Episcopal presiding bishop writes to Obama on Israeli-Palestinian peace process
This news courtesy of the ENS staff. For the complete story and the full text of Bishop Jefferts Schori's letter, go to this link: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_126599_ENG_HTM.htm
January 18, 2011
[Episcopal News Service] Stressing the urgency of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori last weekend wrote to President Barack Obama urging United States leadership to "reignite a negotiations process that can produce immediate and sustainable steps toward a just, comprehensive and lasting peace."
The Jan. 16 letter also cautioned against U.S. use of its veto power in the U.N. Security Council to block a possible resolution on Israeli settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories. Use of the veto "would send the wrong signal to both parties, as it would be interpreted by many as a break from past U.S. positions against settlement building," the presiding bishop wrote.
Stalled peace talks
The presiding bishop's letter comes at a moment when U.S. efforts to broker direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are stalled. The parties briefly came to the table in September in direct negotiations orchestrated and mediated by Obama, but those talks faltered when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to extend a temporary freze on the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian negotiators have maintained that a full settlement freeze is a condition of their participation in peace talks.
[Full story and complete text of the bishop's letter at: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_126599_ENG_HTM.htm]
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St. Olaf College students get a view from the Holy Land
This news courtesy of St. Olaf College News. For the full story, go to this link: http://www.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsShorts#5019
JANUARY 18, 2011
St. Olaf students participating in the Interim program in Israel and the Palestinian territories received a tour of the Lutheran World Federation in Jerusalem last week from Rev. Mark Brown '78, the organization’s regional director.
The students, led by Associate Professor of Religion Jim Hanson ‘83, are taking a course titled Historical Geography and the Bible in the Holy Land. It’s the first St. Olaf group to visit Israel in more than 11 years. In addition to touring the Lutheran World Federation compound that is located on the Mount of Olives, the group has toured an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, a Palestinian refugee camp, and many sites pertaining to Biblical history.
[For the complete news brief and photo, go to: http://www.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsShorts#5019]
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Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, look to Jerusalem
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity draws attention to Jerusalem
20 January 2011
Shortly after the beginning of each year, Christians around the world pray for church unity. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, traditionally celebrated from 18-25 January, draws on resources sponsored jointly by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church. The materials for January 2011 have been prepared in partnership with the churches of Jerusalem.
"In a present-day context of despair and suffering, the churches of Jerusalem show determination and witness together with the global church for a just peace in the city of peace," said WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit in a sermon at Geneva's Ecumenical Centre during a service of prayer organized by the city's churches. The service on Wednesday evening, 19 January, included traditional music from the Middle East and was led by local church leaders. It was attended by more than 200 people.
Tveit observed that the New Testament portrayal of the Jerusalem church "describes the original oneness of those early believers in Jesus. Being one means being together, breaking bread, praising God, but also giving and sharing, according to who is in need." He described the image of sharing around the table as a striking image that "gives great spiritual energy" to ecumenical endeavours.
He continued, "The table is also a place and space that demands that we think about justice and the way food and access to power are shared in the world, especially at a time when speculation with food prices will mean that the poorest will become poorer, and go hungry."
Tveit noted that "there is still sadly one table where we as Christians do not yet eat together," referring to differences among churches that mean all Christians cannot share together in the eucharist. "Yet here too the witness of Christians in Jerusalem, the mother church of us all, can help us. They show us that it is possible to work together despite divisions, to carry forward prophetic calls for justice and peace, and try to be one in action together."
In the Geneva service, Father Mikhail Megally of the Coptic Orthodox congregation thanked other local churches for their support in the wake of recent violence perpetrated against the Coptic community in Egypt. He told the gathering, “Copts are children of the Middle East. They belong to this region and are part of its development and identity. We cannot imagine either Egypt or the Middle East without their Christians.”
Full text of the sermon by the WCC general secretary: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/general-secretary/sermons/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2011.html
The general secretary mentioned the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, "... created in 2002 in response to a call from the churches in Jerusalem – individual accompaniers from member churches live alongside Palestinians and Israelis and see what life is like. Afterwards they return to their own contexts and tell the story of what they have experienced."
Full text of the introductory remarks by Father Mikhail Megally (pdf) - http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/2011pdfs/WOPCU2011_FrMegally.pdf
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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at the blog A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
20 January 2011
Shortly after the beginning of each year, Christians around the world pray for church unity. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, traditionally celebrated from 18-25 January, draws on resources sponsored jointly by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity of the Roman Catholic Church. The materials for January 2011 have been prepared in partnership with the churches of Jerusalem.
"In a present-day context of despair and suffering, the churches of Jerusalem show determination and witness together with the global church for a just peace in the city of peace," said WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit in a sermon at Geneva's Ecumenical Centre during a service of prayer organized by the city's churches. The service on Wednesday evening, 19 January, included traditional music from the Middle East and was led by local church leaders. It was attended by more than 200 people.
