Marlin & Sally in Jerusalem

Letter to the President

(What follows is a letter sent to President Bush from a coalition of evangelical leaders.  I think you will like both the content and the tone of this letter.  I do.   The official website offers a place where you can click and add your name to the list -- in blue below.  It's easy to do.  I did and I hope you will too.  The list of names includes Earl Palmer, Richard Mouw, Gordon MacDonald, Tony Campolo, Leighton Ford, David Neff, Gary Burge, and a bunch of others.  These leaders are university and seminary presidents, editors of Christian Magazines like David Neff of Christianity Today, leaders of relief organizations like World Vision.  The head of the Christian Reformed Church World Relief Committee, Andrew Ryskamp, has signed on, and I know that Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, Reformed Church in America General Secretary has also signed on.  This means so much to those of us who work here, as well as the people on both sides who wish for peace and security.)

Click here to go directly to the official website of this coalition of evangelical leaders.

July 27, 2007

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We write as evangelical Christian leaders in the United States to thank you for your efforts (including the major address on July 16) to reinvigorate the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to achieve a lasting peace in the region. We affirm your clear call for a two-state solution. We urge that your administration not grow weary in the time it has left in office to utilize the vast influence of America to demonstrate creative, consistent and determined U.S. leadership to create a new future for Israelis and Palestinians.  We pray to that end, Mr. President.

We also write to correct a serious misperception among some people including some U.S. policymakers that all American evangelicals are opposed to a two-state solution and creation of a new Palestinian state that includes the vast majority of the West Bank. Nothing could be further from the truth.  We, who sign this letter, represent large numbers of  evangelicals throughout the U.S. who support justice for both Israelis and Palestinians. We hope this support will embolden you and your administration to proceed confidently and forthrightly in negotiations with both sides in the region.

As evangelical Christians, we embrace the biblical promise to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you.” (Genesis 12:3). And precisely as evangelical Christians committed to the full teaching of the Scriptures, we know that blessing and loving people (including Jews and the present State of Israel) does not mean withholding criticism when it is warranted.  Genuine love and genuine blessing means acting in ways that promote the genuine and long-term well being of our neighbors. Perhaps the best way we can bless Israel is to encourage her to remember, as she deals with her neighbor Palestinians, the profound teaching on justice that the Hebrew prophets proclaimed so forcefully as an inestimably precious gift to the whole world.

Historical honesty compels us to recognize that both Israelis and Palestinians have legitimate rights stretching back for millennia to the lands of Israel/Palestine. Both Israelis and Palestinians have committed violence and injustice against each other. The only way to bring the tragic cycle of violence to an end is for Israelis and Palestinians to negotiate a just, lasting agreement that guarantees both sides viable, independent, secure states. To achieve that goal, both sides must give up some of their competing, incompatible claims. Israelis and Palestinians must both accept each other’s right to exist. And to achieve that goal, the U.S. must provide robust leadership within the Quartet to reconstitute the Middle East roadmap, whose full implementation would guarantee the security of the State of Israel and the viability of a Palestinian State.

We affirm the new role of former Prime Minister Tony Blair and pray that the conference you plan for this fall will be a success.

Mr. President, we renew our prayers and support for your leadership to help bring peace to Jerusalem, and justice and peace for all the people in the Holy Land.

Finally, we would request to meet with you to personally convey our support and discuss other ways in which we may help your administration on this crucial issue.

Sincerely,

Ronald J. Sider, President
Evangelicals for Social Action

Don Argue, President
Northwest University

Raymond J. Bakke, Chancellor
Bakke Graduate University

Gary M. Benedict, President
The Christian & Missionary Alliance

George K. Brushaber, President
Bethel University

Gary M. Burge, Professor
Wheaton College & Graduate School

Tony Campolo, President/Founder
Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education

Christopher J. Doyle, CEO
American Leprosy Mission

Leighton Ford, President
Leighton Ford Ministries

Daniel Grothe, Pastoral Staff
New Life Church (Colorado Springs)

Vernon Grounds, Chancellor
Denver Seminary

Stephen Hayner, former President
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

Joel Hunter, Senior Pastor
Northland Church
Member, Executive Committee of the NAE

