tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16046819511550912472024-02-07T07:33:05.629+02:00WalkInJerusalemFred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-23229449638569362402012-12-28T04:31:00.001+02:002012-12-28T04:31:11.278+02:00On the Way<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">We are sitting in the waiting lounge at Ben Gurion airport with a few minutes to catch our breath before our departure as we head <em><strong>on our way</strong></em>.</span><br />
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Catching our breath after another event-filled few weeks commemorating Christmas in the Holy Land, a time also filled with a range of emotions, worshipping in solemn candlelight, celebrating together at joyful Christmas parties, and sad, teary-eyed goodbyes.<br />
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Catching our breath after two and a half years of meaningful service accompanying the local Christians and ministering to others who are sojourning here in various capacities from short-term assignments, volunteer work, and study, to pilgrims and tourists who touch down for a brief moment and who then go <em><strong>on their ways</strong></em>. It seems like we just arrived yesterday, but we hit the ground running and have been sprinting through our days here. And it's come to an end much too quickly.<br />
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We go <em><strong>on our way</strong></em>, not really knowing where we are going nor knowing what comes next in our lives, other than spending some precious time with family in Iowa and North Carolina, and really taking the time to catch our breath. No deadlines, no expectations, no pressure of "to do" lists, just being <em><strong>on the way</strong></em>.<br />
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Today is December 28, <em>Holy Innocents Day</em> on our calendars--the day commemorating the deaths of the children in Bethlehem when self-centered rulers demonstrated their lack of tolerance and their exclusivistic world view, while Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus were forced to flee Bethlehem and to go <em><strong>on their way</strong></em>.<br />
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The Evangelist Matthew made a connection with the biblical matriarch Rachel, described as weeping for her children--Rachel who, <em><strong>on the way</strong></em> to Bethlehem, died in childbirth and was buried <em><strong>on the way</strong></em> (how odd that the Genesis writer mentioned twice that she was <strong>on the way</strong>).<br />
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We've had a fascination with the story of Rachel since our mid-nineties year-long sojourn in Bethlehem when we watched Rachel's Tomb being transformed from a memorial for travelers from all religious expressions, all nationalities, and all ethnic groups (pilgrim reports demonstrated that Christians, Muslims, and Jews worshipped there together for nearly two thousand years). This varied group found a welcome at Rachel's Tomb where they would pause for prayer before they continued <em><strong>on their ways</strong></em>. Then in the mid-nineties it was being transformed with high walls, watchtowers, and soldier guards into an exclusive fortress for one group of persons, at the expense of others. If you want to understand the situation here, this is paradigmatic, where security, control, power and land have taken the place of God and where respect for the other is disappearing. <br />
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<em>Fred's 2007 book--Liturgical Press</em></div>
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Martin Luther suggested that Rachel was a paradigm of faith because she was never quite there at her goal, never possessing, never controlling, never fixed to one particular place, but always <em><strong>on her way</strong></em>. That's the essence of the Genesis story:<br />
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<li>as Rachel is introduced at the well near Haran, the meeting place for people <em><strong>on the way</strong></em>;</li>
<li>as Rachel is <em><strong>on the way</strong></em> to marriage;</li>
<li>as Rachel is <strong><em>on the way</em></strong> to children;</li>
<li>as Rachel is <strong><em>on the way</em></strong> to the land:</li>
<li>as Rachel dies<strong> <em>on the way</em></strong> to Bethlehem; and</li>
<li>as Rachel is buried <strong><em>on the way</em></strong>.</li>
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So the real Rachel seems to be the ideal patron saint for the strangers of this world, those <em><strong>on their way</strong></em>, such as her own son Joseph carried unexpectedly off to Egypt, as the exiles heading to Babylon, and to the Holy Family heading to a place of refuge where God's angel would guide them. Her empathy for the other, whoever that person may be, pours forth in her tears.<br />
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So here we are in the early morning hours of December 28 pausing to reflect as we go <em><strong>on our way</strong></em>.<br />
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And we find ourselves thinking less about where we are going than about those we leave behind in Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Jerusalem. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for the Christians who continue steadfast in their faith and witness.<br />
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Thank you for sharing with us in our <em>Walk in Jerusalem</em>--even though it did seem more like running. Thank you for taking time to read our stories about life in this place as we have had the privilege of being in accompaniment with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. <br />
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And now they're calling our flight. We're <em><strong>on our way. . .</strong></em><br />
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<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Fred & Gloria Strickert</span></em></strong><br />