Tveit observed that the New Testament portrayal of the Jerusalem church "describes the original oneness of those early believers in Jesus. Being one means being together, breaking bread, praising God, but also giving and sharing, according to who is in need." He described the image of sharing around the table as a striking image that "gives great spiritual energy" to ecumenical endeavours.
He continued, "The table is also a place and space that demands that we think about justice and the way food and access to power are shared in the world, especially at a time when speculation with food prices will mean that the poorest will become poorer, and go hungry."
Tveit noted that "there is still sadly one table where we as Christians do not yet eat together," referring to differences among churches that mean all Christians cannot share together in the eucharist. "Yet here too the witness of Christians in Jerusalem, the mother church of us all, can help us. They show us that it is possible to work together despite divisions, to carry forward prophetic calls for justice and peace, and try to be one in action together."
In the Geneva service, Father Mikhail Megally of the Coptic Orthodox congregation thanked other local churches for their support in the wake of recent violence perpetrated against the Coptic community in Egypt. He told the gathering, “Copts are children of the Middle East. They belong to this region and are part of its development and identity. We cannot imagine either Egypt or the Middle East without their Christians.”
Full text of the sermon by the WCC general secretary: http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/general-secretary/sermons/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2011.html
The general secretary mentioned the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel, "... created in 2002 in response to a call from the churches in Jerusalem – individual accompaniers from member churches live alongside Palestinians and Israelis and see what life is like. Afterwards they return to their own contexts and tell the story of what they have experienced."
Full text of the introductory remarks by Father Mikhail Megally (pdf) - http://www.oikoumene.org/fileadmin/files/wcc-main/2011pdfs/WOPCU2011_FrMegally.pdf
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Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Action Alert: Support UN SC resolution condemning settlements
This Action Alert just in from the ELCA Middle East Network and Peace Not Walls. Click the link for the complete alert, plus links to more resources:
http://capwiz.com/elca/callalert/index.tt?alertid=22390501
Tell the President: Support a UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements.
Click the link above, then click the "Call Now" box for helpful talking points. In case you don't get that far, here is the phone number:
Washington office of President Barack Obama, 202.456.1313.
Tell the President to join the international community in reaffirming that Israeli settlements are illegal, are a major obstacle to peace, and should be halted immediately and completely.
Call the President today in support of a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
The UN Security Council may soon be considering a resolution
http://capwiz.com/elca/callalert/index.tt?alertid=22390501
Tell the President: Support a UN Security Council resolution condemning settlements.
Click the link above, then click the "Call Now" box for helpful talking points. In case you don't get that far, here is the phone number:
Washington office of President Barack Obama, 202.456.1313.
Tell the President to join the international community in reaffirming that Israeli settlements are illegal, are a major obstacle to peace, and should be halted immediately and completely.
Call the President today in support of a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
The UN Security Council may soon be considering a resolution
- reaffirming the illegality of Israeli settlements in Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967,
- naming settlements as a major obstacle to peace,
- demanding that Israel cease all settlement activity including in East Jerusalem,
- calling on both parties to act on the basis of international law and previous agreements,
- calling on all parties to continue negotiations on final status issues, and
- urging intensified efforts to invigorate the peace process.
U.S. leaders have said each of these things before. Our support for this resolution encourages the Obama administration to reaffirm these positions.
Ambassador Philip C. Wilcox, Jr., president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, wrote in Foreign Policy online magazine on January 5 that "the U.S. should rejoin the virtual international consensus on these issues, stand up for its own declared interests, and vote for the proposed Security Council resolution."
[http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/05/the_us_should_vote_for_a_un_security_council_resolution_condemning_israeli_settleme]
This resolution comes at a critical juncture when negotiations have lapsed specifically over the settlement issue. The U.S. administration has repeatedly called for a settlement freeze and has criticized settlement activity including in East Jerusalem. A UN resolution now, reaffirming previous UN resolutions and stating clearly the international consensus on settlements, could serve as a catalyst to get negotiations back on track to finally achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
Contact the president today.
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Saturday, January 15, 2011
New book: Palestine sixty years later
Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU) has published Palestine sixty years later, by Thomas Suarez. Because this book is so photo-driven, I recommend it for gifts and church libraries.
While the website might change, right now you can see samples of the beautiful pages at this link: http://palestine.org.il/
AMEU: http://www.ameu.org
Palestine sixty years later combines 171 photographs and commentary into a vivid glimpse of modern-day Palestine. An Introduction summarizes the origins of partition, compares the methods of Zionist expropriation used in 1948 to those employed today, and analyzes how Israel has exploited Judaism and the collective Western subconscious. The main part of the book is divided into three section: Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Although its focus, inevitably, is on the realities of life under siege and Occupation, the author depicts side-by-side the "other" Palestine, people living their own lives as best they can under that reality, refusing to be defined by it. A concluding commentary addresses the reasons the conflict has remained unresolved, and argues for immediate action to end the injustice.