Jo Anne Lyon, Founder/CEO
World Hope International

Gordon MacDonald, Chair of the Board
World Relief                           

Albert G. Miller, Professor
Oberlin College

Richard Mouw, President
Fuller Theological Seminary

David Neff, Editor
Christianity Today

Glenn R. Palmberg, President
Evangelical Covenant Church

Earl Palmer, Senior Pastor
University Presbyterian Church Seattle

Victor D. Pentz, Pastor
Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta

John Perkins, President
John M. Perkins Foundation for
Reconciliation & Development

Bob Roberts, Jr., Senior Pastor
Northwood Church, Dallas

Leonard Rogers, Executive Director
Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding

Andrew Ryskamp, Executive Director
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee

Chris Seiple, President
Institute for Global Engagement
Robert A. Seiple, Former Ambassador-at-Large,
International Religious Freedom
U.S. State Department

Luci N. Shaw, Author, Lecturer
Regent College, Vancouver

Jim Skillen, Executive Director
Center for Public Justice

Glen Harold Stassen, Professor
Fuller Theological Seminary

Richard Stearns, President
World Vision

Clyde D. Taylor, Former Chair of the Board
World Relief

Harold Vogelaar, Director
Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice

Berten Waggoner, National Director
Vineyard USA                                            

Rabbi in the Room

"You spoke with strength and passion."

During announcement time one of the many visitors to our church introduced himself, along with the group that he had brought with him.  Near the beginning of this introduction, he turned to a gentleman sitting on the inside seat next to the wall.  “This is Rabbi …” I reached out and shook the Rabbi’s hand.

“Shalom,” he said.

“Shalom,” I said back at him.  Then my mind began to race back over the sermon I had just preached.  Was there anything in there to offend a rabbi?  Had I been true to the text?  My mind was racing, but my heart was glad.  I was anxious to talk with him about Genesis 18 and the story of God and Abraham discussing the sin of Sodom, and the judgment briskly walking toward their gates. I took comfort remembering how this man had been encouraging me as I preached -- nodding his head from time to time, smiling, and yes, tearing too when I talked of God’s ear turned toward the oppressed.  He seemed to be with me.

A young man who was announcing that this was his last Sunday with us soon attracted my attention.

“I’m moving to Egypt.”

He is moving from Gaza, where he spent the last two years living and bearing witness to what life is like for the people of Gaza. He is an extraordinary young man.  I remember now that I forgot to pray for him right then and there.  I regret that here and now.

The service ended and I stood talking to various pilgrims traveling in and through this Land of the Holy One.  Then the Rabbi stood before me.  He said something to me in Hebrew.  I said, “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Hebrew yet.  What did you say?”

“I said to you what one rabbi would say to another after a message well presented.”

“What?”

He said it again in Hebrew, and then translated:  “You spoke with strength and passion.”

I thanked him, of course, and then we talked about the text.  It was, well, I don’t know what it was exactly, but it was good – that much I know.  And it was how it ought to be between us, and between Islam and us as well, and between them, but that’s not up to us, is it?  We ought to talk about the text.  We ought to listen to each other talk about the text.  We ought to do all of that and more of that, and while that would not in itself be enough to bring “shalom,” it would be something of what we could do.  And it would please God, I think.

To God be the Glory, but to this one rabbi be grace and peace.  He came.  He sat.  He listened.  And while I know that he did not agree with everything I said about the text in question (Gen. 18:19ff), he did appreciate that I had done my homework, and that I “spoke with strength and passion.”

Now it’s my turn – and maybe your turn too.

The sermon is attached.  Just click  "Father" .   Here’s a quote from it: “And you thought Sodom was about sex, right?  No, when God sent his two angels to “remove” Sodom, sex was the furthest thing from God’s mind.  What is on God’s mind?  Justice and righteousness are what is on God’s mind and heart, or more likely, the lack there of – nothing more than that, but nothing less either.  Sodom is an object lesson for Abraham, I think.  God has called Abraham into following God’s way of righteousness and justice.  And what happens when you don’t follow? – well, let Sodom be a lesson for you, Abraham.

No wonder Abraham stands up to defend these pagan people.”

