Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem
Bishop Younan leads the recessional at the
Christmas Eve service
Manger Square in Bethlehem
Church of the Nativity in the background
Traditional location of Jesus' birth located in the Church of the Nativity
Christmas Eve dinner in Manger Square
Christmas morning before service at Redeemer Lutheran followed by brunch at the Holman's
Christmas afternoon in the guest house garden
Christmas dinner at the guest house
We knew that celebrating Christmas in Jerusalem was going to be different. It was a given that we would miss our family and friends. We couldn’t have the traditional Christmas gatherings we hosted in Kitchener, not here in our modest little guest house room. We knew we would have to pass through the separation wall and Israeli security to get to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. If Joseph had been bringing Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, their papers would’ve had to be in order. It just wasn’t going to be the usual Hallmark Christmas we’d enjoy back in Canada. So, what was Christmas going to be like in 2007?
Let me say first off that we looked much more closely than usual at the cards we received from family and friends. The messages in the cards were like hugs. And we were particularly overwhelmed by cards we received from Lutherans across Canada who had read about our work here in the Holy Land and wanted to wish us a Merry Christmas. Those good wishes helped to ease the heartache of not being with loved ones.
We also benefited from the kindness of those living around us. The special pre-Christmas events that we mentioned in our last article made the season festive for us here. We appreciated being invited to the Brown’s annual Carol Sing on the Sunday before Christmas. There we were treated to some wonderful traditional Danish food, in addition to the contributions of all attending, and to joining our voices with the talents of the musicians as we sang beloved carols and Christmas songs.
Christmas Eve really began about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The Arabic, German and English congregations of Redeemer Lutheran Church gathered just outside the Jaffa Gate to board chartered busses to go the 5 pm worship service at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. The Israelis did their usual check but made the passage through the wall a little easier than usual. They even invited some bus passengers into a guardhouse to receive chocolates and good wishes. It was really a public relations photo op for the Israeli authority, but a pleasant change from the usual tedious routine.
In Bethlehem Christmas Lutheran was packed to the rafters, and then some. The Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, the pastor of Christmas Lutheran, was the worship leader and was assisted by the three Redeemer pastors. Pastor Raheb’s homily was based on the words from the scripture lesson read from Luke 2:10-11 “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’” Pastor Raheb focused especially on the words “Do not be afraid”.
He told us in his sermon that he had just been to a conference of Middle Eastern leaders. He saw how fear paralysed them, preventing them from living life to the full and focussing on a better future. Fear forced them to emigrate or become radical fundamentalists. Pastor Raheb told us that the birth of Jesus, which took place 2000 years ago just down the road from where we were worshipping, freed us from fear because Jesus’ birth showed us that God is in control. The sky is the limit and we are free to concentrate on the endless possibilities that are here before us. Jesus has set us free with the promise of God’s grace, Mitri proclaimed, and so we are free of fear and free to be agents of change for the better. We together can tear down the separation walls of this world. There is so much to do in bringing justice to the world that we don’t have time to be afraid.
The beautiful Palestinian Christmas hymn we sang after the homily sums up Mitri’s message beautifully. It’s called Laylatal Milad (On the Night of Christmas), and the refrain goes like this:
On the night of Christmas – Hatred will vanish
On the night of Christmas – The earth blooms
On the night of Christmas – War is buried
On the night of Christmas – Love is born
Words of hope in such a troubled land!
Bishop Dr. Munib Younan pronounced the blessing and benediction, and we were dismissed to the Peace Centre next door to Christmas Lutheran for a glass of wine and fellowship.
With a friend from our guest house, we ended Christmas Eve in Bethlehem by mingling with the 1000’s of pilgrims who had invaded Manger Square. We listened to the wonderful carols sung by the mass choir performing in the square, enjoyed a traditional meal of mousakan, revelled in the carnival-like celebration, and then made our way back through the Wall to the Mount of Olives and the guest house.
On Christmas morning at 10 am we worshipped at Redeemer in Jerusalem. It was a bittersweet occasion because we learned that Bishop Younan’s mother had died on Christmas Eve sometime after worship as result of injuries sustained in a fall.
Pastor Mark and Marcia Holman invited the whole congregation to their apartment for a potluck Christmas Day brunch at noon, and I think most of us showed up. It was a great fellowship, and then Donna and I walked up the Mount of Olives to the guest house. But that wasn’t the end of the Christmas festivities.
Long time residents Tony and Toshiko were busy preparing a Christmas dinner for twenty people including those of us left at the guest as well as some expatriates living on the Augusta Victoria Campus. We pitched in, and the result was a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Yum! It helped all of us who were a long way from loved ones to overcome the loneliness of separation.
By midnight everything was cleaned up and we retreated to our room to make our eagerly anticipated telephone call back home. What a joy it was to speak to our daughters, grandchildren, and the rest of the family who were just sitting down to dinner at Deb’s, Donna’s sister’s home. A wonderful end to a wonderful day! The only thing that would have made it better would have been to be there with them!
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