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Evangelical Lutheran
Church (ELCJ)
"Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see what has happened, This
was the invitation of the shepherds to each other in the dark
fields that holy night long ago: let us go and see the babe.
Let us find the manger and see what the Lord has made known
to us. Palestinian children ask me many questions these days: If Mary and Joseph tried to come to Bethlehem today, would they need a permit? Would the Israeli soldiers let them in with a blue ID and not a West Bank ID? Would the 30 ft (8 meter) wall surrounding the city stop them from coming? Would they find their way around the detour where the main street is walled off at Rachel's tomb? Would they stop and weep with Rachel for the loss of all of her children, regardless of their religion or nationality? Would all these things keep them out? Would Mary have to deliver the baby at the checkpoint at Tantur? No. None of the obstacles then and none of the obstacles now can stop the Lord from finding a simple, lowly manger to be born into our world and become God incarnate. The shepherds were terrified at first, and then reassured by the angel. Still, it took a leap of faith for them to make their decision to act: "Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see what has happened, Why Bethlehem? Why would God choose this tiny, inconsequential place to come into the world? The prophets of old knew that the King would be born in Bethlehem. The chief rabbis told King Herod to inform the Wise Men that the babe would be born in Bethlehem, to fulfill the prophecy of Micah: "and
you, O Bethlehem in Ephrathah, small as you are to be among
Judah's clans, God chose Bethlehem, the least of these places, because this was the most "fruitful" (Ephrathah) place for the simple yet profound love of God to take root. God chose Bethlehem because it is precisely in the humble spirit in the midst of ordinary people that God meets the world and takes on humanity's struggle. God chose Bethlehem, the city of bread, as the birthplace of the bread of life. God chose Ephrathah, which means "fruitful," to be the smallest of seeds, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all. Isn't this always God's way in choosing people or places? God always finds a manger with the down-trodden, the marginalized, the oppressed, the unimportant, the unknown and unworthy. God is always eating with sinners, visiting the outcasts and blessing the poor and the powerless. For he is Emmanuel, God with everyone. As
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), the French mathematician, scientist
and apologist for the Christian faith wrote: "Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see what has happened, In today's world, we need the message of the babe even more. We yearn for peace and healing, we yearn for an end to suffering, violence, occupation, terror and hate. Many yearn to leave behind futile and fruitless pursuits to follow the path of the peacemaker, the Lord, who is the healer, the liberator, the forgiver. We, like the shepherds that night, need to go beyond our fear and take those bold steps. Imagine the joy of the shepherds when they found that even in the midst of their fear and the darkness of the cold night, the babe was born. They were willing to follow the call of the angels despite their terror of the night. Fear, uncertainty, darkness and doubt could not stop the shepherds from getting to Bethlehem. It couldn't stop God from coming into their midst. And it can't stop God from coming into our midst, no matter how much turmoil and chaos swirls around us. One of the messages of the manger is that fear and hate need no longer hold us hostage. Some political leaders are trying to bring security and peace to this world, proclaiming that the power and might of militarization will save us. But their security is an illusion and their peace through military might is only a charade. Far from giving us a safer world, the idolization of violence and militarization creates a culture of fear and erects new walls of hatred that have not existed before. This culture of fear pits nation against nation and citizen against citizen. Suspicion abounds and it seems there is no one or nothing to trust. In this culture of fear, we have carved the world into "us" vs. "them," good vs.evil-doers. It is no wonder we are seeing social problems erupting like never before. The culture of fear demonizes some and dehumanizes us all. Not only does this all fail to bring the peace, justice and security we seek, it creates even more instability, more hatred and an even greater desire for retaliation and counter-retaliation. Politicians and powerful ones, hear the invitation of the manger to do something new: "Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see what has happened, Even as the Herods of the world try to convince us that only their bombs and bullets and brutality will save us, the babe of the manger shows us a different way. The angels announce the good news that God is with us, Emmanuel, even in our fear and anxiety. The child is not born in palaces of wealth or in fortresses of violence, but in a simple stable to poor and ordinary people. The news of the child did not come first to the powerful but to the scared and vulnerable shepherds watching their flock by night. It is then, in the midst of