Worldly Holiness

“They don’t let them into the city to meet real Palestinians anymore!” Words shared with me yesterday outside the Nativity Church in Bethlehem from Ahmed. “They are just greedy and selfish.” I’m finishing a 3 month term serving with EAPPI as an Ecumenical Accompanier, providing protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitoring and reporting on the situation at checkpoints, learning about the ramifications of the wall to all sides in the current situation in the West Bank. Have also had the opportunity to visit a settlement and meet with Israeli and Jewish activists who disagree with many of the current policies and strategies of the current Israeli government.

I haven’t entered the typical build-up to Christmas as normally experienced in the US. I’m still in Hebron, just south of Bethlehem by about 20 kilometers, through Dec. 5th. I’m in Bethlehem taking a few needed days off and trying to reflect on what I’ve seen and experienced in my time here. I’m also trying to prepare for Advent. Some of that includes buying gifts for loved ones. But I also want to take advantage of being so close to where it all started–the place of Christ’s birth. There are others here doing the same. Many tourists from around the world make their way to Bethlehem this time of the year, trying to get close to the story of Jesus. But most miss the point.

There is plenty of room in the Bethlehem Inn, or other nice hotels where people camp out before they head over to Manger Square and step through the very low door into the Church of the Nativity. The “door of humility,” a small rectangular entrance to the church, was created in Ottoman times to prevent carts being driven in by looters, and to force even the most important visitor to dismount from his horse as he entered the holy place. The doorway was reduced from an earlier Crusader doorway. The different iterations of the entry can be seen in the stones and refurbished masonry, kind of in reverse of the height charts on your wall at home showing the growth of your children. It appears the door kept getting smaller, making it less penetrable by invading forces.

The tourists today arrive in droves in December. They arrive in beautiful buses, not donkeys. Tour guides shape the story and guide them step by step through a tight script, photo opps, plenty of food, and trips to trinket stores. Wonder what Jesus thinks of all this hubbub. “Those tour guides get a big commission from each stop on the tour. They are all greedy,” continues Ahmed. I went over to the coffee shop next to the Nativity Church for a nice hot cappuccino. Probably something Joseph and Mary didn’t do when they came looking for a place to rest for a night.

So much has happened here in Bethlehem since those humble beginnings. It’s amazing to think that where I stood yesterday, it is reported that 100 Israeli tanks, and snipers, were poised, taking shots at the Nativity church, just a little over 10 years ago during the 2nd intifada. They were trying to capture 200 Palestinian militants who had found refuge in the church. It is reported that tourism took a big hit because of that siege. Wonder why? But now, more than a decade away, the tourism spicket seems to be wide open.

Part of me would like to return home and forget some of what I’ve seen the last few months here in the West Bank. I’d like to have the warm devotional thoughts about advent, and the Christmas story. I’d like to join those tourists on the warm, heated bus. It can hit freezing in December here in Bethlehem. With central heating a rare thing, except for the nicer hotels and tour buses, you feel exposed to the elements. Much like Mary and Joseph, and Jesus of course.

Part of me is emotionally raw, another part angry, because of what I’ve seen and experienced here in the West Bank the last 3 months. The Kingdom of God which Jesus came to inaugurate seems absent still. The operative word is “seems.” The great proclamation that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us,” [John 1:14] (as we are, not as we wish it would be), assures us that God did in fact enter human history through his incarnation. And he is at work through you and me to give hints of what that Kingdom looks like. I’ve met some courageous Palestinians and Israeli activists these past months. Many keep working for peace, by using non-violent means. They are the leaven in the dough that God seems to be using to move things in the right direction.

This season of Advent, a season of waiting and cultivating hope in the work and presence of Christ among and through us, gives me strength. Our sense of anticipation is heightened looking forward to the day when the lion will lie down with the lamb, death and destruction will be swallowed up, and every tear will be wiped away. Peace in the Middle East, and our extended families and places of service will come in full. Advent captures in microcosm the big picture of Christ’s work of redemption.

Don’t board the tourist bus. Mix it up with the locals. Be agents of the Kingdom, beacons of hope pointing to the key figure of the Advent season where you live and serve Christ this advent. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

Tags: "Just peace" Bethlehem EAPPI Palestine "Nativity Church" "Andrew E. Larsen"

Providing Protective Presence in Hebron

I’ve been in the West Bank/Israel now for a little over two weeks. Jet lag is gone. I’ve figured out how to make Arabic coffee. I know how to get downtown, which means telling the taxi driver the name of the location for the town center. I’ve been laughed at by my team members and Palestinians alike already on this one. It’s a good thing. I know also what a tear gas launcher looks like. Fortunately I’ve not been submitted to the experience of fleeing the toxic fumes. I’ve been told to smash an onion and breath the aroma deeply. It opens the eyes and air passages that tend to shut down when exposed to tear gas. I’m adapting to the new environs here in Hebron where I will serve for about 3 months as an Ecumenical Accompanier under the World Council of Churches with EAPPI. Don’t worry about remembering all the letters. It took me awhile as well. The important thing to remember is what we are doing. One of my new roles is to provide “protective presence” to the vulnerable, reporting problems, seeking to advocate for just peace and just being around so the conflicted parties can live with less conflict. Its fascinating at one level. And its sad at another.