A violinist, Thomas Suarez has written about Palestine both online and in print, and is the author of three major works on the history of cartography, and a novella. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of Gaza Mental Health Foundation.
Palestine sixty years later
Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank 2008-2009
Photographs & Observations
Thomas Suárez
Price $18
112 Pages. Softcover. 8.5 x 9.5 inches. Published by Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU), 475 Riverside Drive, Room 245, New York, NY, 10115-0245. Photographs and text © 2010 by Thomas Suárez. ISBN 978-0-578-051
From Middle East Books Reads - http://www.middleeastreads.com/?p=255 -
"Palestine: Sixty Years Later [is] a full bore assault against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, rejecting assumptions of symmetry between Israel and Palestine or presumptions that Israel acts in self-defense.
"Suarez’s... photographs of contemporary Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank are incontestable. They offer an unnerving portrait of a people and a land under an inconsolable occupation... The value of this photo essay lay in its capability to remind its readers that Palestinians are people like themselves,wishing the best for their families, but living under extremely harsh conditions... Suarez’s narrative accompanying the photos provides a powerful indictment against Israel’s practices and ultimategoal of erasing the Palestinian presence."
"A beautiful, evocative book. Suarez’s marvellous photographs capture more eloquently than any words the essence of what it means to live under Israeli occupation. The accompanying text is authoritative and to the point. An aesthetic and educational experience not to be missed." — Ghada Karmi, author of Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine
"[This] extraordinary book of photos and text ... should be read by every American citizen."— U.S. Senator James G. Abourezk
"A moving, fact-filled and insightful portrait of a people under relentless siege."— Norman Finkelstein, author of Beyond Chutzpah and "This Time We Went Too Far"
--- --- ---
To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at the blog A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
While the website might change, right now you can see samples of the beautiful pages at this link: http://palestine.org.il/
AMEU: http://www.ameu.org
Palestine sixty years later combines 171 photographs and commentary into a vivid glimpse of modern-day Palestine. An Introduction summarizes the origins of partition, compares the methods of Zionist expropriation used in 1948 to those employed today, and analyzes how Israel has exploited Judaism and the collective Western subconscious. The main part of the book is divided into three section: Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Although its focus, inevitably, is on the realities of life under siege and Occupation, the author depicts side-by-side the "other" Palestine, people living their own lives as best they can under that reality, refusing to be defined by it. A concluding commentary addresses the reasons the conflict has remained unresolved, and argues for immediate action to end the injustice.
A violinist, Thomas Suarez has written about Palestine both online and in print, and is the author of three major works on the history of cartography, and a novella. He is a member of the Advisory Committee of Gaza Mental Health Foundation.
Palestine sixty years later
Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank 2008-2009
Photographs & Observations
Thomas Suárez
Price $18
112 Pages. Softcover. 8.5 x 9.5 inches. Published by Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU), 475 Riverside Drive, Room 245, New York, NY, 10115-0245. Photographs and text © 2010 by Thomas Suárez. ISBN 978-0-578-051
From Middle East Books Reads - http://www.middleeastreads.com/?p=255 -
"Palestine: Sixty Years Later [is] a full bore assault against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, rejecting assumptions of symmetry between Israel and Palestine or presumptions that Israel acts in self-defense.
"Suarez’s... photographs of contemporary Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank are incontestable. They offer an unnerving portrait of a people and a land under an inconsolable occupation... The value of this photo essay lay in its capability to remind its readers that Palestinians are people like themselves,wishing the best for their families, but living under extremely harsh conditions... Suarez’s narrative accompanying the photos provides a powerful indictment against Israel’s practices and ultimategoal of erasing the Palestinian presence."
"A beautiful, evocative book. Suarez’s marvellous photographs capture more eloquently than any words the essence of what it means to live under Israeli occupation. The accompanying text is authoritative and to the point. An aesthetic and educational experience not to be missed." — Ghada Karmi, author of Married to Another Man: Israel’s Dilemma in Palestine
"[This] extraordinary book of photos and text ... should be read by every American citizen."— U.S. Senator James G. Abourezk
"A moving, fact-filled and insightful portrait of a people under relentless siege."— Norman Finkelstein, author of Beyond Chutzpah and "This Time We Went Too Far"
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To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at the blog A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
Friday, January 14, 2011
Kairos Palestine study launched by Presbyterian Israel/Palestine Mission Network
On the first anniversary of the launching of Kairos Palestine - A Moment of Truth, the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has released a 24-page booklet that includes the Kairos document and a three-week congregational study plan.
Info at this link: http://israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org/main/index.php/component/content/article/140-kairos-palestine
Kairos Palestine is the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" of our time, according to the Network. "This Confession of Faith, written in 2009 by a broad spectrum of Palestinian Christian leaders, is addressed to Palestinians, Israelis, the international community--as well as all the churches of the world. It lifts up the classical theological virtues of faith, hope, and love that lie at the heart of the Christian Gospel, and affirms that resistance to injustice and oppression is firmly grounded in these principles. It is both an anguished cry in a dark hour and a profound testament to unquenchable hope."