<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-87541374410912916562012-12-21T21:12:00.000+02:002012-12-22T15:02:31.316+02:00We Refuse to be Enemies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://walkinJerusalem.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Enemy? Me? Not going to be one. No way!</span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Meet Daher Nassar</span>, a member of our Lutheran Congregation in Bethlehem. He's sitting by the entrance to his family farm on a hillside south of Bethlehem. Next to him is the equivalent of a welcome mat inscribed in stone in Arabic, English, and German: <span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>"We refuse to be enemies!"</strong></span> </span><br />
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From appearances, you probably are saying to yourself, "He doesn't look like an enemy to me." or "Whose enemy?" <br />
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The problem is that his family owns a coveted piece of real estate. As long as he claims ownership, he is viewed as enemy by those who would like to move in and take control. Before going into the details about Daher's situation here at the end of 2012, we'd like to recall a similar episode nearly three millennia ago.<br />
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Back then, the Daher of the story was named Naboth and he owned a nice little vineyard next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. Read 1 Kings 21 for details. King Ahab began by coveting the land of his neighbor, and then did everything under his power--and we mean everything--to take control of land that was not his. But Naboth had other ideas. He was thinking about his kids and grandkids. The land was entrusted to him for future generations, and he refused the offer of the King, who assumed that all the land was ultimately his by divine right. Naboth was a loyal, law-abiding citizen, but the king turned him into an enemy, because he wouldn't give up his deed to the land. It's amazing what greed will do to a person. Ahab and Jezebel brought phony charges against their enemy Naboth, had him killed, and took possession of the land. The media sold it, and the public bought it. Naboth surely must have been a really bad guy, an enemy.<br />
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At this point in the story, there was one man who did not buy it, Elijah the prophet. This man of God confronted Ahab in the vineyard, reminded him of the basic principles of biblical law, and turned advocate on behalf of Naboth's kids and grandkids, the legitimate heirs to the land.<br />
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"Is that you, my enemy?" Ahab challenged Elijah. <br />
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What's the world coming to when people are labeled as enemies who defend their own legal rights to land? What's the world coming to when those who stand up for the Naboths of this world, like Elijah, and who defend the rights of the oppressed, when they are labeled enemies? <br />
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Back to the present day and today's Naboth-- our friend Daher. On a September visit to the farm, his hospitality showered us with delicious grapes straight off the vine. Daher's vineyard, however, although located in the West Bank, is surrounded by growing and expanding Israeli settlements. See the arrow on the map below.<br />
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The four closest settlements were first established in 1982, 1983, 1975, and 1987, part of the strategy by Israel to take permanent control of the West Bank by creating facts on the ground. Already today theses four settlements number 50,000 residents and are expanding rapidly--just one tenth the population of all West Bank settlements.<br />
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While the settlements were expanding and taking over other Palestinian properties, the Israeli government in the 1980s was making regular flights over the Nassar farm, photographing and recording patterns of crop production for the day when they could take over this property-- this info was revealed Daher and family decades later in court.<br />
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Settlements are illegal under international law because they are built on land confiscated by an occupying power. They are immoral because their political purpose is to build roadblocks to peace. Every nation recognizes this illegal maneuver as land grabbing, except the State of Israel, yet it has gone unchecked for nearly four decades and now half a million settlers live on Palestinian property in the West Bank, armed with their own militias, and protected by the Israeli army. Anyone, whether the owner, Israeli human rights groups, the church, or other nations, who question or challenge such confiscation of land, is labeled an enemy like Elijah in the story of Naboth's vineyard.<br />
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Only, Daher and family refuse to play that game. "You may label us enemies. You may treat us as enemies. But we refuse to be enemies."<br />
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The settlers have often come by force, with weapons in hand to intimidate, to destroy property, to uproot trees, to block their access road, and to sabotage farm equipment, as on this 1999 day when younger brother Tony and niece were working on the farm. (photo right) Yet the family refuses to recipocate in kind. "Enemies? Not going to be one." The Nassars have pledged that they will only and always respond to violence with non-violence, but they will do everything in their power to hold onto the land entrusted to them.<br />
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Daoud, another brother in the family, tells the story of one occasion when armed settlers came demanding to inspect the land. "No weapons allowed," he told them. They snubbed their noses and insisted on entering. So he made another request, "We Palestinians have a custom that whenever we have guests, we drink tea together, and then we do our business. First, you must accept my gift of tea." The settlers finally agreed to tea, and started to enter the gate, when Daoud reminded them, "No weapons." So they ended up leaving their weapons outside with two from their group, and joined Daoud for tea. After fidgeting while sitting there drinking tea, the settlers stood up, glanced around, and then left.<br />