Before you open the sermon I’ll give you fair warning: A Scottish friend of mine said of my preaching: “Marlin is anything if not ‘not concise.’”  He insists there is a compliment in there somewhere.  Like the optimistic little boy in a roomful of manure hoping to find a pony, I’m still looking –- but I’m sure it is there!

Friday Prayers

Then the LORD said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.” ¶ So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD. Then Abraham came near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? (Gen. 18:20-23)

¶ As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Col. 2-6-7)

¶ He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: 
Father …” (Luke 11:1-2)

Psalm 138

    I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
        before the gods I sing your praise;
    I bow down toward your holy temple
        and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
        for you have exalted your name and your word
        above everything.
    On the day I called, you answered me,
        you increased my strength of soul.
 
     ¶ All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD,
        for they have heard the words of your mouth.
    They shall sing of the ways of the LORD,
        for great is the glory of the LORD.
    For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly;
        but the haughty he perceives from far away.
 
     ¶ Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
        you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
    you stretch out your hand,
        and your right hand delivers me.
    The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
        your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.
        Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Let us prayer:

Father, we stand in awe of your passion for intimacy with us, your desire to communicate with us, to hear our thoughts and concerns.  Please receive our praise and gratitude.  With all of our hearts, we say … “Father, hallowed be your name.”

Father, please answer us: Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  For the sake of Jesus, one righteous son, will you save us all?  Please Father, say ‘yes.”  Save us we pray.  Save all of us.  "Father, deliver us from evil."

Yet, Father, do not stand idly by as the wicked prosper on the backs of the righteous.  And who are these wicked ones?  And who are the righteous?  Father, we confess that we are confused and wonder if there is any who is righteous, any without sin.  Do not watch only as those with power abuse power to push down the weak, to bury them face first in the dirt.  Come and deliver the widow, the orphan and the alien.  Come and be Champion to the powerless.  Come and protect the children from fear and hopelessness and, yes, dear Father, from dread hatred, the only fruit that prospers in such infertile soil.  “Father, your kingdom come.”

Father, forgive us for what we do to the children.  Father, forgive us for we do know what we do.  We do know. We do see.  We do not do what we could, nor what you would have us do. “Father, forgive us our sins …”

Father, talk to us as you talked with Abraham. 

Father, listen to us as you listened to Jesus.

Father, teach us as you taught the disciples.

Father, love us as the prodigal father loved both his erring children. Father, give us only enough for today, and grant us the wisdom of contentment with what we have been given, when what we have been given is indeed enough and even more than enough.  “Father, give us this day our daily bread.”  And Father, help us to hear you plea for us to join you in feeding the hungry, especially the children – each one precious in your adoring eyes.

Father …

In the name of Jesus, the son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, AMEN.    

"So Much Wrong ..."

Scottish friend, Ian Alexander, passed along a handful of songs composed or translated by John L. Bell of Iona Community, Scotland.  Many of you know of Iona’s marvelous work in worship theology, worship practice, and especially, worship music and mood.  Great stuff!

This song, “So Much Wrong,” was written in 1949 by a Palestinian Christian, translated from Arabic into English by Jeffrey T. Myers, and put to music by John L. Bell. (Sorry, but I could not find the name of the original writer of this song.)

“So Much Wrong …”

So much wrong and so much injustice
so you shouldered a wooden cross.
Now like you, my best dreams are shattered
all I know is the weight of loss.
        My beloved, my beloved
        Tell me where can you be found?
        You drank deep of the cup of suffering
        And your death is our holy ground.

Olive trees showed the pain of sorrow
they were grieving for their Lord.
Round Jerusalem the hills were mourning
as the city denied her God.
        My beloved, my beloved
        Tell me where can you be found?
        You drank deep of the cup of suffering
        And your death is our holy ground.

No fine song, no impressive music
can attempt to relieve my heart;
In this hour I am called to grieving
less no other will play this part.
        My beloved, my beloved
        Tell me where can you be found?
        You drank deep of the cup of suffering
        And your death is our holy ground.

Everything I could ever offer
could not pay for what God has done;
but my life will be lived in honour
of my Saviour, God’s only Son.
        My beloved, my beloved
        Tell me where can you be found?
        You drank deep of the cup of suffering
        And your death is our holy ground.
       

"Not as bad as ..."

Click Download Standing.in.the.doorway.doc for a copy of last week's sermon -- July 22nd.