The study plan includes informative background material on the Israel-Palestine conflict including three maps in color. This material provides essential historical, political, and theological context for the Kairos Palestine statement. The booklet is an excellent guide for readers undertaking an individual study of the document. Church-based groups will benefit from the detailed lesson plans for a three-week congregational study, inclulding a list of thought-provoking questions to stimulate reflection and discussion.
Cost and ordering info: $2.00 each for 1-19 copies $1.50 each for 20+ copies
Order: http://store.pcusa.org/ or 800-524-2612 PDS No. 2646610001
--- --- ---
To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at the blog A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
Info at this link: http://israelpalestinemissionnetwork.org/main/index.php/component/content/article/140-kairos-palestine
Kairos Palestine is the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" of our time, according to the Network. "This Confession of Faith, written in 2009 by a broad spectrum of Palestinian Christian leaders, is addressed to Palestinians, Israelis, the international community--as well as all the churches of the world. It lifts up the classical theological virtues of faith, hope, and love that lie at the heart of the Christian Gospel, and affirms that resistance to injustice and oppression is firmly grounded in these principles. It is both an anguished cry in a dark hour and a profound testament to unquenchable hope."
The study plan includes informative background material on the Israel-Palestine conflict including three maps in color. This material provides essential historical, political, and theological context for the Kairos Palestine statement. The booklet is an excellent guide for readers undertaking an individual study of the document. Church-based groups will benefit from the detailed lesson plans for a three-week congregational study, inclulding a list of thought-provoking questions to stimulate reflection and discussion.
Cost and ordering info: $2.00 each for 1-19 copies $1.50 each for 20+ copies
Order: http://store.pcusa.org/ or 800-524-2612 PDS No. 2646610001
--- --- ---
To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at the blog A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Valiant US leadership is needed
Churches for Middle East Peace announces that valiant U.S. leadership is needed, and that starts with you and me.
In this season of hope and expectation we must remind the President that we support peacemaking even when that path is daunting. Send a Christmas card now to President Obama and let him know that we believe in peace!
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4819
While direct talks failed to produce the desired results, we haven't given-up on peacemaking. As a world leader, the role of the U.S. government is crucial to a future peace with justice and security for all.
The president is facing the need to develop a new strategy for advancing an agreement for peace.
What's happening to Palestinians and Israelis cannot be tolerated by Christians who hear the call of Jesus to embody and work for peace. Violence and dehumanization directed at any person cannot be endured without a high price being paid by all of us.
In this season of hope and expectation we must remind the President that we support peacemaking even when that path is daunting. Send a Christmas card now to President Obama and let him know that we believe in peace!
While direct talks failed to produce the desired results, we haven't given-up on peacemaking. As a world leader, the role of the U.S. government is crucial to a future peace with justice and security for all.
If you have send a card by postal mail, many thanks! Please pass this email along to someone you know who may also want to send a card.
Make peace a priority this Christmas. Send a card and join the campaign for peace. Take another step in the hard journey toward peace in the Holy Land. http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4819
------------------------------------------------
For the Peace of Jerusalem: Christians for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Now [http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/salsa/web/common/public/index.sjs] is a national campaign calling on people of Christian faith across the country to work for a just and secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land. The campaign’s launch on December 1, 2010 is especially timely given the U.S. administration’s focus on direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leadership, the challenges these talks have already faced, and the important role of the Holy Land in this season’s celebrations of Christ’s birth. Find out more about the campaign and its members at http://www.peaceofjerusalem.org/.
Churches for Middle East Peace - http://www.cmep.org/ - a 26-year old coalition of coalition of 24 national Church denominations and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. It works to encourage U.S. government policies that actively promote a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ensuring security, human rights and religious freedom for all people of the region. For more information visit http://www.cmep.org/.
--- --- ---
To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at the blog A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
In this season of hope and expectation we must remind the President that we support peacemaking even when that path is daunting. Send a Christmas card now to President Obama and let him know that we believe in peace!
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4819
While direct talks failed to produce the desired results, we haven't given-up on peacemaking. As a world leader, the role of the U.S. government is crucial to a future peace with justice and security for all.
The president is facing the need to develop a new strategy for advancing an agreement for peace.
What's happening to Palestinians and Israelis cannot be tolerated by Christians who hear the call of Jesus to embody and work for peace. Violence and dehumanization directed at any person cannot be endured without a high price being paid by all of us.
In this season of hope and expectation we must remind the President that we support peacemaking even when that path is daunting. Send a Christmas card now to President Obama and let him know that we believe in peace!
While direct talks failed to produce the desired results, we haven't given-up on peacemaking. As a world leader, the role of the U.S. government is crucial to a future peace with justice and security for all.
If you have send a card by postal mail, many thanks! Please pass this email along to someone you know who may also want to send a card.
