Each day brings us new adventures here in this land so far away, but my thoughts are never far from you. How I long to draw you into the richness of what I am experiencing… the ways my understandings of God’s Word and God’s grace are deepening. I hope you all are having good summers, whether you are away or at home, working or playing or vacationing.
Today we went for the second time into the Bethlehem region, this time with our Tantur group of 17 church leaders from around the world. (Our first trip was a week ago with Gabe, Bethany, my sister, and the children of our host family, the Azars. We got to see together the place where many think Jesus was born, quite an amazing experience.)
We began just outside of Bethlehem, visiting the fields where the shepherds of Luke’s nativity would likely have been when they heard the good news from the angels. We climbed down into a cave that shepherds would have used for shelter and softly sang Silent Night together. As I looked down at the artistic mosaic floor of the cave, reverently decorated so many centuries ago, I felt connected not only to the birth of Christ but also to so many other Christians who have come to this place to remember when God became human among us.
I won’t try to tell you all we did in Bethlehem, but you should know some of the wonderful things the Palestinian Lutherans are doing through the ministries of Christmas Lutheran Church! Over many years and with much hard work they have built a Cultural Center which helps many people to find their way through troubled times. There Palestinian people gain skills in drama, pottery, film-making, photography, and many other media. People who are closed in by a separation wall and by prevailing attitudes of hopelessness can express themselves, create beauty, sustain themselves and their families, and find community. This is only one of the many ways the Lutheran Church is reaching out to Muslims and Christians alike with the abundant life God wants for us all.
We also were privileged to visit a Syrian Orthodox Church which serves a community of 3000 Christians who sing and pray the same way they did some 2000 years ago, using the language Jesus and his disciples spoke, Aramaic. We even got to hear the Lord’s Prayer sung in this beautiful language, and we saw prayer books that were written in the 7th century.
In just one morning I was connected powerfully to the past and to the hopes of people wanting to build a future.
Right now I am sitting in our room at Tantur, hearing the call to prayer from the Muslim community in Bethlehem. We have a beautiful view of this holy city right from the balcony of our room! The one thing interrupting the beauty, however, is the massive concrete wall which is stretching around Bethlehem and its two neighboring towns. The watchtowers on the wall remind one of a barrier enclosing prisoners. These are sad and tense times in this area often called the “Christian Triangle”. I urge you to find out more about the situation in this region and pray every day for the peace and well-being of the people.
Christ the King Lutheran Church, 3 Lutheran Drive, Nashua, NH 03063 (603) 882-6142
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