fear and vulnerability, Christ comes with reassurance - Be not afraid, for I am with you always, I am the light even in your darkest night. I am the hope even in the midst of your despair. I am your peace. "Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see what has happened, Yet, even with these assurances, still we are afraid. The power and violence brokers make sure we stay afraid so we will accept their militarization and might as the only answers. The culture of fear must find someone to blame, an enemy to rally against, even if it stereotypes entire groups of people. Today, many interpret political conflict as religious conflict, and the actions of extremists as representative of religions. It is tragic that today the biggest walls of fear seem to be between religions. We are worried that Islam has been labeled as the cause of much of the increasing violence and chaos, fueling the growth of Islamophobia and Arabophobia. The Prime Minister of Norway, Rev. Kjell Magne Bundevik, in his speech to the UNDP in October of this year, said this: "The way Muslims and Arabs in the West are presented by the media can alienate moderate Muslims and reinforce the old fear felt by Europeans towards Muslims and Arabs." At the same time, we are pleased that there are more and more voices of tolerance and moderation in Islam that encourage the world to understand Islam in a different light. In the Message of Amman, released in November by the Chief Judge of the Islamic Court in Jordan, Sheikh Izzidine El Khatib writes that Islam promotes life not death and has no connection with violence and terror. We need more of these voices to increase mutual understanding. Arab Palestinian Christians have learned from long years the art of living with Muslims with mutual respect and equal rights. We are ready to join these voices of tolerance and to help build bridges between Islam and the West. We are equally concerned when some extremists try to equate Christianity with imperialism, violence and hate. We are equally disturbed by growing anti-semitism in Europe and other places in the world as well as growing Europhobia, Americanophobia and even xenophobia. It is especially disturbing when suffering people are refused asylum due to race and religion. The culture of fear is the best breeding ground for religious and political extremists, fanatics and fundamentalists. Those driven by fear and hate need to hear the call of the manger: "Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see what has happened, In the manger that dark night the walls between God and humanity were breached by God's unconditional love for us born in the infant child. The Christ child brings peace and reconciliation, and calls all those who have experienced the birth in their hearts to be ministers of that reconciliation. The good news of the angels is that we don't need these walls that divide us, because the love, forgiveness and healing of Christ helps us to see God in the other, and not to be afraid. God gives us the power to break down the walls and risk looking into the eyes of our sisters and brothers who are on the "other side" who are different from us, and see that we are all human beings, created in God's image, deserving of dignity, respect and equal rights. Though the Herods of our time insist on dividing the world, the babe in the manger comes to say a decisive "No!" to walls and instead brings all around the manger, all nations, all people, all equal, to restore the image of God that has been lost. Bethlehem shows us that God is found not behind walls but in unexpected mangers where new life comes alive. "Let
us go now to Bethlehem and see what has happened, This
Christmas in the Holy Land and around the world, people are
hoping and praying that the time for just peace has come. People
ask us here, what will it take to achieve peace with justice? We, the Palestinian Christian Lutheran Church, urge followers of the monotheistic religions and all people of faith to find the common human values that promote love of neighbor, family, justice, equality, peace, tolerance, compassion and reconciliation and advocate for them. Let us stand up clearly and say that any violence or terror done in the name of God is blasphemy. Religious and political leaders in the Middle East and beyond, please, LEAD! Lead us from a culture of fear and walls to a culture of reconciliation and bridge-building that builds trust between nations and religions. Set us free from the violence, injustice, occupation and oppression that have held us hostage. Give us the support we need to make this coming year the time to tear down the walls and bring a just peace. Let
us go now to the manger, all those who live in darkness and
fear, Let
us go, not as enemies with occupation or violence or oppression,
Let us take the risk, politicians and people of faith and courage, to go through the wall that God has breached to follow the way of wall-breachers, bridge-builders and peacemakers, not just peacetalkers. The babe in the manger is born for you, for me, for the world, to be the Prince of Peace, the Broker of Justice, the Healer of the Breach. Let us go together on this new journey and sing a new song of justice and peace: O
holy child of Bethlehem, descend to us we pray; Amen. May
you have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year!  |
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