.
'The release of blessing will start in NZ and move from nation to nation, from the ends of the earth to Israel.”
Gatherings on Sunday evening will also be held at 7pm at St Andrews Presbyterian in Te Puke, and Bethlehem College Performing Arts Centre, linking in to the live stream of the NZ National Gathering in Auckland.
More information about the event and locations can be found on the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NZBlessIsrael or website http://nationsblessisrael.website
3 comments
hypocrisy
Posted on 27-04-2018 15:17 | By mattbz
Illegally invades Palestine and kills Palestinians, crys about the "suffering of Jewish people"
Maxsmart
Posted on 28-04-2018 10:39 | By Maxsmart
Spare a thought for the Palestinians being murdered by the Israeli Army right now. This article is so wrong
Blessed
Posted on 29-04-2018 09:14 | By Feruno
I can only echo the above . Those that curse Israel WILL be cursed, and those that bless and support Israel, like myself, will be blessed . This does not mean we must condone everything Israel does politically, but it does mean we must not curse Israel . Almighty God gave the land of Israel to the Israelites, His chosen people, and Jerusalem as the capital city, and anyone who argues against those facts, argues with God, and that is foolishness
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