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On another occasion when settlers confronted the Nassars, the family lawyer happened to be present on the land, and pulled out official documentation to demonstrate to the settlers once and for all the family's legitimate ownership. <br />
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One of the settlers countered with his argument, "We have letters from God."<br />
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One of the reasons that the settler movement has succeeded in obtaining more and more land for expansion is because many of the Nassar's neighbors could not defend their right to ownership with "acceptable documentation."<br />
Much Palestinian land came into families' hands during times when one's word was more important than a piece of paper and when the testimony of one's neighbors carried weight in court. So more and more land is confiscated and turned into State Land, which is then sold to settlers, who are in turn subsideized by the government.<br />
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The Nassar farm has become problematical for the settlers because it is fully registered and documented. The grandfather of Daher, Tony, and Daoud, also named Daher Nasser, purchased these 100 acres on the picturesque hilltop in 1915, and it was fully registered with the British Mandate in 1924.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_KDW8ZQDbzKn5_9LOiNvP9C4jVqgTmw9b2vNsUONN7UNJQqbxzNIuQZL-Qh6t_y-eO3kj3hNVeI22qiSY5cHpOUzwZ66rYaX8pekSpEmPMp8a1oKy_9VVJ-WlcHl26VfHFNhgQdjFQU3/s1600/daher+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW_KDW8ZQDbzKn5_9LOiNvP9C4jVqgTmw9b2vNsUONN7UNJQqbxzNIuQZL-Qh6t_y-eO3kj3hNVeI22qiSY5cHpOUzwZ66rYaX8pekSpEmPMp8a1oKy_9VVJ-WlcHl26VfHFNhgQdjFQU3/s400/daher+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The family is reminded of this heritage everyday from these paintings on a central pillar in one of the farm's caves, now carefully carved out as a central meeting area. Here the elder Daher, on the left, is depicted with his two sons. Bishara, the current Nassars' father is pictured in the center along with his bachelor brother on the right. The Palestinian custom is that names skip a generation among the oldest. So Daher the elder had a son Bishara whose oldest son is the current Daher (of the blue shirt in photo at top) whose son Bishara is now a student in a Masters program in Peace Studies at Eastern Mennonite University in the USA, and this Bishara will pass on the name Daher to his eldest son. Heritage is important in this culture, and the most honorable family duty is to pass on the land to the younger generations.</div>
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Here is another mural of the family to remind them of that heritage.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCfpkE-e0Xy78jgRl3X3DrvGyl7rikAkj0k9L8IJmD-0-pGIVwzrJ0F3xUvKFSs7qIl6RiJWVgaR7k8AK5Z0YnaoCLnP0CYKRjauW1D4w1DRqqEB8tMfMKKNb95I7EOC5CZ-_uorwjhMf/s1600/Family+photo_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCfpkE-e0Xy78jgRl3X3DrvGyl7rikAkj0k9L8IJmD-0-pGIVwzrJ0F3xUvKFSs7qIl6RiJWVgaR7k8AK5Z0YnaoCLnP0CYKRjauW1D4w1DRqqEB8tMfMKKNb95I7EOC5CZ-_uorwjhMf/s400/Family+photo_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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When they purchased the land in 1915, the uncle of Daher and his brothers was only twenty years old, and volunteered to live on the land and farm full-time. He carved out an already existing cave to serve as his bachelor pad where he lived the bachelor life until he died at the age of 93. Bishara Nassar, however, settled in the town of Bethlehem where served as an evangelist, sharing his faith throughout the community. He married, and had a family of nine children.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUhRTxUgodJ72kyaTCpDg6BeVrwzTXEH7BoR6GZbpiEG-mF1iOFY6UIBuQHVzwi2fB_QmJDMbOerI8YKdy7NX6JQazYcOP-vQDQElVfH41EXhaUm_YZMDBnE68M4fjXnty6xsPz_PYNEx/s1600/Tony+Nisreen_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUhRTxUgodJ72kyaTCpDg6BeVrwzTXEH7BoR6GZbpiEG-mF1iOFY6UIBuQHVzwi2fB_QmJDMbOerI8YKdy7NX6JQazYcOP-vQDQElVfH41EXhaUm_YZMDBnE68M4fjXnty6xsPz_PYNEx/s320/Tony+Nisreen_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>The youngest of the children, Tony, (here in photo with wife Nisreen and one of their four children), is Vice-Principal of our Dar al-Kalima Lutheran School, and instructor in religion. Tony was just four years old when his father Bishara died unexpectedly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigso10qnGBodHjOxFBoDFkEDhndYwmXj3CUn1Z70Ari2yHU3KODUKXbj_HmXXfybBKqOOyW7_icvW2jUw7wP1bFCXRPkvxPG0KBFNehp3WuvRV2_FZ1FzO1HFEfWTJrc5CjlXGlBnDjFzV/s1600/land+day+planttree_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigso10qnGBodHjOxFBoDFkEDhndYwmXj3CUn1Z70Ari2yHU3KODUKXbj_HmXXfybBKqOOyW7_icvW2jUw7wP1bFCXRPkvxPG0KBFNehp3WuvRV2_FZ1FzO1HFEfWTJrc5CjlXGlBnDjFzV/s1600/land+day+planttree_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigso10qnGBodHjOxFBoDFkEDhndYwmXj3CUn1Z70Ari2yHU3KODUKXbj_HmXXfybBKqOOyW7_icvW2jUw7wP1bFCXRPkvxPG0KBFNehp3WuvRV2_FZ1FzO1HFEfWTJrc5CjlXGlBnDjFzV/s400/land+day+planttree_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a>Last March, we joined the family on Land Day, as they planted an olive tree to com- memor- ate the 36th anniversary of Bishara's death in 1976. Bishara left behind his widow and children who grew to raise their own families dedicated to their community and to the church.<br />
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In the photo below Bishara's widow poses with four sons, a daughter, and grandchildren at a recent wedding at the Church of the Nativity. We value two full decades of friendship with this amazing family who remain a model of Christian faith and life in Bethlehem. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlu_4ZDuKskjho_0XOi0cRXcCNaavqFsyCBSduS91sW6tRJaDjgb2UUUDa2inz5nZKcWHhIZLDPNf1wwRaUQctbftf0NT1GbbLXqPfwxqeh-tYB1gRVRxEcHIynj4JdJHl7fdXxO8eN3I/s1600/Nassar+family+at+wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlu_4ZDuKskjho_0XOi0cRXcCNaavqFsyCBSduS91sW6tRJaDjgb2UUUDa2inz5nZKcWHhIZLDPNf1wwRaUQctbftf0NT1GbbLXqPfwxqeh-tYB1gRVRxEcHIynj4JdJHl7fdXxO8eN3I/s400/Nassar+family+at+wedding.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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All those years, family members would head out to the farm, often spending their nights there, assisting with the tasks of planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. Under occupation, these chores became more difficult, since Israel limited access to water from the acquifer underneath their own land. </div>
