Embrace the people of the
Middle East and help our
Christian partners tackle
poverty and injustice.
www.embraceme.org
24 London Road West
Amersham Bucks HP7 0EZ
t: 01494 897950
e: info@embraceme.org
Embrace
Lent
Registered Charity Number 1076329
@FollowEmbrace
www.facebook.com/FollowEmbrace
A six-part
study guide
Jesus and the
marginalised
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The theme of this year’s
guide is ‘Jesus and the
marginalised’. At Embrace
the Middle East, we partner
with inspiring organisations
across Israel, Palestine,
Lebanon and Egypt, who
work with the most vulnerable
and disadvantaged people in
their communities. These are
the marginalised of today.
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We hope that by focussing on Jesus’
compassionate ministry, as documented in
the New Testament, we can together gain a
better perspective on the realities of injustice
today in the places he lived and worked, and
consider how we might partner in bringing
hope to these places as well as to others in
our own local communities. During the period
of Lent, we trust that you will find this guide a
helpful resource for your own spiritual growth,
and for the deepening of understanding
amongst your study groups and churches of
how Jesus’ first century message is applicable
for us here and now.
The six studies in this guide look at the
subject of marginalisation through six
different lenses, and each one presents
material for a Bible study alongside
information about one of the projects
currently supported by Embrace which deals
directly with the issues it brings to light. One
of our Egyptian partners, which focuses its
efforts particularly on improving life for
marginalised women by providing literacy
classes, is called Think & Do.
What better
message could
there be for
a period of
reflection on
Jesus’
teachings
than this?!
We have
therefore
structured the
studies around
this challenge,
beginning each one with
a topic to think about, working
through scripture and some modern
relatable examples, and finishing with some
ideas about what you could do in response.
By linking Biblical stories to modern day
situations, and suggesting ways in which
you can support the work that is currently
happening, we have tried to convey our
mission through the pages. As you read,
please join us in this mission: Embrace the
people of the Middle East and help our
Christian partners tackle injustice and
poverty.
If you would like to find out more about
any of the Embrace partners featured in
this guide, please visit our website at
www.embraceme.org. Our regional
representatives, Su and Richard, are available
to come and speak to your church, or to give
advice about running your Lent course – you
can find their contact details at the back.
Thank you for choosing Embrace’s Lent
resource – we hope you gain a lot from the
studies and will be inspired to get involved!
Yours in Christ,
The Embrace Team
LSG 2014
Limited further supplies of this
booklet can be ordered from 01494
897950 or info@embraceme.org
or you can download it free of charge
from www.embraceme.org/resources
Contributors:
Richard Jones
Su McClellan
Caroline Rance
Sarah Shore
Design: Carol Marsh
Production: Yeomans
1
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Recognising the
marginalised
“the last will be first” Mt 20:16
Read
Luke 2:8-20 The visit of the shepherds
Discuss
■ The shepherds were humble, ordinary men
in a very down-to-earth profession. They
were not chief priests or elders holding high
office. Yet God chose them to be the direct
recipients of this very important news. Can
you think of other examples of humble and
ordinary men and women in the Bible whom
God chose for extraordinary purposes?
■ In verse 8, we note that the shepherds
didn’t receive this information while they
were sleeping, but while they were actively
employed in the roles God had given them,
and they were ‘watching’ and alert. Do you
expect to hear from God while you’re going
about your day to day business, or just in
church on Sundays? And are you alert,
active and ready to respond?
ThinkThink
Think of a time
when you have
received exciting (but
secret) news, or have
been entrusted with
important information.
Write down a few
adjectives which
describe how this has
made you feel.
■ Verse 10 tells us that the angel reassured
the shepherds, as God knew the visit
would be confusing and surprising for
them. Verses 13 & 14 go on to explain
how God confirmed it was a message
from Him (rather than something evil)
by sending the heavenly host.
What does this tell us about God’s
relationship to His people, and how
he communicates with each of us as
individuals?
■ Look at the shepherds’ response to
the visit in verses 15-18. What strikes
you about this?
