Today I had the amazing experience to attend worship at the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, West Bank. Witnessing a group of Christian believers worshiping in Arabic was an immensely moving experience. This ever shrinking community of Christians is still standing strong. We were welcomed into this community with open arms and open hearts. They even created a special bulletin for us that translated a majority of the service into English so that we could participate more fully in worship.
A few days ago the UN announced it's declaration of being in solidarity with the Palestinians this year. It is greatly needed. We need to stand together and listen to the testament of the Arab Christians.
After this we went to the Church of the Nativity. Having now been to this site more than once it is amazing. However, reflecting back I can't help but think that prior to the A, B, C split of the West Bank--the now Bethlehem Peace Center was the site of the Israeli Army presence in the city. In my mind this new project is a much better use of space.
After this I had the pleasure of going to a cafe run by a Danish woman and her Palestinian husband. The atmosphere was tranquil, comfortable, welcoming, safe--topped off with an excellent cup of espresso. I am now a big fan of the Singer Mocha.
I concluded the night by having further conversation with a Beit Sahour native about the problems affecting the Arab Palestinian people at the hands of the US and Israel. Part of the spender of this trip is being able to encounter different kinds of people that have different opinions on the situation. However, regardless of how one feels I believe that a common thread is that it is horrific what happens when religion is used to push a political agenda therefor corrupting the faith tradition.
Until next time.....
A blog of Louisville Seminary students and friends traveling to Israel and Palestine in January, 20
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