I’ve been stationed near the stairs leading to the Cordoba school the last two mornings. Wake up for this duty is 6amish. Kind of early for me. The school property has been encroached upon by an Israeli settlement over the years and is a flash point for conflict between the majority Palestinian community in the city of Hebron and several Israeli settlements growing in the middle of this important urban center on the West Bank. As a result children are regularly harassed by the settlers. This morning a band of dogs seemed to congregate near the gate to intimidate the children as they approach the school. It seems intentional but I can’t really tell yet. The IDF (Israeli soldiers) were helpful this morning, shooing [not shooting] the dogs away from the gate. I’ve found the soldiers to be quite civil so far, even within their tough role of standing in between conflicted communities. I’ve heard stories however that they sometimes seem intimidated by the settlers themselves, or exercise inappropriate and harsh tactics on local Palestinian citizens. I’m trying to be as objective as possible and view all parties and people as human beings, players in a drama that scripts who they are and how they behave.

I’ve seen a lot already in Hebron. I’m making a lot of observations, taking a lot of pictures. One important and amazing irony underlies my interpretive grid so far. It’s a question really. Why is this place, the very holy land that has been on my horizon every time I open my Bible, since childhood, so full of direct contradictions to the Gospel of peace? I was thinking this morning of a certain Jew who wrote eloquently about this in Ephesians 2:11 and following. “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside….”

The current powers who have determined how Palestinians and Israelis live today in the Holy Land did not get this memo. They have missed the point of Paul’s very important letter he wrote to the first century Christians, who were composed of Jews and Gentiles but confused how they should relate to each other culturally and religiously. Paul made a very strong case that Jesus came to preach reconciliation and peace between conflicted parties. It is this core message to which I’ve committed my life. It is this message that has empowered me to live at peace with others, even those different from me. This is not always easy to do. But it is what we are supposed to to. Insha’allah. May God help us.

“According to Jesus, there is no authentic Christianity, discipleship or Christian ethics apart from doing the deeds he taught his followers to do….” – Glen Stassen

“Life naturally provides those moments and occasions of unintentional contemplation, times when the foundations of life seem swept away and we are left with the need to see life from a different perspective. – Parker Palmer

Recently I had the chance to help with a project building a home in North Africa in a region that was struck by an earthquake a few years ago. Many in the host community lost their lives and the survivors are struggling to put the pieces back together as they put a new roof over their heads, hopefully a home that will better withstand a future quake. I volunteered with a non-profit that is rebuilding communities, house by house, making an impact on lives and families and helping the local economy by employing local tradesman for various aspects of the building projects.

It was our job to dig ditches for the foundation of a new home. Not a large home but one that makes sense for the region and fits the lifestyle of a small family. As we worked harder than I’ve worked for a long time, family members dug alongside us investing sweat equity and pride in the building of their own home. They also provided food and wonderful, sweet mint tea during breaks. The weather was intense for a guy from the Northwest and the topography did not easily yield to our intentions to dig ditches. But we made headway. A particular feature that slowed our work were the veins of rock that decided to hide themselves under the veneer of normal dirt where we drew our lines for a hole or trench. The rocks probably saw us coming and wagered on which of these white guys could break them down. Ha.

I pounded on one such rock for the better part of 30 minutes one morning. After me, another guy on our team spent yet more time on the same stone. Thought I had loosened it for him. Apparently not. One of the local workers finally came to our rescue. He got into the same hole we were in for 45+ minutes with a pick. He taped in several places, found a weak spot, pried with the point of the pick, tapped a bit more. In less than 10 minutes he dislodged a huge rock to our shame and chagrin. But were we glad. We also knew who knew what they were doing right then.

I don’t want to over spiritualize this little story but the parallels are striking. Sometimes in my inner life I try to remove the rocks myself, with brute force of will or determination. These are good qualities for some tasks in my life but generally not the inner life. The best way to become conformed to the image of God is to yield, to trust the Holy Spirit to apply his gentle hand at the inner surgery that is sometimes needed in my heart. That is not a passive, static posture. I still need to get in the ditch to uncover the rocks and use the tools given by God. But ultimately it is a work of the Holy Spirit.

The guy who unearthed the rock at our project site has a nickname. They call him “rock whisper.” I kind of like that idea when I think of the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.

“The things that come out of a man are they that defile him, and to get out of them a man must go into himself, be a convict, and scrub the floor of his cell.” – George MacDonald

Blue Mosque at Sunrise, originally uploaded by papalars.

Well, I haven’t finished my “Common Word” report yet because some other exciting things have come to the front burner since coming back from California. Last Friday I was the guest speaker at a local mosque, addressing the community gathered for Friday prayers. You heard right. This picture is not THAT particular mosque as many of you might know, unless of course I was speaking last Friday in Istanbul. My two sons just visited this city, but that is another story.