Make peace a priority this Christmas. Send a card and join the campaign for peace. Take another step in the hard journey toward peace in the Holy Land. http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4819
------------------------------------------------
For the Peace of Jerusalem: Christians for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Now [http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5575/p/salsa/web/common/public/index.sjs] is a national campaign calling on people of Christian faith across the country to work for a just and secure peace for Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land. The campaign’s launch on December 1, 2010 is especially timely given the U.S. administration’s focus on direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leadership, the challenges these talks have already faced, and the important role of the Holy Land in this season’s celebrations of Christ’s birth. Find out more about the campaign and its members at http://www.peaceofjerusalem.org/.
Churches for Middle East Peace - http://www.cmep.org/ - a 26-year old coalition of coalition of 24 national Church denominations and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant traditions. It works to encourage U.S. government policies that actively promote a just, lasting and comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ensuring security, human rights and religious freedom for all people of the region. For more information visit http://www.cmep.org/.
--- --- ---
To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at the blog A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Lutheran Bishop Younan: Fear Not
The Rev. Munib Younan, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, released a Christmas message last week. Here's the link to the statement: http://www.elcjhl.org/Admin/Bishop/2010.12_BishopYounan_ChristmasMessage2010.asp
Christmas Message 2010
Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan
Bishop of the ELCJHL
“Fear Not!”
When we think of the Christmas story, the most common words that come to mind are peace, joy, hope, faith, and love. Christmas is a pleasant time when families come together, when choirs sing, and when children are filled with fantasies. Yet the first two words of Christmas are “Fear not!”
8"In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Fear not! for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:8-11
It was the same when the angel appeared to the aged priest Zechariah at the temple: “Fear not!”
And when Gabriel appeared to the young girl Mary in Nazareth: “Fear not!”
And when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant and an angel appeared to him in a dream: “Fear not!”
In first century Palestine, there were so many reasons for them to be afraid:
•For Zechariah, the impotency of old age and the potential loss of mental and physical abilities.
•For Mary, a young vulnerable girl, pregnant outside of marriage in a patriarchal society.
•For Joseph, the pressures of leading an upstanding and righteous life with religious zealots judging him on the basis of Mary’s pregnancy.
•For the shepherds, the threat of the natural world with wild animals about to attack their flocks during the darkness of night and the lawlessness of thieves and bandits who would not be afraid of using violence on them for material gain.
•For all of them, questions about God’s presence in their lives when God seemed so very far away.
And yet, “Fear not!” was the message of the angel to all of them. And it was not the terrifying, life-destroying, bad news they might have expected. It was good news of great joy for each one of them and for all people. “Fear not! For I bring you good news of great joy!”
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” – John 3:16
For Zechariah, for Mary, for Joseph, for the shepherds, the message was very simple, “God has not forgotten you. God is not far away or removed from your lives. God hears your cries of loneliness, inadequacy, uncertainty, doubt and fear about who you are, what is your purpose in life, how you fit in with your relationships to others, your relationship to this vast universe, and most of all your relationship to God—to God who comes in the form of a child born in a humble manger, among common people like you, on a still silent night, in a small village like Bethlehem. This is good news of great joy. God loves you. Fear Not!”
In the first epistle of John, we are told “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). And so the first word of Christmas must be that spoken by the angels, “Fear not!” It is the first, the middle, and the last word of Christmas. “Fear not!” Here in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and into the whole world, “Fear not!” Then, 2,000 years ago, and today at Christmas 2010, “Fear not!”
There are many issues today that cause us to fear: health problems like cancer and diseases like HIV/ AIDS, economic issues like job loss and decreasing funds for retirement, family issues like divorce or the death of a spouse, environmental issues like global warming and disappearing natural resources, international tensions and the development of more destructive weaponry, extremism in politics and religion. Once again we need a Christmas angel proclaiming, “Fear not!”
Yes, here at Christmas time 2010 in the Middle East, we once again long for a heavenly angel to comfort us with these words, “Fear not!”
Our people are in danger of drowning in fear. Many Christians in many parts of the Middle East are increasingly cowering in fear and becoming timid in their witness. Just a little over a month ago in Baghdad at Our Lady of Salvation Church terrorists gunned down two priests and fifty-one defenseless worshippers. Since then, another three were killed in Mosul and an elderly Christian couple were murdered in their own home in Baghdad. So how do Christians respond? In an Associated Press story, one woman, afraid to give her name, said she lives in a constant state of fear, keeping her children indoors and out of school. In less than fifteen years, the number of Christians in Iraq has declined from one and a quarter million to only 400,000. For centuries Christians and Muslims have lived side by side, yet today religious extremists are holding hostage the moderate majority, Christian and Muslim alike. Iraqi Christians are once again in need of a Christmas angel proclaiming “Fear not!”
A similar picture is developing in Egypt where Coptic Christians have fresh in their memories the drive-by shooting that left six Christians dead in Nag Hammadi as they were leaving church after last year’s Christmas Eve Mass. As we approach another Christmas season, there are heightened tensions in Egypt. We ask both sides — Christians and Muslims alike — to dialogue concerning their differences for the sake of their long-standing relationship. We announce to them from Jerusalem, “We are praying for you.” And we say, “Fear not!”