Relate
Life in the agricultural communities of
which the shepherds in Luke 2 were
part, is probably not dissimilar from
that of farming communities in the
same area today. Certainly, like the shepherds
we have just read about, today’s rural families in
parts of the Middle East do not have wealth or
status, and can find themselves marginalised.
In Upper Egypt, the Development of Upper
Egypt Trust (DUET) works closely with village
leaders on programmes that enable rural
communities to break out of the cycle of
poverty through educational, agricultural and
medical support as well as revolving loans.
Embrace began working with DUET in 2003 in
the village of Beni Khalil, and has since
supported a range of development projects,
including agricultural and veterinary training in
communities across the region, aiming to
provide long term benefits. On our website,
you can read the story of Hassan who
has been helped by this work:
www.embraceme.org/case-study/
helping-hassan-reap-harvest
Do
How can you help us to help the
marginalised in the Middle East?
■ Support the long term work of DUET and
other similar partners by making a regular
commitment.
■ Offer to do some gardening or other
odd jobs in your local community to raise
funds for Embrace to put into community
development projects.
■ Pray for Hassan and families like his
whose lives aren’t as easy as ours in the
west, and who are marginalised and
disadvantaged, that they will have the
blessing of knowing how important they
are as individuals.
2
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Healing for the
marginalised
Read
Luke 17:11-19 Ten healed of leprosy
Discuss
■ ‘They stood at a distance’ (verse 12).
Why do you think Luke includes this
detail? What does it add to the account?
See also Leviticus 13:45-46.
■ Only one returned to thank Jesus.
Who was this and what does it say
about Jesus’ attitude towards
disability?
■ Why does Jesus call this man a
‘foreigner’? What do we know about
Samaritans from elsewhere in the
New Testament? See Matt 10:5ff,
Lk 9:51-56, Lk 10:25-37,
Jn 4:4-15, esp v9.
■ How do we connect this account with
our own Christian action towards those
with disability, to show Jesus’
acceptance and compassion?
Relate
Think
It was said at the time
that the London Paralympic
Games would change attitudes
toward disability. Do you think
this is true and if so, how? Think
back a generation or two and
trace changing attitudes in our
own society toward mental and
physical disability and what
remains to be done.
Shams El Birr is one of Embrace’s partners
in Egypt. It offers education and
healthcare for children and adults who are
blind or have other disabilities. It provides
play and music therapy as well as dental
treatment and physiotherapy. At its Centre
in 6 October City, children learn skills for
independent living. The training facilities
enable them to learn weaving, candle
making and sewing. The Centre also
works with parents to enhance attitudes
toward disability. People with disabilities
remain a marginalised and largely
overlooked part of Egyptian society.
According to the World Health
Organization, people with disabilities
represent approximately 10% of the
Egyptian population, or about 8.5
million persons.
Do
What can you do to contribute to
the healing and health of those
with physical and mental difficulties in
deprived areas across the Middle East?
■ Visit our website and find out
more about Shams El Birr
www.embraceme.org/partner/
shams-el-birr. The Shams el Birr Centre
encounters some heartbreaking cases of
the neglect of disabled children. Its
residential villa for children with cerebral
palsy gives up to 20 residents a
comfortable home, good nutrition and an
education – all things they have
previously been denied.
■ Pray for children with cerebral palsy
in Egypt.
■ Hold a fundraising event such as a
fish & chip supper or a carwash at
church. (Collecting boxes and Gift Aid
envelopes are available on request.)
■ Read our article in Embrace
magazine – Spring 2013.
■ Invite a speaker to your church or
gathering to talk about our work, or
choose to support the work of Shams
El Birr and similar organisations as a
monthly giver. (Details for both may
be found at the back of the guide.)
3
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Faith which
servс the
marginalised
Read
Matthew 8:5-13 The faith of the centurion
Discuss
■ The story starts with the centurion
approaching Jesus and asking for help. When
we – or those we care about – are suffering or
facing major diffculties, how do we deal with
them? Do we first try to solve problems
ourselves, do we look to other people for
help, or do we go straight to Jesus?
