Fear not -- Love is born!

Christmas greetings to you from the Holy Land! We have spent the past few days amid the crowds in Bethlehem, counting down the moments to Christmas. After attending all five of the Christmas pageants at our Lutheran schools in Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Bethlehem, it was time to party! When you've gotten used to snowy, indoor Christmas celebrations in the Midwest as we have, it's surreal to walk around Bethlehem with temperatures in the 70s, cotton candy and corn on the cob for sale on every corner, and joyful music blasting from every store -- English Christmas carols mixed in with the Arab pop dance tunes we usually hear. We loved the parade of scouts, boys and girls of all ages from all the surrounding towns, marching with bagpipes, brass instruments, and drums. Not only is Christmas a religious holiday in Bethlehem, but a proud day of civic celebration for all the Christian and Muslim residents who flood into Manger square for the biggest party of the year, welcoming tourists from all over the world.
Also surreal, however, is this day of celebration in the midst of political and economic crisis. We may live in very different times than Jesus did, but the message of God's birth into a world overcome with fear is hauntingly relevant for people living here today. In his sermon at Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem last night, Bishop Munib Younan lifted up the first words of the angels, "Fear not! We bring you GOOD news!" Good news in a time of poverty and occupation. News we all need to hear in the midst of a broken peace process and great suffering:

"Palestinians and Israelis today face a common enemy: fear. In the absence of justice and peace, the common demoninator is fear. Fear of the other. Fear for the future. Fear that freedom is not coming. Fear that children will grow in hatred. Fear insecurity. Fear of the occupation. Fear is our common prison that keeps us locked up in cycles of mistrust and shattered dreams."
Click here to read the full text of Bishop Younan's Christmas Message.

Bishop Younan suggested that if each of us could follow these angelic instructions to Fear Not, the rest would follow. It is not merely the actions of an "other" that hold us back from peace and creative solutions to this seemingly endless conflict. It is fear itself. What would happen if we all let go of that fear that paralyzes us?

A favorite Arabic Christmas carol, "Lailatal-Milad," or "Christmas Night," offers an answer...

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.

May peace be with you, no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey. God is with us!

Manger Square on Christmas Eve