When is “not as bad as,” bad enough?

“Does the Qur'an say that it is alright to beat your wife?”  A Muslim friend is talking with me about Islam.  He brought the subject up, so I have license to ask tough questions.

“Does the Qur'an say that it is alright to beat your wife?”

“Yes,” he answers, “but only a little.”  He is earnest in his response to my question.  He wants to be truthful, but he also wants to be understood.  “Yes, but only a little.”

“Do you beat your wife?” I ask him.

“Yes,” he says, “of course.”  His face wears the expression of great anxiety as he reads the distaste on my face.  “Yes,” he continues, “but only sometimes, and never severely.  Muhammad says that a man must beat his wife a little from time to time.  When she talks too much, or when she is lazy.”

“But, just a little?” I push.

“Yes, yes, just a little.”

Now, let’s be fair here.  Domestic violence is a fact of life in every congregation of every church in every country, and none more so than in the United States.  In fact, truth be told, there are battered wives silently sitting in almost every row of every church.  It is a huge problem in Israel as well.

There are Muslim men who beat their wives.  But not all Muslim men beat their wives.  Maybe most Muslim men do not beat their wives.  I don’t know.  It seems to me that Islam has work to do in addressing women’s rights.  And I know that there are many men and women in the Muslim world who are fighting this fight.  As Christians, we applaud them.  The evolution to equal rights for women is a recent and ongoing movement within the Christian faith as well.  Not that long ago, battered Christian wives were told by clergy to go back home and “don’t do anything to upset him.”

Since my conversation with my friend, I’ve had opportunity to talk with two Islamic scholars about this issue.  Each agrees that this mandate to beat your wife/wives is indeed in the Qur'an.  Both also agree that it is unfair to read this imperative outside of the context of the time in which the Qur'an was written.  Muhammad, according to these two men, was appalled at the way Arab men were treating their wives.  Therefore, his command was a radical corrective to clear abuses.

Come on now, you’ve heard this argument before, right?  Paul and slavery, Paul and women in ministry – women in general?  How many times haven’t you heard Paul described as a man who hated women?  But each time you hear someone say this, you quickly go to the contextual argument, right?  Of course, I’m right.

“What Israel is doing to the Palestinians is ‘not as bad as’ … the holocaust.”  Of course this is true.  This is absolutely true, unequivocally true, and totally beside the point!

“What Israel is doing to the Palestinians is ‘not as bad as’ … apartheid in South Africa.”  Well, maybe this is true, maybe not.  Some argue that Israel’s version of apartheid is worse because it is subtler, always just under the world’s level of intolerance.  But let’s say that the statement above is true, and that what Israel is doing to the Palestinians is "not as bad as" South African apartheid.  For the sake of argument, let’s just concede the point: What Israel is doing to the Palestinians is "not as bad as" apartheid in South Africa.  So what?

You read the conversation between my Muslim friend and me and, end of discussion, right? You agree that a little beating is not “as bad as” a severe beating, but even a little beating is still bad – right?  Of course that’s right.  It’s like the discussion we are now having about torture, right?  A little torture is not “as bad as” a lot of torture.  Are we actually debating what level of torture is an acceptable level of torture?  Please tell me that the "moral high ground" hasn't sunken this low?

What Israel is doing to the Palestinian people is wrong.  It is wrong.  That some other action by some other party was or is worse does not change the basic truth that this is wrong.  That people and nations across history have done far worse to Jewish people is not in dispute.  You won’t ever hear me argue away the wrong that has been done to the Jewish people.  Jewish people have suffered.  But that does not excuse the suffering that Jewish people are causing to Palestinian people.  Because you have been abused does not then give you license to abuse others.  We do not except this argument.

A small Palestinian village, hundreds of years old, is nestled in a valley below an illegal Jewish settlement, just a few years in the building, and both well inside the Palestinian West Bank.  The allotment of water allowed by the State of Israel for this village is enough so that the children of the village have water for washing two times a month.  From the children’s vantage point below the Jewish settlement they can see the sprinklers watering the grass of these Jewish homes.  This might not be “as bad as” what has been done to Jewish people over the centuries of abuse, but this is still bad and we ought to say that this is still bad.  And I will.  And I am.  This is bad!