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In 1988, when their bachelor uncle died, they began to lag further and further behind with the farm work. Three years later in 1991, they learned that the Israeli military government had issued confiscation orders for three quarters of the farm according to Israeli absentee land policies. It was only by a fortunate encounter with a resident from the nearby Muslim village of Nahilin that they learned about the confiscation order, which had been delivered mistakenly to the village.</div>
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Pastor Mitri Raheb, who would include a chapter about "Daher's Vineyard" in his book <em>I am a Palestinian Christian</em>, invited us to accompany him for our first visit to the farm in May 1992. This would lead to numerous work days for us over the next decade clearing rocks from the fields, planting trees, vines, and annual vegetables, and hauling water to the the fields. Mitri began to mobilize an international network of support, and explore ways to assist in the defense of the land. One of my former students, took off a year from University of Iowa Law School, to help the family gather legal evidence and obtain legal defense. </div>
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The long story of the family's experience with Israeli courts is explained on their family website, <a href="http://www.tentofnations.org/">www.tentofnations.org</a> This included payouts of several hundred thousand dollars in legal expenses to obtain documentation from Ottoman records. They would receive periodic announcements about scheduled days in court. Yet they would show up again and again only to learn of postponements. Finally when their day in court turned to reality, the govenment's evidence was declared insufficient. Yet that has not brought an end to the quest to take away this family farm. In the past year, they have received demolition notices for buildings on the farm, which, if they are carried out, will make it more difficult to continue the family presence on the land, and impede their efforts to farm the land.</div>
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By prolonging the ordeal for two full decades, the strategy of the settler movement, and the pro-settler government, seems to be aimed at wearing the family down and piling up additional costs for defense. Yet the family remains steadfast in holding on to the land.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoCXhcsGBLGVtZwMiXz4bD8HW1BAanN9koctze8stjI6TRum5ySy9jLH6XaDA4bBcUNhHD09ZOl6sQmipGxUdPTec3g9ilccd_kXnpFZr7x5YxMbYMjJgtEtgLQX-UFJbOcWePrX2hrXo/s1600/Daher+and+George+on+farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoCXhcsGBLGVtZwMiXz4bD8HW1BAanN9koctze8stjI6TRum5ySy9jLH6XaDA4bBcUNhHD09ZOl6sQmipGxUdPTec3g9ilccd_kXnpFZr7x5YxMbYMjJgtEtgLQX-UFJbOcWePrX2hrXo/s1600/Daher+and+George+on+farm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoCXhcsGBLGVtZwMiXz4bD8HW1BAanN9koctze8stjI6TRum5ySy9jLH6XaDA4bBcUNhHD09ZOl6sQmipGxUdPTec3g9ilccd_kXnpFZr7x5YxMbYMjJgtEtgLQX-UFJbOcWePrX2hrXo/s320/Daher+and+George+on+farm.jpg" width="320" /><br />
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</a>The Nassars recognize that they cannot do this alone. Visiting church groups often spend an afternoon, or even a whole day, helping with farm work. Young adults from Europe or the States off sign up to volunteer on the farm for three months to a year.<br />
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</a>The family runs summer camps for Palestinian children from Bethlehem and neighboring villages.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSmJOoBRydculUfaNfFomkkTPo0QrSj-JrucZ0S5RHOxzq52VLaIzxemhIWSX9y9dh5R1yH1oteZgk6zr8Br33uGYdOE-QAJ6cDP9jrO2s_LP9VsV55W_sSILKvtwUZG2drOnbQdbcV3j/s1600/Daoud+presentation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSmJOoBRydculUfaNfFomkkTPo0QrSj-JrucZ0S5RHOxzq52VLaIzxemhIWSX9y9dh5R1yH1oteZgk6zr8Br33uGYdOE-QAJ6cDP9jrO2s_LP9VsV55W_sSILKvtwUZG2drOnbQdbcV3j/s1600/Daoud+presentation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSmJOoBRydculUfaNfFomkkTPo0QrSj-JrucZ0S5RHOxzq52VLaIzxemhIWSX9y9dh5R1yH1oteZgk6zr8Br33uGYdOE-QAJ6cDP9jrO2s_LP9VsV55W_sSILKvtwUZG2drOnbQdbcV3j/s320/Daoud+presentation.jpg" width="320" /><br />
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</a>Daoud meets with visitng groups in one of the cave rooms, sharing with them the family's vision for the land and their future.<br />
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And what is that vision? Daher answers by pointing to a mural on the wall quoting Psalm 133.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzv8Kyg_SY2mrUuq3B0TjnDZaPM71ia8263JD0-DgPEU21N94cRwU-gCCCJguaFNnvSDku-_uWxSdgFy0q1wuhqxX4sWAbuAnpm___az5w1LeujDXxX-xCaP2hWxfrh-LEIAjrc9GDK50/s1600/Mural+Daher+Ps+133.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzv8Kyg_SY2mrUuq3B0TjnDZaPM71ia8263JD0-DgPEU21N94cRwU-gCCCJguaFNnvSDku-_uWxSdgFy0q1wuhqxX4sWAbuAnpm___az5w1LeujDXxX-xCaP2hWxfrh-LEIAjrc9GDK50/s400/Mural+Daher+Ps+133.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Psalm 133: "How good and pleasant it is when kindred dwell together in unity."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another way of saying</span></div>
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<em> <span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><strong>We refuse to be enemies!</strong></span></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspCXl61tyX-VBVbFutMVZRANNO70kPVhFnUPqOu8tPa9hJcA-7Lc_AVqwPMc8nwp18kmBqfnKeLsS1rRxImAvMFbMH8zcPgSlYBp3qA7PxOwrMj8NfcenlNs2bA-Dth0bwNwpTfH-_S2x/s1600/Daoud+and+daughter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspCXl61tyX-VBVbFutMVZRANNO70kPVhFnUPqOu8tPa9hJcA-7Lc_AVqwPMc8nwp18kmBqfnKeLsS1rRxImAvMFbMH8zcPgSlYBp3qA7PxOwrMj8NfcenlNs2bA-Dth0bwNwpTfH-_S2x/s320/Daoud+and+daughter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