These and other situations have resulted in the U.S. State Department “International Religious Freedom Report” for 2010 reminding us that: “The right to believe or not to believe, without fear of government interference or restriction, is a basic human right.” To believe without fear — to worship without fear — is a fundamental human right. Yet, because of extremism, people are afraid.
These and other situations were the reason that the Vatican recently held its Synod on the Middle East to:
•“confirm and strengthen Christians in their identity through the Word of God and the Sacraments.
•And to give new life. . . so that they might provide an authentic witness of joyful and attractive Christian life.” [Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, The Middle Eastern Synod in its Geopolitical and Pastoral Context (Zenit.org, May 22, 2010)]
I hope that the World Council of Churches will hold a similar conference so that we Christians of the Middle East will have a coordinated strategy and be strengthened in the process.
Here in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, including Jordan, we are not facing the same problems of persecution as our sisters and brothers in many countries of the Middle East. There may be social and political problems, but we thank God for the religious freedom we enjoy. Here Christians today number only 1.4 % of the population with many Arab Christians emigrating because of the political situation and the lack of willingness and resolve to bring about a just peace, because of lack of jobs, because of lack of housing, because of the difficulty of travel, and because of the rise of extremism on both sides.
Palestinians and Israelis today face a common enemy: fear. In the absence of justice and peace, the common denominator is fear. Fear of the other. Fear for the future. Fear that freedom is not coming. Fear that children will grow in hatred. Fear of insecurity. Fear of the occupation. Fear is our common prison that keeps us locked up in cycles of mistrust and shattered dreams. It is a fear that builds non-productive “facts on the ground”. It is a fear that will only ever vanish when there is peace based on justice and reconciliation built on forgiveness. We proclaim that such a just peace is possible today. We pray that all political leaders will seize the opportunity before it is too late. The same message of the first Christmas rings true today, “Fear not!” There is a child who was born into a world of fear in order to take away that fear and to bring peace to earth and good will to humankind.
The Christmas message must speak loud and clear once again, “Fear not!” We are in need of a heavenly angel, a messenger of God, who says, “Do not be afraid.” “Fear not, Zechariah. Fear not, Joseph. Fear not, Mary. Fear not, shepherds. Fear not, Palestinian Christians. Fear not, Arab Christians. God hears you. God loves you. God empowers you. God calls you to be a vibrant and living witness in this place at this critical time in history.”
When the angels appeared to the Beit Sahour shepherds, the promise of good news overshadowed all their fears. The announcement of God’s love for them and the world cast out all the fear that might have prevented them from traveling to Bethlehem amidst the crowds and the Roman soldiers on that first Christmas night.
The announcement of God’s love for them brought them to the manger where they bowed in humble worship to the long-promised Christ-child, where they prayed, where they uttered songs of thanksgiving, where they were fed spiritually and strengthened in order to return to their normal, mundane, and sometimes exhausting tasks of daily life. Luke describes this return in such encouraging words, “The Shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
For the shepherds, the dangers were still there. The threats of violence were still very real and no different than before. The demands of making a living, of supporting their families, and sharing with their neighbors and communities, none of that was different from the day before. In many ways, their lives had not changed, but their spirits had. They went about their daily tasks glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. From the beginning of those two small words — “Fear not!” — the shepherds were called to witness, and sent out, unafraid, to share the good news with those around them.
Likely their home communities, their friends, and even their families met them with some reluctance, perhaps with skepticism and doubt. Those around them were still living in fear. I wonder how the shepherds began their stories about that first Christmas night? Most likely it was with those same two words, “Fear not!” And their witness would have provided a contagion that changed families, transformed communities, and encouraged others no longer to live in fear, but to share in that vibrant witness of the hope that came to Bethlehem in the child born in a manger.
Our task as a church is to be the salt of society, the leaven of the dough. Our task today is to provide education. It is also our task to provide our society with educated individuals who promote the values of human rights, freedom of religion and democracy. Our task is to train leaders who will become teachers, lawyers, and professionals who will contribute to the well being of society. Our task is to provide a witness of non-violent struggle against injustice, to promote religious toleration, to provide a model of peoples of different religious and ethnic backgrounds learning to see God in the other and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We can no longer be timid or afraid about our witness to the world. At this time of hopelessness, it is essential that we Christians develop a theology of witness and coexistence focusing on the reasons that the babe of the manger calls us — like the shepherds of old — to witness here in the Holy Land.
Today Christians in the Middle East are just a small minority, living in a world filled with danger and filled with what must seem to be insurmountable challenges. And so it was with those first shepherds of Beit Sahour, only three or four of them, perhaps one or two still children, all uneducated and untrained in speech. I could understand if they had been timid in telling the story. But Luke tells us they went home glorifying and praising God. And I could understand if today’s Christian community remained timid about its witness. But then I hear again those first two little words of the Christmas message: “Fear not!”