■ Several aspects of the centurion’s attitude
shine through in verses 8 and 9. What words
would you use to describe him and his
character, and are these traits which you
would like to display in your own life? How
could you develop these?
■ Jesus praises the centurion’s faith in verse
10. When do you find it easiest to trust and
believe in God’s Word and promises, and
when is your faith most challenged?
Think
What are your
markers which
remind you of times
when God has blessed
you – those moments
which illustrate His
faithfulness which you
can hold onto during
tougher times?
■ Verse 13 tells us that the centurion’s
servant was healed instantly, just as his
master had believed he would be. Have
you witnessed or heard about modern
day healings which might provide
encouragement to others today?
■ Throughout the gospels, people
encountering Jesus are healed and saved
‘because of their faith’. Then the book of
Romans reminds us of the story of one of
the so-called ‘heroes of our faith’,
Abraham. Read Romans 4:18-25 (and
accounts of Jesus’ miracles elsewhere in
the gospels, if you have more time), and
talk about how these people and
situations provide not just inspiration
but also a powerful challenge.
Relate
At the Helen Keller Centre, the staff
work tirelessly to help 64 of the most
disadvantaged children of Jerusalem
and the surrounding area to reach their
potential. They stand up for the right of
vulnerable children (most of whom have
multiple disabilities including visual impairment)
to a holistic education. Like many of the places
where Embrace funds education projects, the
area is home to people who are unable to fight
for themselves and a better quality of life, and
so, in partnership with Embrace, the Helen
Keller Centre works to acquire high quality
equipment and resources to benefit them. In
praying for the Centre’s staff and children, and
donating money to fund developments,
Embrace’s supporters are playing a role not
dissimilar to that of the centurion in Matthew 8.
As people in a position to represent those who
aren’t able to help themselves, we are following
the command found in Isaiah 1:17, to “seek
justice” and “defend the oppressed” and we
are continuing the compassionate ministry of
Christ in whom we have faith.
Do
How can your faith aid the
cause of the marginalised
in the Middle East?
■ Please continue to pray for the
hardworking staff at the Helen Keller
Centre, many of whom face long daily
commutes through tightly controlled
checkpoints to come to work.
■ Give money to fund books and
equipment at the Helen Keller Centre and
other Embrace supported schools via our
Education Fund.
■ Visit a school local to you and see if
they would be interested in learning
about our charity’s work and perhaps
raising money for us through school
events, or class sponsorship.
4
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The
marginalised
included
Read
Mark 5:25-34 A sick woman
Discuss
The woman in this reading has more to
contend with than physical suffering. In
Biblical society, she is considered ‘unclean’
and forbidden to play a full role in her
community. Not only that, but her search for
a cure has left her impoverished. Isolated
and ill, she relies on the one thing she has
left – faith.
■ Although Mark is not explicit about the
nature of the woman’s illness, it is highly
possible that she has a gynaecological
condition. Her ‘uncleanness’ is inextricably
linked to her status as a woman. In what
ways do women remain marginalised in
21st century societies?
■ Jesus is on his way to see a dying child.
There is no time to lose – so why does he
stop and speak to the woman? What is it
that singles her out among all the people
crowding round him?
Think
Years of marginalisation make
it difficult to ask for help. When
society has conditioned someone to
feel worthless, it takes a lot of
courage for them to reach out and
grasp a lifeline.
This is a reality in the Middle East today.
Do you witness examples of this sort of
discrimination and social exclusion in
your own context? To what extent?
Have you had the opportunity or
courage to take action on someone
else’s behalf? Have you even found
yourself the victim of exclusion?
■ The woman doesn’t feel worthy of
addressing Jesus directly, and trembles in
fear when he notices her. What factors
might have combined to make her lose
her self-worth? How has society
contributed to the way she sees herself?
■ Jesus feels power going out from
him. The implication is not that this
power has disappeared, but that it has
flowed into the woman, healing her.
How can we follow Christ’s example in
empowering marginalised people?
Relate
In rural Egypt, it’s tough being a girl.