</span></em></strong>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-59521292253941197922012-12-17T12:36:00.000+02:002012-12-17T18:25:42.571+02:00Joy <a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><strong>On the third Sunday of Advent, the children of our congregation here in Jerusalem lit the candle of joy in our Advent wreath.</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16Miw7Ervfp8EJi26_DnZ1dnRQoWUcnHshmSKw3Uofo-SJ022wYEqjNs4lLXG85ps9oL7SNSrBBbFnqaZM4fiBiCOnwgAluK53xyTyvCH0caFOlHHSXA_q2gxeW9PPhyl-sNw7CgqGKxt/s1600/Advent+wreath_edited-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16Miw7Ervfp8EJi26_DnZ1dnRQoWUcnHshmSKw3Uofo-SJ022wYEqjNs4lLXG85ps9oL7SNSrBBbFnqaZM4fiBiCOnwgAluK53xyTyvCH0caFOlHHSXA_q2gxeW9PPhyl-sNw7CgqGKxt/s400/Advent+wreath_edited-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In this season of quiet reflection and patient hope, one Sunday is set aside for joy. It's like the yin and yang of Christianity. It the midst of darkness, there is a flicker of light. In a world of suffering, pain, and injustice, there are words of comfort, acts of healing, and pleas for justice. In grief and sorrow, there is joy, nevertheless.<br />
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While Gloria and I have been reflecting on our experience over the last several years, among the many things that we will miss, are the expressions of joy that spring up every day in Palestinian society, especially among the Palestinian Christian Community. The laughter we hear on the playgrounds of our Lutheran schools. The joy in the familiar greetings on the street, <em>Kif Halak? L'Hamdilla.</em> The telling of a good joke, as also the amusement in telling a bad one. The joyous welcoming into a home for a cup of coffee or for a meal. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWOHvjqhtsUv6QmcN-WKj9gy8p2yeHzogVFVrGHpT-H23vV2Rj02jw1I7fgFqeeeu7RmVGHnKVj71iqtMx8X1e7OPFub7ymUEHvFdXSMt4QO5SEin1VPjJ_c_ae1srecXZDOT2z8WlmEw/s1600/dance+shoulders1_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAWOHvjqhtsUv6QmcN-WKj9gy8p2yeHzogVFVrGHpT-H23vV2Rj02jw1I7fgFqeeeu7RmVGHnKVj71iqtMx8X1e7OPFub7ymUEHvFdXSMt4QO5SEin1VPjJ_c_ae1srecXZDOT2z8WlmEw/s400/dance+shoulders1_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And most of all, the joy that takes place at Palestinian weddings: the laughter, the celebration, the hugging and kissing, the eating, the raising of a glass of Arak to toast better days ahead, <em>inshallah</em>, the music, and the dancing-- the enthusiastic, not-holding-back dancing for everyone present, from grandparents to children just beginning to walk, the graceful hand gestures, to the swaying of the body, the pull of the crowds closer and closer, and then the grasping of hands in a wide circle of community, embracing all with exhilerating shouts of joy.<br />
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Dancing that goes deep into the night.<br />
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We will truly miss the joyous weddings.<br />
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It might seem strange to see such rejoicing, considering the circumstances of Palestinian life under Israeli occupation. Yet that is what Advent joy is all about. <br />
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Karl Barth--instrumenal in the formation of the Confessing Church in opposition to Hitler and principal author of the Barmen Confession--wrote that true joy does not come because of our circumstances of health or wealth, of prosperity or success. Christians do not have joy because of their circumstances, he said, but <strong>in spite of them</strong>. <br />
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So it's no accident that of all the Greek words for joy, the New Testament most often employs the word <em><strong>CHARA</strong></em> which is derived from the word for grace, <strong><em>CHARIS. </em></strong>Thus the common joyful Arabic expression <em>L'Hamdilla</em> -- Thanks be to God. We have joy <strong>in the Lord</strong>.<br />
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This is Paul's message to the congregation in Philippi, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice"-- the Advent 3 epistle. It's difficult to imagine what such words meant to this community with their memory of Paul and Silas singing hymns in prison until the late hours of the night. And now with Paul writing from a context of another imprisonment in Rome, his repetion of the word joy some dozen times is profound.<br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Joy, in spite of the circumstances.</strong></em></span> <br />
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<strong><em><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"> Joy, nevertheless.</span></em></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrM6APYJnzc9QZCn6nZPqrzYqKUR-b2nETI9Qsmr7Vj0ns0KLFE_r5v6HN071-U1SO4UQfjIAw6w5qXdEAlENoUwiwntyvGC00QAdVfxgvNMjauJT3XI3lqsMZO-tH-19uTgsp9BhRWKKM/s1600/bride+carried.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrM6APYJnzc9QZCn6nZPqrzYqKUR-b2nETI9Qsmr7Vj0ns0KLFE_r5v6HN071-U1SO4UQfjIAw6w5qXdEAlENoUwiwntyvGC00QAdVfxgvNMjauJT3XI3lqsMZO-tH-19uTgsp9BhRWKKM/s320/bride+carried.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<strong><em><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;">Advent 3 Joy.</span></em></strong><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
<a href="https://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">https://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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<br />Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-86488345472241287542012-12-11T10:51:00.000+02:002012-12-12T12:40:43.816+02:00The Writing on the Wall<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Photo Credits: from the Israeli newspaper <em>Haaretz</em>, & a few from <em>Maannews. Final two photos are ours.</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A report "Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds," was recently released by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.</span><br />