I hear some say that the Jewish people are not “as bad as” the Palestinian people.  Rubbish!  People are people, and I am hoping that all of us are better than this.

Friday Prayers

¶ The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. (Gen. 18:1-2)

¶ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. (Col. 1:15-20)

But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Psalm 15

O LORD, who may abide in your tent?
        Who may dwell on your holy hill?
 
     ¶ Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
        and speak the truth from their heart;
    who do not slander with their tongue,
        and do no evil to their friends,
        nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
    in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
        but who honor those who fear the LORD;
    who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
    who do not lend money at interest,
        and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Let us pray:

Lord God of all, we praise and thank you that in Jesus, all of creation spins in harmony and does not explode or implode.  We stand in awe of your coming in the flesh and blood person of Jesus, to stand in our midst, and to stand in the humble posture of a servant.  Like Abraham, we are pressed to fall on our face in worship of you, and to offer you subservient loyalty in response to your offer of friendship and kinship. 

We accept, dear Lord, we accept.  We will sit at your feet and listen to your words of truth.

We accept, dear Lord, we accept.  We will live as a blood-ransomed tribe, and we will throw ourselves into the work of preventing the bloodletting that threatens to undo us all and along with us all, undo as well all the bloody work that you did on that bloody cross.

We accept, dear Lord, we accept.  We will walk blamelessly, and do what is right.  Forgive us when we step off the path of righteousness, and like the good Shepherd, guide us back and tend the cuts and bruises that came as a result of our distractions.

We accept, dear Lord, we accept.  We will speak the truth.  Show us the truth.  And when we do not know the truth, then let us be silent before you and before the world as well.

We accept, dear Lord, we accept.  We will not slander with our tongues.  And when we do, Divine Friend, make us to feel the pain that our tongues did cause.  We will do no evil to our friends, and we will not rebuke our neighbors for their integrity, even when such makes us to see our lack thereof.

We accept, dear Lord, we accept.  We will not use money as a weapon, nor will we be intimidated by those who do.

We accept, dear Lord, we accept.  We will be friend to you as you are friend to us.  We will live like daughters and sons, brothers and sisters to Jesus, and we will do our best to bring honor to the Name.

Come Lord Jesus.  Come Holy Spirit.  Come and tell us a story.  Tell us the one about Abraham, Sarah and a miracle baby.  Tell us the one about Martha and Mary and the miracle of Jesus standing on Martha’s doorstep wanting to come in.  Come and tell us a story that will give us hope and give us courage and give us a reason to work for peace and justice in a world that seems to value neither.

Come Lord Jesus, come. We give to you the gift of being the host in our home, our worship space, and our work place as well.  We wait on you to wait upon us.  And we will do so with great relief and joy.

Amen. 

"IT IS NOT WORKING!"

Two Palestinian children walk hand-in-hand to school.  It’s early fall, still hot in Hebron, the city of tombs.  Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, and of course, Joseph too, each is buried in Hebron.  The cave of Machpelah is Judaism's second most holy site, exceeded only by the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

Little girls, these two, and they look even smaller than they are.  Fear does that to a person, I think – shrinks them somehow.  People without the power to protect themselves in their own environment seem diminished, tiny.  I’ve seen it in battered wives and children.  The Palestinian people are like that -- beaten into submission. 

These schoolgirls are little, and they are scared.  You can see it in the way they walk -- stiff, quick steps.  You can see it in their eyes -- big, darting.  You can see it in the tiny quivers that scamper from one end of their lower lips to the other, and back again.  Dressed in green-striped school uniforms, walking hand-in-hand, little girls, tiny, powerless, and scared.  So much of their lives are lived in fear.  And it seems to them that no one seems to care.

A five-year-old settler child is following them.  That’s right.  The source of their fear on this early September morning is a five-year-old Jewish boy, his family a part of the 500 illegal settlers who live in Hebron among 140,000 Palestinians.  This little settler child is not afraid.  He has 2000 Israeli soldiers there to protect him.  And none of these 2000 soldiers would ever lay a hand on him, no matter what he did to these little girls.  And he knows it.  He has been trained to harass Palestinian children.  (You think I’m making this up?  Think again.  This is all too true, all too sad, and all too sick.  Some of us live under the illusion that the only lunatics in the world are Islamic extremists.  Guess what?  They have lots of company, and none of it is good – and God cannot be in the company of these men and women and still be God.  At least not my God.)