All children have the right to go to
school – but girls are often
pressurised to drop out so they can
concentrate on household chores. Early
marriage is common and the practice of
female genital mutilation is still prevalent.
Some girls do not even have a birth
certificate because their families don’t think
they are worth registering. Without this
identification they grow up denied access to
government services and the right to vote.
The Egyptian development organisation
Think & Do is passionate about promoting
the rights of women through educational
opportunities. Embrace supports its ‘Life
School’ – an inspiring project that gives
young women the opportunity to develop
literacy, become knowledgeable about their
rights, learn income generation skills and
gain confidence in themselves after years of
feeling worthless. Flowing through our
Christian partners, Jesus’ power is
transforming the lives of women on the
fringes of society.
Do
How can you reach out to
those whom society excludes in
the Middle East?
■ Show solidarity with the women of rural
Egypt by holding a literacy-themed
fundraising event in support
of Embrace. You could get a team
together to do a 24-hour Bible
readathon, or ask people to sponsor you
to read as many books as
possible in one month.
■ When you’ve finished these Lent
Studies, continue meeting as a
reading group, with each member
contributing £1 a week – the cost of
supporting a young woman at Life
School for one day.
5
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The identity of
the marginalised
Read
Matthew 15:21-28 The Canaanite woman
Discuss
On first reading, this passage can make Jesus
appear rather callous but as with so many
Biblical passages there is more to the story
than at first meets the eye.
■ How culturally bound do you think
Jesus was?
■ What other evidence can you think of from
the Gospels to support your answer to the
question above?
■ What does Jesus’ response to the quick
thinking woman teach us about him?
■ What does her response teach us about
how we should behave?
■ Whilst Jesus was very much a man of his
day he was clearly prepared to break with
the expectations and norms of his culture.
His openness to others pre-figured the
tearing of the Temple Curtain on Good
Friday as God’s salvation was made
available to all, irrespective of
background. Discuss.
Relate
Think
Think about some of the
things that you do that are
culturally specific. For example Bonfire
Night is a peculiarly English event. Then
there are things that are particular to
sub cultures, for example, do you have
your main meal of the day at noon and
call it dinner or do you have it in the
evening and call it supper?
Cultural practices identify us and give us a
sense of belonging and we’re probably all
far more beholden to them that many of
us might care to admit. Do you think this is
a good or a bad thing?
Cultural identity is really important in the
Middle East and we’re all only too aware
of what happens when the region’s
differing cultures clash. Whilst all of
Embrace’s partners are Christian led, they
agree to offer their services to anyone
regardless of their nationality, faith or
political affiliation. Bethany Girls School
lives with cultural tensions everyday. A
Christian school which teaches mainly
Muslim girls, the school also has to deal
with the political tensions that exist in
the wider community. It’s not
uncommon for Sister Martha, the
school’s principal, to wake up the
morning and find the school covered in the
flags of one or other political faction. In taking
the flags down, Sr Martha risks her life. But the
school’s reputation of care and compassion
has so far ensured that she and the school
remain unharmed.
Do
What could you do to support
marginalised Middle Eastern
groups as they bravely make a
stand for their values in communities
which persecute them?
■ Pray for Sr Martha, the staff and
students of Bethany Girls School that
they might continue to be a beacon of
hope and a visible demonstration of
Christ’s compassion for everybody.
■ Hold a coffee morning with a
difference! Instead of selling cakes and
biscuits offer traditional Middle
Eastern snacks like pitta bread with
houmous, olives or baklava. To drink
you could serve mint tea or Arabic
coffee or minted fresh lemonade.
Encourage all your friends to embrace
the Middle East by trying out some of
the food and drink from the region.
6
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The marginalised
rсtored
Read
Luke 23:32-43 The thief on the cross
Discuss
■ The first criminal’s reaction to his situation
(verse 39) seems like a logical one – if
Jesus really is the Messiah, can’t he save
them all? Of course, this criminal is missing
the point. But do our cries to Jesus
sometimes fall into this sort of trap – asking
Him to meet our immediate needs without
thought for the bigger picture?