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The report sees more hostile divisions within Israeli society between views of openness and exclusion. It states, "At home Israel faces increasing social and political divisions between those who still cherish a vision" expressed by its 1948 founders versus "the growing demographic weight of the religiously conservative Haredim and settler movement." <br />
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While concerns about the influence of fundamentalism and extremism in the Muslim world is a major topic in the Western Media--and of which we are very much aware and concerned--the following are concerns that confront us daily in the local Israeli press, as can be seen in a selection of <em>Haaretz</em> photos below.<br />
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<em><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">It's all in the daily news-- The Writing on the Wall.</span></em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikirey9W7xqQhFO6RnaWjB4mUPRtoi0W91gdb6Mzi96rhNhMBw5-dqG4yST3Avg77dzR-G5LoJ8VwfRYs7IS9L6dxDzXM3FSSMwYMaOUdid0wuJ6q3jsQB3yUKBY1P-GwUaAGqV8pDCIZ6/s1600/Sheik+Jarrah+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikirey9W7xqQhFO6RnaWjB4mUPRtoi0W91gdb6Mzi96rhNhMBw5-dqG4yST3Avg77dzR-G5LoJ8VwfRYs7IS9L6dxDzXM3FSSMwYMaOUdid0wuJ6q3jsQB3yUKBY1P-GwUaAGqV8pDCIZ6/s320/Sheik+Jarrah+sign.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Hebrew and Arabic are both official languages of the state of Israel. Policy dictates that most road signs are written in both languages as also in English. So it is for the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheik Jarrah.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijntZ9RFbPKftKFgqDpHoqn8aCTKndPjWXQ5q8w_kIZVdR1ZLxG47-ONuZlPU8-9BiCVDUbzJDVl7ivxYWVmz7Isul-MFg1RmqHXVW6uMooH_7biDpntYbi1rQn7RxWgvA5LJzZZEOWpt/s1600/road+sign+Jerusalem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijntZ9RFbPKftKFgqDpHoqn8aCTKndPjWXQ5q8w_kIZVdR1ZLxG47-ONuZlPU8-9BiCVDUbzJDVl7ivxYWVmz7Isul-MFg1RmqHXVW6uMooH_7biDpntYbi1rQn7RxWgvA5LJzZZEOWpt/s320/road+sign+Jerusalem.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">On the West Bank highway 60 north of Jerusalem, settlers have painted over the Arabic name for Jerusalem, not accepting their traditional name for the city "al-Quds" -- The Holy (city).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76SaYpNIlFZJERU33jJANd9pPG6IyvnnJqtLwftLCknixoKInUlUUQlxK6J88wxXzdsRPd7c3FHMWaM2x4QucHMIEm_A6HBVm4N6Pl10QPH3pqJn6XXJ_Q9Mm8m01S5yfPmNaHaTEp87s/s1600/Sign+road+arabic+out+revenge+hebrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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<img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76SaYpNIlFZJERU33jJANd9pPG6IyvnnJqtLwftLCknixoKInUlUUQlxK6J88wxXzdsRPd7c3FHMWaM2x4QucHMIEm_A6HBVm4N6Pl10QPH3pqJn6XXJ_Q9Mm8m01S5yfPmNaHaTEp87s/s320/Sign+road+arabic+out+revenge+hebrew.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At another West Bank Junction, all Arabic names have been painted out, with the Hebrew word</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> "Revenge" added.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsnQ5wUudhKPUztArTwB318EtvzMa5Klfea5iHTRSq2ZKZKh1KBW7ckfT4X6eeUlLriQrJnZi20P9HVKr3-kpp7PWJZCrNW4hI380MTRv1wh93F3xwrjfDACTT98zS2q0wnii6nDsTbH7/s1600/Lifta+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsnQ5wUudhKPUztArTwB318EtvzMa5Klfea5iHTRSq2ZKZKh1KBW7ckfT4X6eeUlLriQrJnZi20P9HVKr3-kpp7PWJZCrNW4hI380MTRv1wh93F3xwrjfDACTT98zS2q0wnii6nDsTbH7/s320/Lifta+Collage.jpg" width="320" />..</a><span style="font-size: large;">The Arabic name "Lifta" rubbed out from a commemorative sign, just as the village's Arab residents were expelled in 1948.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1DwNJ-JzowONY_vMheWoDpTh9wYw6i5MW-HRfoKdgaRqF2wvTjHYakSedMgWUwDv8_sxegEf07nQznTqOgleFaVCVgmjhXhAKRIEMCsBeyEME2JRX6uqOY4DlFYrXIfrTL4XfcVPug6d/s1600/ask+for+peace+lifta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1DwNJ-JzowONY_vMheWoDpTh9wYw6i5MW-HRfoKdgaRqF2wvTjHYakSedMgWUwDv8_sxegEf07nQznTqOgleFaVCVgmjhXhAKRIEMCsBeyEME2JRX6uqOY4DlFYrXIfrTL4XfcVPug6d/s1600/ask+for+peace+lifta.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The writing on a wall from Lifta.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">University of Haifa Logo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Pre-2012 Logo (Left) 2012 Logo (Right)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What is missing in the newer version?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkb1qpEOTuxtRusFc4bHpoLatd_RRUfXmXLvnlN0lwNLm4xCjakSbLR4cKBuw6e_jjKMGaKG1A2dbSXj92p_WNMfHzVxA-mi6HFK6kU6al9fC3gDzv0jvbTKGCpmJET_kJfC5pTlrrxBM/s1600/LehavaHiresJewsOnly.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkb1qpEOTuxtRusFc4bHpoLatd_RRUfXmXLvnlN0lwNLm4xCjakSbLR4cKBuw6e_jjKMGaKG1A2dbSXj92p_WNMfHzVxA-mi6HFK6kU6al9fC3gDzv0jvbTKGCpmJET_kJfC5pTlrrxBM/s1600/LehavaHiresJewsOnly.bmp" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sign in West Jerusalem store window: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Lehava hires only Jewish Workers"</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLu9uPZVTSOA-6LiIyAmXmvKuVChuwwJr76OEYa7w8Hbo5BIPtAihSSh6_3yytTQs6E3DjPKOYD8S7gq09tWWqDp_9b86Us5lft7kPnomE4q9GMH9IoPC02dChlckqdTGD2fKfFOJ-yTH/s1600/soccer+riot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLu9uPZVTSOA-6LiIyAmXmvKuVChuwwJr76OEYa7w8Hbo5BIPtAihSSh6_3yytTQs6E3DjPKOYD8S7gq09tWWqDp_9b86Us5lft7kPnomE4q9GMH9IoPC02dChlckqdTGD2fKfFOJ-yTH/s320/soccer+riot.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Beitar Soccer Riots--fans hold flag of banned racist Kach party at January game against team with Arab players. Fans take out loss by beating up Arab workers in Malha Mall across the street from Teddy Stadium on March 23, 2012 <span style="font-size: small;">(lower left).</span> Israelis <span style="font-size: small;">(right)</span> in solidarity with Arab workers demonstrate against fans "Jerusalem is for all people"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMUC0DV5u3ATgkPB1rnW9uKMa0Gum7gJEKqRKQEFCSap85mnb7fRgM5dwC__THOYsG_Yu_GeOv0-Yt7ZkEO0MYWH7x06TO0K50hBNelddF1S3hjk4Nz_ABTWOYw3FPd1KP1zU5NHP3R7K/s1600/may+23+antisudanese_riot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMUC0DV5u3ATgkPB1rnW9uKMa0Gum7gJEKqRKQEFCSap85mnb7fRgM5dwC__THOYsG_Yu_GeOv0-Yt7ZkEO0MYWH7x06TO0K50hBNelddF1S3hjk4Nz_ABTWOYw3FPd1KP1zU5NHP3R7K/s1600/may+23+antisudanese_riot.