The young man sees them coming, sees the fear in the little girls’ walk.  He pushes himself up and out of his blue, plastic chair and walks into the street.  He is a self-described activist – ex-soldier himself, and of course, Jewish.  He is there to protect the children who walk through this no-man’s section of Hebron, the only way these girls can get to their school.

The settler boy sees the young man as well.  As the child comes alongside the man, he stops, turns to the protector of children, and, in Hebrew, says, “I know who you are.  I know why you are here.  You are here so they won’t be scared.  IT IS NOT WORKING!  It will never work. See, they are terrified.”  (I’m quoting the young man who is translating the child’s Hebrew into English.  If these words do not sound like those of a five-year-old, remember that the young man is using the English words that he knows.  Make sense?)

We are standing in the middle of this no-man’s land street, listening to the young activist tell his story.  He is dark-skinned, with wonderful curly black hair, and has brown eyes – handsome.  I wonder if Jesus didn't look like this, talk like this, risk like this young man is risking. The 32-year-old Jewish activist pauses, back in the event, I think, remembering, seeing it all again in the eye of his mind.  He purses his lips, shakes his head, turns and walks on.  We follow.

So much of the world lives in fear, and so many are working to keep fear alive and well.  No matter what seems to be true in the short haul, in the long run, IT IS NOT WORKING.  There are more and more of us, like this young Jewish activist, who refuse to give in to the fear that is being peddled as the proper response to any threat – real or imagined, and there are plenty of both.  Like these little girls, more and more of us are deciding to grab someone’s hand, and walk to wherever it is we want to go, and not let fear stop us.

Join us, won’t you?  Say to them, IT’S NOT WORKING!

The Galilee

I love the Galilee.  I think I love the Galilee because it reminds me of Iowa.  No, Iowa doesn’t have the mountains and valleys that you find in the Galilee, but Iowa does have the same kind of land – rich, fertile, and well tended.  And Iowa has the same kind of people too – close to the dirt, hard working, no nonsense, a bit grumpy, and serious about their religion.  The folks in the Galilee, like the folks in Iowa, might be too narrow to suit some, but they’re busy people, these people of the soil, and they don’t have a lot of time or energy for being stretched.  “Just give me the fundamentals,” is how they approach most things in life.  Give me the essentials, and a pair of pliers, and I’ll make out just fine in life.

I love the Galilee.

“Believe me,” he said, “Jews, Christians and Muslims, we can all work together.”

He is the head of cleaning at the hotel where we stayed in the Galilee.  He is an Israeli Arab Muslim. (There are Israeli Palestinian Christians, Israeli Jews, Israeli Druze, and probably some others too that I don’t know as yet.)  This Israeli Arab Muslim speaks five languages, by the way – Arabic, Hebrew, English, German, and Spanish – and works for a Christian hotel.  I know he speaks five languages, because I heard him speaking to each of these groups in each of their respective languages.  He is the head of cleaning at a hotel, and he speaks five languages – let that sink in for a minute.  That’s impressive.

“Believe me,” he said. “Jews, Christians and Muslims, we can all work together.”

“So, okay,” I say.  “Then why don’t you?”

“We do,” says he.  “We do.  At this hotel there are Jews, Christians and Muslims, all working together and we get along just fine.  I don’t like the head cook, but that’s because he’s got a big head.  He’s an Arab Muslim like me too.  In fact, he’s my mother’s brother’s son, so I ought to like him, but I don’t.”  Then he gives me this big coffee stained grin and says, “But, except for him, I get along ‘good’ with all the others.”  (Okay, so his English is not perfect, but I'll bet it is a lot better than your Arabic.)

“Yeah?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he responds.

I love the Galilee.

I hate the Galilee too.  I hate the Galilee because I know a little of her history.  I know that there are other earthy people who have been displaced from this, their rightful place on earth.  I know that there are farmers living in refugee camps in Lebanon who still count the days when they can once again have land to farm, olive trees to prune and tend.