The angels call to us from the first Christmas.
“Fear not!”
They speak to us when we hear the Christmas story once again.
“Fear not!”
And from the manger in Bethlehem we continue to hear.
“Fear not!”
We wish you a Peaceful Merry Christmas and A Blessed New Year 2011 full of a just peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
Website: http://www.elcjhl.org/
--- --- ---
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Christmas Message 2010
Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan
Bishop of the ELCJHL
“Fear Not!”
When we think of the Christmas story, the most common words that come to mind are peace, joy, hope, faith, and love. Christmas is a pleasant time when families come together, when choirs sing, and when children are filled with fantasies. Yet the first two words of Christmas are “Fear not!”
8"In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Fear not! for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” – Luke 2:8-11
It was the same when the angel appeared to the aged priest Zechariah at the temple: “Fear not!”
And when Gabriel appeared to the young girl Mary in Nazareth: “Fear not!”
And when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant and an angel appeared to him in a dream: “Fear not!”
In first century Palestine, there were so many reasons for them to be afraid:
•For Zechariah, the impotency of old age and the potential loss of mental and physical abilities.
•For Mary, a young vulnerable girl, pregnant outside of marriage in a patriarchal society.
•For Joseph, the pressures of leading an upstanding and righteous life with religious zealots judging him on the basis of Mary’s pregnancy.
•For the shepherds, the threat of the natural world with wild animals about to attack their flocks during the darkness of night and the lawlessness of thieves and bandits who would not be afraid of using violence on them for material gain.
•For all of them, questions about God’s presence in their lives when God seemed so very far away.
And yet, “Fear not!” was the message of the angel to all of them. And it was not the terrifying, life-destroying, bad news they might have expected. It was good news of great joy for each one of them and for all people. “Fear not! For I bring you good news of great joy!”
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” – John 3:16
For Zechariah, for Mary, for Joseph, for the shepherds, the message was very simple, “God has not forgotten you. God is not far away or removed from your lives. God hears your cries of loneliness, inadequacy, uncertainty, doubt and fear about who you are, what is your purpose in life, how you fit in with your relationships to others, your relationship to this vast universe, and most of all your relationship to God—to God who comes in the form of a child born in a humble manger, among common people like you, on a still silent night, in a small village like Bethlehem. This is good news of great joy. God loves you. Fear Not!”
In the first epistle of John, we are told “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). And so the first word of Christmas must be that spoken by the angels, “Fear not!” It is the first, the middle, and the last word of Christmas. “Fear not!” Here in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and into the whole world, “Fear not!” Then, 2,000 years ago, and today at Christmas 2010, “Fear not!”
There are many issues today that cause us to fear: health problems like cancer and diseases like HIV/ AIDS, economic issues like job loss and decreasing funds for retirement, family issues like divorce or the death of a spouse, environmental issues like global warming and disappearing natural resources, international tensions and the development of more destructive weaponry, extremism in politics and religion. Once again we need a Christmas angel proclaiming, “Fear not!”
Yes, here at Christmas time 2010 in the Middle East, we once again long for a heavenly angel to comfort us with these words, “Fear not!”
Our people are in danger of drowning in fear. Many Christians in many parts of the Middle East are increasingly cowering in fear and becoming timid in their witness. Just a little over a month ago in Baghdad at Our Lady of Salvation Church terrorists gunned down two priests and fifty-one defenseless worshippers. Since then, another three were killed in Mosul and an elderly Christian couple were murdered in their own home in Baghdad. So how do Christians respond? In an Associated Press story, one woman, afraid to give her name, said she lives in a constant state of fear, keeping her children indoors and out of school. In less than fifteen years, the number of Christians in Iraq has declined from one and a quarter million to only 400,000. For centuries Christians and Muslims have lived side by side, yet today religious extremists are holding hostage the moderate majority, Christian and Muslim alike. Iraqi Christians are once again in need of a Christmas angel proclaiming “Fear not!”
A similar picture is developing in Egypt where Coptic Christians have fresh in their memories the drive-by shooting that left six Christians dead in Nag Hammadi as they were leaving church after last year’s Christmas Eve Mass. As we approach another Christmas season, there are heightened tensions in Egypt. We ask both sides — Christians and Muslims alike — to dialogue concerning their differences for the sake of their long-standing relationship. We announce to them from Jerusalem, “We are praying for you.” And we say, “Fear not!”
These and other situations have resulted in the U.S. State Department “International Religious Freedom Report” for 2010 reminding us that: “The right to believe or not to believe, without fear of government interference or restriction, is a basic human right.” To believe without fear — to worship without fear — is a fundamental human right. Yet, because of extremism, people are afraid.
These and other situations were the reason that the Vatican recently held its Synod on the Middle East to:
•“confirm and strengthen Christians in their identity through the Word of God and the Sacraments.
