News & events / page 17

Ukraine is the next stage of the pilgrimage towards Easter 2033. On the evening of June 4th, a first surprise awaits the Jesus Celebration 2033 team at the Lviv airport, in the west of Ukraine. The team is accompanied by Raphaël Lods, a young photographer and videographer to whom the important task to cover the visit is entrusted. They see a known face smile at them with a sign indicating their names!

Following Rome and Brussels, Vienna is the third European capital we visited to present the vision of Jesus Celebration 2033. Oliver Fleury, Barbara Allan and Martin Hoegger also attended the meeting “Together for Europe”.

It all started in Jerusalem, almost 2000 years ago, when one morning a woman returned from an empty tomb and announced to eleven stunned men: "He is risen"! We had to go to Jerusalem to share the vision of "Jesus Celebration 2033". We, Olivier Fleury, Shafique Keshavjee, and Martin Hoeggar. It was in September 2017: eight intense days with twenty visits!

In 2016, I met various leaders of the World Council of Churches (WCC) to present them the vision of Jesus Celebration 2033 (JC2033) and to listen to their feedback. Together with Olivier Fleury the director of the association who has also spoken personally with Olav Fykse Tveit, the general secretary of the WCC.

The day dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Orthodox Center of Chambésy (Geneva), the Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, received a delegation from the Secretariat of Jesus Celebration 2033.

This is my sixth and last “Chronicle of Jerusalem” covering our visits in that city last September. After meeting the various leaders of Arabic Churches, we had meetings with some Jewish leaders who recognize Jesus as the Messiah. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” as it was written on his Cross.

Continuing my journal of Jerusalem with visits to several Palestinian leaders. On Sunday morning, Shafique Keshavjee and I went to Ramallah to take part in a religious service of the Baptist Church. Its pastor Munir Kakish welcomed us with a cup of Arabian coffee, filling the house in the middle of the old town, with its aroma.

Jerusalem, September 22, 2017. One of the values of the "Jesus Celebration 2033" is the unity of the Church. We have met three men who are excited about a unity that everyone is looking for here, much more deeply than Jerusalem is divided. Three men with different traditions who discovered the secret: humility in Christ.

Jerusalem, September 21. This morning, as we left our inn, near the Damascus Gate, there were almost no cars. This is a double holiday: Roch Hachana (Jewish New Year) coincides this year with Raas Assana (the Muslim New Year). Even triple, as the UN set this day as the International Day for Peace.