I hate the Galilee because this place is a place of separation and segregation.  Israeli Arabs are second-class citizens in Israel, and that’s a fact of life that most of them accept as the price they pay to be an Israeli citizen – with her considerable benefits.  Being an Israeli citizen is far better than being a “no person,” which is the designation assigned their Palestinian cousins who live in the West Bank, just a few kilometers distance away, but miles from where they live.

“I am from al-Safafira in Nazareth,” he said.  He is the head cook and he does have a big head.  I mean literally, this guy has a big head.  Put a tall white hat on top of his big head and he is quite impressive.  He looks like a head cook.

“Ah,” I say, “Sepphoris.”

His big head jerks up just a little, and he corrects me, “Saffuriya.”  Saffuriya was an Arab village located less than 5 miles from Nazareth.  It has a long and fascinating history.  The Hebrew name is Tzippor, the Greek, Sepphoris, and later it was renamed Dioceserae by the Romans.  If you come, I’ll take you there.

In 1948, the Israeli army cleared out the Arab village of Saffuriya. (It’s difficult to know how to describe what happened to Saffuriya, and the 400 Arab villages like her – all of which are now gone.  Israel declared that they “conquered” Saffuriya – says it right on a sign near the ancient site.  The Arabs say the village was “depopulated.”  The Israelis say there was a battle fought over Saffuriya.  On July 15, 1948, the Israeli Air Force bombed Saffuriya.  All but 100 elderly fled, or so the other side of the story goes.  I don’t know what to say, except to say that there are no more Arabs living in Saffuriya.) Many of her residents ran to Lebanon, while others settled near Nazareth.  The section of the city where they settled is now a sub-division of Nazareth, called al-Safafira.

“You are an Israeli citizen?”

“Yes,” he says.  “I like living near my home.”  His face holds no expression as he says this.  “I like living near my home.”

I don’t know what to say, and am pretty sure that I ought to say as little as possible, and nothing unless invited to say more than that.

“Everyday, as I drive to work, I see my home.  It is still a beautiful place.”

I love the Galilee.  It is such a beautiful place.

I hate the Galilee too.  And I expect I don’t have to say any more than that.

Friday Prayers

(Today's scriptures are long, but the prayer is short.  That seems appropriate to me.  You too?)

….and the LORD your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors,
when you obey the LORD your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ¶ Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. ¶ See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. (Deut. 30:9-16)

¶ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ¶ To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: ¶ Grace to you and peace from God our Father. ¶ In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. (Col. 1:1-6)

¶ Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” ¶ But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29)

Psalm 25:1-10

    To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
    O my God, in you I trust;
        do not let me be put to shame;
        do not let my enemies exult over me.
    Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
        let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
 
     ¶ Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
        teach me your paths.
    Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
        for you are the God of my salvation;
        for you I wait all day long.
 
     ¶ Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,
        for they have been from of old.
    Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
        according to your steadfast love remember me,
        for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!
 
     ¶ Good and upright is the LORD;
        therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
    He leads the humble in what is right,
        and teaches the humble his way.
    All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
        for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

Let us pray:

Good and upright Lord, remember us.  Do not remember our many sins, but do remember us.

Fruitful, faithful God, remember us.  Do not remember the many ways we have cut down the trees of life, uprooted wheat with tares, and failed to water tender roots, but do remember us.

Merciful Lord, remember us.  Do not remember our ongoing failure to love our neighbors, our refusal to do good to those who hate us, or our reticence to forgive even our enemies, but do remember us.

Gracious God, our Father, remember us.  Do not remember our lack of faith, our lack of healthy fear, or our lack of sharing funds and friendship with a hurting world, but do remember us.

For goodness’ sake, O Lord, remember us.

For justices' sake, of Lord, remember us.

Peace-loving God, remember us.  Do not remember our failure to include peace on our agenda, but do remember us.  Remember to tear out our warring hearts, our hearts of stone, and put in us new hearts of flesh and blood and compassion and love for self that moves toward love for neighbor as self.

Lord, grant your power to people of peace.  Give them this daily their daily bread of courage and persevering hope.  Keep hope alive in this place and in places like this all over the world.  Keep hope in front of our tired eyes, so that we might live hopeful lives in the middle of people who have not hope in their lives. 

Good God, free the Palestinian and the Israeli to be neighbors once again, people who surprise each other with their openness to being loved.

