A LEMON from a tree growing beside an Anglican church in Palestine found its way into the hands of the King last week, transported from the occupied West Bank to Windsor Castle by the Bishop of Norwich.
The Rector of St Philip’s, Nablus, the Revd Jameel Maher Khader, said that it filled him with “quiet joy” to know that the King had received the hand-picked gift.
He said that he “wanted to offer something very ordinary and very Palestinian — something grown with care, from our own land. A lemon felt honest and humble, a small sign of life and generosity from our community in Nablus.
“I hope he enjoys it — or remembers, even briefly, the people and the place it came from. Perhaps it might prompt a thought or a prayer for peace,” Fr Khader said.
The lemon trees beside his church were a reminder that the the church “is meant to be a place of life”, he said.
“These trees remind us that faith is rooted in the land and shared with others — they give shade, fruit, and hope. . . Even in difficult times, the trees keep bearing fruit.”
Fr Khader picked the lemon and gave it to the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, in the course of an episcopal visit to Nablus’ Christian community last week.
The Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, who was also on the trip, told the Church Times that on two previous visits she had tried and failed to get to Nablus, prevented by the type of restrictions on movement and security concerns which Palestinians experience daily in the occupied West Bank.
Bishop Usher carried the lemon back to the UK on Thursday of last week, and gave it to the King at the première of a new film, Finding Harmony: A king’s vision, at Windsor Castle that evening.
Bishop Usher said that it was “a joy to deliver this small gift from Palestinian Christians to His Majesty. . . These Christians are keeping the light of Christ alive in the land of his birth while living under constant challenges.”