•And to give new life. . . so that they might provide an authentic witness of joyful and attractive Christian life.” [Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, The Middle Eastern Synod in its Geopolitical and Pastoral Context (Zenit.org, May 22, 2010)]
I hope that the World Council of Churches will hold a similar conference so that we Christians of the Middle East will have a coordinated strategy and be strengthened in the process.
Here in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, including Jordan, we are not facing the same problems of persecution as our sisters and brothers in many countries of the Middle East. There may be social and political problems, but we thank God for the religious freedom we enjoy. Here Christians today number only 1.4 % of the population with many Arab Christians emigrating because of the political situation and the lack of willingness and resolve to bring about a just peace, because of lack of jobs, because of lack of housing, because of the difficulty of travel, and because of the rise of extremism on both sides.
Palestinians and Israelis today face a common enemy: fear. In the absence of justice and peace, the common denominator is fear. Fear of the other. Fear for the future. Fear that freedom is not coming. Fear that children will grow in hatred. Fear of insecurity. Fear of the occupation. Fear is our common prison that keeps us locked up in cycles of mistrust and shattered dreams. It is a fear that builds non-productive “facts on the ground”. It is a fear that will only ever vanish when there is peace based on justice and reconciliation built on forgiveness. We proclaim that such a just peace is possible today. We pray that all political leaders will seize the opportunity before it is too late. The same message of the first Christmas rings true today, “Fear not!” There is a child who was born into a world of fear in order to take away that fear and to bring peace to earth and good will to humankind.
The Christmas message must speak loud and clear once again, “Fear not!” We are in need of a heavenly angel, a messenger of God, who says, “Do not be afraid.” “Fear not, Zechariah. Fear not, Joseph. Fear not, Mary. Fear not, shepherds. Fear not, Palestinian Christians. Fear not, Arab Christians. God hears you. God loves you. God empowers you. God calls you to be a vibrant and living witness in this place at this critical time in history.”
When the angels appeared to the Beit Sahour shepherds, the promise of good news overshadowed all their fears. The announcement of God’s love for them and the world cast out all the fear that might have prevented them from traveling to Bethlehem amidst the crowds and the Roman soldiers on that first Christmas night.
The announcement of God’s love for them brought them to the manger where they bowed in humble worship to the long-promised Christ-child, where they prayed, where they uttered songs of thanksgiving, where they were fed spiritually and strengthened in order to return to their normal, mundane, and sometimes exhausting tasks of daily life. Luke describes this return in such encouraging words, “The Shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”
For the shepherds, the dangers were still there. The threats of violence were still very real and no different than before. The demands of making a living, of supporting their families, and sharing with their neighbors and communities, none of that was different from the day before. In many ways, their lives had not changed, but their spirits had. They went about their daily tasks glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. From the beginning of those two small words — “Fear not!” — the shepherds were called to witness, and sent out, unafraid, to share the good news with those around them.
Likely their home communities, their friends, and even their families met them with some reluctance, perhaps with skepticism and doubt. Those around them were still living in fear. I wonder how the shepherds began their stories about that first Christmas night? Most likely it was with those same two words, “Fear not!” And their witness would have provided a contagion that changed families, transformed communities, and encouraged others no longer to live in fear, but to share in that vibrant witness of the hope that came to Bethlehem in the child born in a manger.
Our task as a church is to be the salt of society, the leaven of the dough. Our task today is to provide education. It is also our task to provide our society with educated individuals who promote the values of human rights, freedom of religion and democracy. Our task is to train leaders who will become teachers, lawyers, and professionals who will contribute to the well being of society. Our task is to provide a witness of non-violent struggle against injustice, to promote religious toleration, to provide a model of peoples of different religious and ethnic backgrounds learning to see God in the other and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We can no longer be timid or afraid about our witness to the world. At this time of hopelessness, it is essential that we Christians develop a theology of witness and coexistence focusing on the reasons that the babe of the manger calls us — like the shepherds of old — to witness here in the Holy Land.
Today Christians in the Middle East are just a small minority, living in a world filled with danger and filled with what must seem to be insurmountable challenges. And so it was with those first shepherds of Beit Sahour, only three or four of them, perhaps one or two still children, all uneducated and untrained in speech. I could understand if they had been timid in telling the story. But Luke tells us they went home glorifying and praising God. And I could understand if today’s Christian community remained timid about its witness. But then I hear again those first two little words of the Christmas message: “Fear not!”
The angels call to us from the first Christmas.
“Fear not!”
They speak to us when we hear the Christmas story once again.
“Fear not!”
And from the manger in Bethlehem we continue to hear.
“Fear not!”
We wish you a Peaceful Merry Christmas and A Blessed New Year 2011 full of a just peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Munib A. Younan, Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land
Website: http://www.elcjhl.org/
--- --- ---
To receive regular bulletins from Ann Hafften, sign up at the blog A Texas Lutheran's Voice for Peace: http://www.voicesforpeace.blogspot.com/
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