■ The second criminal describes what’s
happening to them as their “being
punished justly” and getting what their
deeds deserve. Do you ever stop and think
about what would happen if you were
treated as you deserved for the some of
the deeds that you’re not proud of doing?
And do you take God’s mercy for granted?
■ In verse 42, this second criminal turns to
Jesus, acknowledging His authenticity, and
asks to be remembered despite his own
past. Jesus’ response is merciful and
gracious. How does our notion of justice
play out in this scenario (and in that of the
Lost Son in the parable found in Luke 15)?
Hope, and this is exactly what it provides for
the children and young women with whom it
works. This is also what was given to the thief
on the cross when Jesus told him “today you
will be with me in paradise.” For both the
criminal in the story and the offenders and exoffenders at Beit El Nour, their rehabilitation
causes a complete turnaround – a
transformation. The thief was reconciled with
Jesus and given the promise of a better
future. The Lebanese (and Syrian) children go
from having no home, no security, and no
healthy structure in their lives, to receiving
shelter, medical care, psychological support,
vocational training, education and medical
assistance. One of the Trustees of Embrace
who recently visited Beit El Nour wrote
afterwards, “We met with lots of the girls,
who were so chatty and lively despite all the
difficulties and traumas they have been
through. It was a very uplifting experience!”
Relate
Think
How does justice
differ from mercy?
And how does our idea of
justice differ from God’s
idea of justice?
We often receive both heartbreaking and
heartwarming news from our partner Beit
El Nour in Lebanon, where specialised
rehabilitation and re-education work takes
place amongst minor delinquents who
have been the victims of awful
circumstances. These young girls, who fall
into negative patterns of behaviour or
dangerous situations out of their control,
are cared for through an ecumenical
outreach programme. Many of the
beneficiaries are homeless, some are
victims of sexual exploitation, others
have had involvement with drugs, and
some are still in prison.
Beit El Nour means House of Light and
Do
What part can you play in
remembering and restoring the
marginalised in the Middle East?
■ Read about all the projects we are
currently supporting in Lebanon, on our
website and in our magazine, and
consider donating towards community
development work amongst these
vulnerable groups of people.
■ Pray for the staff at Beit El Nour and
the young girls on their long journey
to recovery from significant
psychological trauma.
■ Contact Embrace to hear some of
the individual stories (and prayer
requests) from Beit El Nour, and
share these with your church family,
who might also be interested in
supporting our work.
e
Join Embrac
Embrace the Middle East is dedicated to
improving the lives of vulnerable and
disadvantaged people in Israel and
Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt. Will you
help us provide education, healthcare and
community development programmes for
people of all faiths? Here are some ways
you can get involved – and see our website
at www.embraceme.org for more. Embrace
the people of the Middle East and help our
partners tackle poverty and injustice.
Book a speaker
Our regional representatives are engaging
and informative speakers – they are
available to preach at worship services or
talk to groups, and can help you with
fundraising events.
■ Su McClellan (Central England)
01926 772824
su.mcclellan@embraceme.org
■ Richard Jones (Southern England)
01689 858127
richard.jones@embraceme.org
We hope you’ve enjoyed these
Lent studies, and we’d like to
wish you a very happy Easter!
Consider leaving a legacy
Legacies are so important to Embrace
the Middle East that without them one in
four of our partners’ projects would have
to close. A legacy is a way of making a
lasting difference to the lives of
generations to come. If you feel this is a
way in which you would like to support
us, or if you have any questions about
legacies, please contact Sarah Shore on
01494 897906 or email
sarah.shore@embraceme.org.
Send an alternative
gift this Easter
The money might go to buy books,
hearing aids, medicine, seeds and
propagation training, a wheelchair – or
another gift for a person in poverty. Order
online at www.embraceme.org/shop.
We hope you’ll be keen to help Embrace
and its partners show the love of Christ
through practical action for disadvantaged
people in the Middle East. Thank you for
your donations and prayers!
Make a donation
We could not carry out our vital work in
the Middle East without the generous help
of our supporters. Please consider sending
a one-off donation using the form overleaf
or making a regular gift by direct debit.
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