Just and holy God, remember us.  Do not remember …

Amen.

Seeing

Our son and daughter-in-law are here for a visit.  They are seeing the sites, some of which are not so pretty.  Yesterday we took them into Bethlehem, a city well on the way to being the next Gaza.  Bethlehem will soon be walled in on all sides -- a prison, 100% controlled by her Israeli jailers.  Already, Israel will only allow Bethlehemites to purchase food from them.  The prices for groceries in Bethlehem are higher than in the United States.  Israel controls the tourist trade, the primary industry of Bethlehem.  Israel determines who is to go in and who is not.  90% of tour guides are Jewish, ex-military, trained in the war of words and images.  These tour guides rush the buses in and hurry the tourist through the Church of the Nativity.  We watched it happening.  The folks on the bus are told not to talk to anyone outside the Church, and not to shop in the shops near the Church as well.  "This is a dangerous place," they are told.  "Don't talk to anyone."  What the tour guides do not want is for tourists to see Bethlehem for what it is.  And what is that?  A dying town, filled with people who already feel dead.  A people mortally wounded by the Israeli occupation, and now being dealt a death blow by the Islamic extremism that is growing within the prison walls. 

Sad, yes, but hopeless, no!

We also saw and met some amazing people -- Christians, Muslims, and Jewish.  People who believe that the occupation, and the extremism that is finding fertile ground in the soil of oppression, must be resisted. MUST BE RESISTED! But that the resistance must be non-violent.  MUST BE NON-VIOLENT! And they mean it.  These courageous, hope-filled people of faith -- and Christians lead the way here -- live non-violent resistance.  They teach non-violent resistance to hundreds of people living in the West Bank.  And the good news is that there is a hunger for something other than the way of violent resistance, a way that has not led to anywhere except down the path to destruction and death.  The folks we met are convinced that they are making a difference.  Seeing is believing though, and I hope that many of you will come and see for yourselves.  You must see the people!  The people!  You must see the people!

We entered Bethlehem through the humiliating Bethlehem checkpoint.  The Israelis like to call it a terminal, as in bus terminal, airplane terminal.  They want to give it a feel of legitimacy.  It is not a terminal like any you have ever seen, nor is this place any kind of place that you want between you and the world outside.  It is a checkpoint, and it gets no points for being anything other than that.  It is an evil place that is used by one people to separate, control, and humiliate another people.  The four of us were waiting with passports in hand, watching Palestinians from Bethlehem come through the line -- there was only one line.  Inside the thick glass of the booth was a young Israeli girl-soldier.  With her baby face expressionless, she was deciding who got in and who was kept out.  A mother was standing in front of the glass.  Two children clung to her long, brown coat -- a Muslim, covered, except for her face.  She was holding her papers up against the glass.  The girl-soldier, with the hooded eyes of the bored and frightened, didn't even look into her face.  The children did.  The children watched every move their mother made.  The girl soldier nodded for the mother to go back and put her hand on the state-of-the-art identification device.  She obediently did so.  The children watched.  Then the girl soldier nodded her head in the other direction, and the mother moved through, her children straining to see who was on the other side of the glass.  They were too little to see the young woman who controlled their mother's movements.

We were next to go through the checkpoint.  It took us a minute, no more.  We simply held up our United States passports, and like magic, we were nodded through.  The young woman barely looked at us, just noted our passports and nodded for us to go in.  I wonder how the Palestinians felt, seeing us given preferential treatment in the land of their fathers and mothers.  I don't want to know.

As soon as we were on the other side, we regrouped.  Our daughter-in-law had this strange look on her face.  "What's the matter?" I asked.

"Didn't you see those children?" she asked.

"Well, yes," I said.  "What about them?"

"What about them?" she said, her voice rising.  "What about them?  This is normal for them.  This,"  and she waved her arm around the place ... "This," she said with emotion straining her voice, "This is normal for them."  She shook her head, and walked on ahead of us.  She's a first-grade teacher.  Remember your first-grade teacher?  Thought so.

I watched her go, and thought, "Yeah, I used to see that kind of thing.  And seeing that kind of thing used to make me feel the way you feel right now.  But now, after being here awhile, well ..."

See how quickly that can happen?