About a month ago I spent the good part of an afternoon with an Imam in the Seattle area for a great conversation, with another friend. This was one of those times when that certain “click” just happens and for one reason or another, or perhaps all of them together, we went deep fairly quickly. Near the end of our conversation I got this amazing invitation to come as a guest to the mosque to speak on some issues on Christian-Muslim relations. The agenda evolved a bit in the intervening time but last week it took shape. The Imam wanted me to address his gathered community during Friday prayers with the following questions: “why is there such a negative view of Muslims in the Christian Church? and what is your church doing to help change that predominant view?” More generally he wanted me to lead a discussion on how we could both minimize the negative perceptions of each other that are fostered by minority, fringe groups in our respective religions?

As you can imagine, these questions were somewhat delicate so I tried to tell my personal journey from ignorance of Islam to a better understanding and new respect for Muslims. I told the story of how I seek to help churches understand Islam better by teaching classes, and building bridges with local Muslim communities, etc. I also shared about what I learned through building friendships with Muslims. Then I told the story of a Palestinian shop owner I met in Jerusalem last year who was bitter about injustices that his people regularly suffer. That seemed to hit home. Maybe because it has hit me and is a growing burden. I also asked for their forgiveness if they had ever experienced painful or negative things at the hand of Christians.

They initially didn’t know how to respond to my confession. I really kind of bared my soul to them. There was an awkward moment of silence and then a string of spontaneous responses from the crowd across the main prayer room. The Spirit of God seemed to be especially present. We finished up the formal session with some Q & A, engaging me and another guest, a Catholic priest, in discussion and dialogue. Get this, after all of that, we were invited to another room for snacks, cookies and tea and I joined my 8 other Christian friends who accompanied me in multiple conversations until about midnight. The topics of conversation ranged from Middle East politics to who Jesus is and what is the nature of sin in each others’ faith tradition. I also heard the Imam declare in one circle that violence has nothing to do with Islam, that terrorists have a political agenda and do not represent true Islam. When I step back and ponder all that happened, I’m really quite amazed, blessed, and excited to see where God leads next in these relationships and conversations.

Let me know if you’d like to join me in the mosque sometime. It just happens to be one of the places where discussions on life and faith, between Christians and Muslims are getting pretty dynamic for me these days. And I really, really love it. My new friends have extended an open door to continue the conversations and relationships. One thing for sure, Muslims understand hospitality and we seem to keep coming around to talking about Jesus somehow.

Seattle Pan HDR, originally uploaded by papalars.

Wow! It's Friday again. Seems to come upon me sometimes a little too quickly. For most of those who will read/see this your Friday may be already slipping into the weekend. Life seems to happen after everybody else here on the West Coast sometimes. My old friends in Spain are fast asleep, or at least they should be. Saturday soon greets them.

I took this photo last night after my class in West Seattle on the Qur'an. Let me tell you a little about that before I post this photo.

In my efforts to build relationships of trust with my focus friends, and to understand their faith, I have taken upon myself to read their holy book. To help me in that task I am taking a class in West Seattle on the Qur'an. We are getting deep into our subject, reading whole sections, chapters [Suras], and verses. In our study we are also drawing comparisons to the Hebrew scriptures and New Testament. Very fascinating, needless to say.

One of the criticisms raised by Christian theologians and pastors with regard to a study of our scripture is the danger of reading single verses from the Bible out of context. Many hair brained doctrines or beliefs spring from this inappropriate use of the text. It is funny how the Bible is often used to buttress ideas that in fact are contrary to the clear teaching of scripture when read and understood in context.

It turns out that the Bible is not the only holy book that is used and read in this way. A commentator on the Qur'an that we are reading in our class in fact says this: "Since the Qur'an is….., all its component parts–phrases, sentences, verses and surahs–form one integral, coordinated whole. Hence, if one is really intent on understanding the Qur'anic message, one must beware of a 'hasty approach'–that is to say, of drawing hasty conclusions from isolated verses or sentences taken out of their context…"So I am trying to understand the Qur'an, and its message in its whole. You'd be surprised what I am discovering. The Qur'an, apparently, has been twisted and used to support all kinds of agendas, much like the Bible. Muslim believers are not happy about this at all.

Two weeks ago I went to a lecture given by a leading Imam who was visiting the Seattle area giving a series of lectures on "purification of the heart." I liked the topic and found much that I could agree with. Not all, mind you, but much. A theme is beginning to emerge in conversations for me with the Muslim faithful–the issue of materialism and its negative effect on the spiritual life. That is a bridge I can walk across in my sharing. Afterward I met some of the area leaders, exchanged names, phone numbers and emails. Curiously, I thought to ask one of the Imams if I could insert my notes which I had scribbled out on a piece of paper from the lecture into my Qur'an. He smiled at me and said, if the text was in Arabic, I should only put the notes in the front part of the holy book, not in the middle, like a book marker, half way through the text. Wow, what an interesting insight. The Arabic text printed in the Qur'an is literally the word of God and should not be broken apart with another piece of paper. That act would be interrupting God, so to speak.

I am learning much. I have much yet to learn. Pray for me. "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15