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">May 23, 2012 violent demonstration against African Migrants in Tel Aviv.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">October 14, 2012 Sudanese demonstration protesting their removal to large tent detention camps in the Negev Desert. "We are refuges from war!" </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjweSdHEzPDthlvqN7-bgGnhJ5U3IaBjmRMOJLIkZq1m63_qazJ0KG_B5HOuUZWqMazruPC-y3d7jRUVl_eow6MpZrAa3HrbOOJl7_7JiU_KbBDGCiMRxBwih6Vi45twE6iQtzJwuZXOqvC/s1600/Sudanese+protest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjweSdHEzPDthlvqN7-bgGnhJ5U3IaBjmRMOJLIkZq1m63_qazJ0KG_B5HOuUZWqMazruPC-y3d7jRUVl_eow6MpZrAa3HrbOOJl7_7JiU_KbBDGCiMRxBwih6Vi45twE6iQtzJwuZXOqvC/s320/Sudanese+protest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOylgP7lNVIhM5XX4iel6t3LdbB_2fClFJB6qfO2HRzTb9psUfBfN9dwD60Hoh7vfQJkNh1mrBHnVRTmtteNiTuFSnf7x37SKd4C0ugpsZ4xNO3C7e7oCEM-FHSWBVCq2g0NxAkSBNd9_b/s1600/Oct+23+land+of+Israel+for+the+people+of+Israel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOylgP7lNVIhM5XX4iel6t3LdbB_2fClFJB6qfO2HRzTb9psUfBfN9dwD60Hoh7vfQJkNh1mrBHnVRTmtteNiTuFSnf7x37SKd4C0ugpsZ4xNO3C7e7oCEM-FHSWBVCq2g0NxAkSBNd9_b/s320/Oct+23+land+of+Israel+for+the+people+of+Israel.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Demonstration: "The land of Israel for the people of Israel" Oct. 23, 2012.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRYxOVpnNaEP9AY1QkjvuF5o7-Cnky0xG0cBZzetwlAWFxkjtrIgqR9-wc4lS6CALUXlr1dZNV9uB6asSaISXeEI-q3AbF0M91FXa1uUIGVS7SF3JkMv03Axg00Bf2R9_8OFVIaixq7et/s1600/Haredim+-+modesty+sign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRYxOVpnNaEP9AY1QkjvuF5o7-Cnky0xG0cBZzetwlAWFxkjtrIgqR9-wc4lS6CALUXlr1dZNV9uB6asSaISXeEI-q3AbF0M91FXa1uUIGVS7SF3JkMv03Axg00Bf2R9_8OFVIaixq7et/s400/Haredim+-+modesty+sign.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr5VskP4oijRzUsnNZiaFnEvu29UiC079Fb-Ub7oYfiz8lICQMU_v5OYFIr-oiAhdHJx1UkkSSDyPYvsuH7SOg5r6KRRiyqBLy_K3P4b4vbyWdRVolsFVeP5GFmXU3HRKwTW6lnsHQH9A/s1600/mea-shearim-sign+women+forbidden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcr5VskP4oijRzUsnNZiaFnEvu29UiC079Fb-Ub7oYfiz8lICQMU_v5OYFIr-oiAhdHJx1UkkSSDyPYvsuH7SOg5r6KRRiyqBLy_K3P4b4vbyWdRVolsFVeP5GFmXU3HRKwTW6lnsHQH9A/s320/mea-shearim-sign+women+forbidden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYB4WvyEDOxiPDh1koMjQwualOb6WKuRxffbofDrPW2Ei8HPe6Wp3QIpd912Jf7szRgxe1aHmDsx1lhlFgBhjts6nuZQW7PhKptu1sKTdewqgDn4_qxf7Cc0D7QVRFZ7ssVHZMCnyV8Neo/s1600/dress-modestly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYB4WvyEDOxiPDh1koMjQwualOb6WKuRxffbofDrPW2Ei8HPe6Wp3QIpd912Jf7szRgxe1aHmDsx1lhlFgBhjts6nuZQW7PhKptu1sKTdewqgDn4_qxf7Cc0D7QVRFZ7ssVHZMCnyV8Neo/s1600/dress-modestly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYB4WvyEDOxiPDh1koMjQwualOb6WKuRxffbofDrPW2Ei8HPe6Wp3QIpd912Jf7szRgxe1aHmDsx1lhlFgBhjts6nuZQW7PhKptu1sKTdewqgDn4_qxf7Cc0D7QVRFZ7ssVHZMCnyV8Neo/s320/dress-modestly1.jpg" width="216" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYB4WvyEDOxiPDh1koMjQwualOb6WKuRxffbofDrPW2Ei8HPe6Wp3QIpd912Jf7szRgxe1aHmDsx1lhlFgBhjts6nuZQW7PhKptu1sKTdewqgDn4_qxf7Cc0D7QVRFZ7ssVHZMCnyV8Neo/s1600/dress-modestly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYB4WvyEDOxiPDh1koMjQwualOb6WKuRxffbofDrPW2Ei8HPe6Wp3QIpd912Jf7szRgxe1aHmDsx1lhlFgBhjts6nuZQW7PhKptu1sKTdewqgDn4_qxf7Cc0D7QVRFZ7ssVHZMCnyV8Neo/s1600/dress-modestly1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: large;">From "Please" to "Strictly Forbidden"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Hks4eZ6Dq_0gc_kHV_huHB_268Aq7YRmn2YezVry7G5AFHKXSelYbSuAsvtmVxRVurg0vog6FeILYp_lkpHO4ppOa0UkoRi827TCcw418feqf2gLF4xeM7aAWmyEK3ll3Xz6Zy5gwJ6l/s1600/men+only.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Hks4eZ6Dq_0gc_kHV_huHB_268Aq7YRmn2YezVry7G5AFHKXSelYbSuAsvtmVxRVurg0vog6FeILYp_lkpHO4ppOa0UkoRi827TCcw418feqf2gLF4xeM7aAWmyEK3ll3Xz6Zy5gwJ6l/s320/men+only.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBrVvYM0O6fa7JtsimefjdWVy36CDRmRv0IV60AhcA1mcMJWgiZXrF8cDBQi1Kjqv1XFdDZRylyLGGXBk1LWZN2LQnY29ClUjDR8yhLe-4GGAbcTo2XhBU3qagy7MAocGjGPD4RSF_pv7/s1600/separate+not+equal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEBrVvYM0O6fa7JtsimefjdWVy36CDRmRv0IV60AhcA1mcMJWgiZXrF8cDBQi1Kjqv1XFdDZRylyLGGXBk1LWZN2LQnY29ClUjDR8yhLe-4GGAbcTo2XhBU3qagy7MAocGjGPD4RSF_pv7/s1600/separate+not+equal.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">"Separate is not equal" Protests by Israeli women</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5FDOIxEPRkqYt1yHUAZGCHTUO2QNcynnsxAwPMz_UNdJ9q-pKOVnwwCkxOKDQWkh-VnuMrIG9q1UY_pqHd75IHEKVjUw3rNBf0i7fqSYCs4Jmb6iqmt1q0UuZZhDzk6XR_cr2Lr4Geix/s1600/gender+segregated+walk+in+succoth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5FDOIxEPRkqYt1yHUAZGCHTUO2QNcynnsxAwPMz_UNdJ9q-pKOVnwwCkxOKDQWkh-VnuMrIG9q1UY_pqHd75IHEKVjUw3rNBf0i7fqSYCs4Jmb6iqmt1q0UuZZhDzk6XR_cr2Lr4Geix/s320/gender+segregated+walk+in+succoth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd1CX599MVGgJjo6kxw8xgLls69prpiVS4Tqsil_VtKIfb1nP4G1CBqG6cA7gwryjHY2Lggow_WgGVFZz-EEwRXC71jvje572lJUEFjP_v_oiztjIeC2TcS31mbUYXY5uc1-x0rXYZhAi/s1600/no+to+exclusion+of+women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBd1CX599MVGgJjo6kxw8xgLls69prpiVS4Tqsil_VtKIfb1nP4G1CBqG6cA7gwryjHY2Lggow_WgGVFZz-EEwRXC71jvje572lJUEFjP_v_oiztjIeC2TcS31mbUYXY5uc1-x0rXYZhAi/s320/no+to+exclusion+of+women.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">"No to women exclusion" -- Israeli women protest against a ban against photos of women in advertisements on public transportation.</span></div>
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<em><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;">The Writing on the Wall</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;">Graffiti and "Price tag" attacks carried out in name of Settler Movement</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;">against schools, churches, & mosques </span></em> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvTeTI0oKVLeA30ro_U9g9Gv2z7u_rs3aPpG7QmT_LVt9-8eP-TRT2qGO5zYWxHtt11cOlIpYHiQw5IhHkzb27-xP7xiYIZllZ-95ExFStSu6NcMeppjprwdwqU0ieQCHqHO2gh4ktA-L/s1600/jerusalem+mosque+graffiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvTeTI0oKVLeA30ro_U9g9Gv2z7u_rs3aPpG7QmT_LVt9-8eP-TRT2qGO5zYWxHtt11cOlIpYHiQw5IhHkzb27-xP7xiYIZllZ-95ExFStSu6NcMeppjprwdwqU0ieQCHqHO2gh4ktA-L/s320/jerusalem+mosque+graffiti.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Mosque attacks -- Price tag Graffiti derogatory to Muslims and the Prophet Muhammed--at numerous mosques over the last year <span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlibnrjaLC9ztaX64GDmbQzKBXSzj8bbnvKDp3L2Klp3uYsJDBZ4qgiUZqGfgVvqst4BuiwKEB75d-8OfhNgKobVnXIdMSOtLU-VO16dQK3lSCDlxk8VMaYbCNte9_EwWZ3hEPD-BtGOGM/s1600/Jab%2527a+mosque+interior+fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlibnrjaLC9ztaX64GDmbQzKBXSzj8bbnvKDp3L2Klp3uYsJDBZ4qgiUZqGfgVvqst4BuiwKEB75d-8OfhNgKobVnXIdMSOtLU-VO16dQK3lSCDlxk8VMaYbCNte9_EwWZ3hEPD-BtGOGM/s1600/Jab%2527a+mosque+interior+fire.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd0p83dN8ObCjH-tNSD-3dz1Im0NXc5rwpyby-SSI9cULUtxBPbzjV26n7ytN2Wc014seHWU4AfLD6hcitsIjU-Y3vpvJ5hnmKJMJhAIHB_VcdSXggmhpEto4dKcass1D9nd8jZHwyynT/s1600/Jab'a+mosque+june+19+Ulpana+war.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRd0p83dN8ObCjH-tNSD-3dz1Im0NXc5rwpyby-SSI9cULUtxBPbzjV26n7ytN2Wc014seHWU4AfLD6hcitsIjU-Y3vpvJ5hnmKJMJhAIHB_VcdSXggmhpEto4dKcass1D9nd8jZHwyynT/s320/Jab'a+mosque+june+19+Ulpana+war.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Jab'a Mosque fire June 12, 2012 Graffiti "Ulpana War"</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUvM0ij2nVttJgNC2ALpaVPOJXt3Y_yIoh979p6MrQ-Rpbv3IRnBab3uCfURdnfwLv1nuOhqwMqci0HF2HGL5An9P1VFmUo3xeP_kbpgDo7fJol_UZITl-duv5DsCv2a9SmfedcF9Lw_N/s1600/Beit+Safafa+graffiti+death+to++Arabs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihUvM0ij2nVttJgNC2ALpaVPOJXt3Y_yIoh979p6MrQ-Rpbv3IRnBab3uCfURdnfwLv1nuOhqwMqci0HF2HGL5An9P1VFmUo3xeP_kbpgDo7fJol_UZITl-duv5DsCv2a9SmfedcF9Lw_N/s320/Beit+Safafa+graffiti+death+to++Arabs.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Beit Safafa Hand in Hand Bilingual School for Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Price Tag Graffiti "Death to the Arabs" -- February 6, 2012.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBRLN-nSyYpmb0LJzV_3GphQuuc7zvr4BL52muQhld_wru8DmxN3Qww5hI3PSWwwv7-CY0LgM-_XLLwzgoe3nnkkBTq3ZQx8VLAhuYw2M6JYpg1H7HGkhFZtzIWm84auUChiSO1vPSVBt/s1600/Neve+Shalom+graffiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBRLN-nSyYpmb0LJzV_3GphQuuc7zvr4BL52muQhld_wru8DmxN3Qww5hI3PSWwwv7-CY0LgM-_XLLwzgoe3nnkkBTq3ZQx8VLAhuYw2M6JYpg1H7HGkhFZtzIWm84auUChiSO1vPSVBt/s320/Neve+Shalom+graffiti.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"></span> <span style="font-size: large;">Price Tag Graffiti "Death to the Arabs" at bilingual school for Israeli Jews and Muslims in the intentionally integrated village Neve Shalom, with tires of 14 cars slashed on June 8, 2012.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcGA-EmZopYQQXcqsxfUrkEIySql6Hqpa_zFCqwbkaJ7cwAf3F8r75XuawTVSEHUkMYeHu2n6ofpjrznyBMBDaXhHCh1ejRlhKzeUge1XTL2ptG6tVaSLcq2TeP-6pb6Qsx_z2aYSAybf/s1600/Latrun+price+tag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdcGA-EmZopYQQXcqsxfUrkEIySql6Hqpa_zFCqwbkaJ7cwAf3F8r75XuawTVSEHUkMYeHu2n6ofpjrznyBMBDaXhHCh1ejRlhKzeUge1XTL2ptG6tVaSLcq2TeP-6pb6Qsx_z2aYSAybf/s320/Latrun+price+tag.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Latrun Monastery Price Tag Attack September 3, 2012 with doors set afire and Graffiti "Jesus is a Monkey"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNxW9PUbYaFB3kxkPmGEhgetsuisqQTwS60spxLNFJAbC6QNibhYdAz4vtkpZglNn1Qd2mWmsLUkwTeSV-PcMqC4PMbSTsuZSK6RhWuAASJE3Sf4dH2_NAnaoXISOJWeNJ42JaeF8d1H4/s1600/price+tag+car+monastery+of+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNxW9PUbYaFB3kxkPmGEhgetsuisqQTwS60spxLNFJAbC6QNibhYdAz4vtkpZglNn1Qd2mWmsLUkwTeSV-PcMqC4PMbSTsuZSK6RhWuAASJE3Sf4dH2_NAnaoXISOJWeNJ42JaeF8d1H4/s1600/price+tag+car+monastery+of+cross.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Monastery of the Cross Price Tag Attack -- February 6, 2012</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywFIEoD22VLEocHhJw0tZZKkrpJ5EoMLh7GJmYAb_Ts4-Dij1MOxAa7AqU1OR_mijBBbd0c-Mxp3VJu3Mj09s8y0rjTjSC3MZQBpQgARmXHjIV_MSw3a-ooFNKQYJyDZ0oDi6ttHQKtOH/s1600/Death+to+christianity+narkis+st+baptist+ch+2+20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywFIEoD22VLEocHhJw0tZZKkrpJ5EoMLh7GJmYAb_Ts4-Dij1MOxAa7AqU1OR_mijBBbd0c-Mxp3VJu3Mj09s8y0rjTjSC3MZQBpQgARmXHjIV_MSw3a-ooFNKQYJyDZ0oDi6ttHQKtOH/s320/Death+to+christianity+narkis+st+baptist+ch+2+20.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Price tag attack at Jerusalem Narkis Street Baptist Church with Graffiti "Death to Christianity" & "Mary was a Prostitute" -- February 20, 2012</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhKFon1csbDRMKKhCfQtOXXdABmWp7ovoX2JfUmT6-Ys8nT2oa_9c41KgcxpFmjL4erJzqcSDb7Y1O1u9rkT5KwmgKj9RtSmERmlnew2o0WCLHBYrVUUMXJczwBQKeT0ArdbcVQm-HWF-/s1600/Dormition+Church+Graffiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhKFon1csbDRMKKhCfQtOXXdABmWp7ovoX2JfUmT6-Ys8nT2oa_9c41KgcxpFmjL4erJzqcSDb7Y1O1u9rkT5KwmgKj9RtSmERmlnew2o0WCLHBYrVUUMXJczwBQKeT0ArdbcVQm-HWF-/s320/Dormition+Church+Graffiti.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Price Tag Graffiti on Dormition Church outside Zion Gate,- Old City: "Jesus is a Son of a Bitch" October 2, 2012</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHkDvmabKhOxtihBeWJ_L0lcjVlqL_WKit2wP_6ZDI8uiADmu-u-_70ZWnKFNQclA5fDdLLPAsh1QeaSE_rP32daBTdeZxRXbFMP33RDjn-texrnMH39kiJSuOBy_Gnqn8UAeqH4mBGK9/s1600/cross+monastery+graffiti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYHkDvmabKhOxtihBeWJ_L0lcjVlqL_WKit2wP_6ZDI8uiADmu-u-_70ZWnKFNQclA5fDdLLPAsh1QeaSE_rP32daBTdeZxRXbFMP33RDjn-texrnMH39kiJSuOBy_Gnqn8UAeqH4mBGK9/s320/cross+monastery+graffiti.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Dec. 12, 2012 Monastery of the Cross -- Graffiti: "Happy Hanukkah, Price Tag, Victory for the Maccabees, Jesus was a Son of a Bitch."</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;"><em>The Writing on the Wall-- from the Daily News</em></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;"></span></em> </div>
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<em><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;">Below is the writing on our LWF Fence</span></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5R_bYl57l42OtuvBtcy2pPaTOR21Cj0rvKK69I2UmEKGNg93kYMiKVoDlf-5ti5E7SpQeevnEIv1xVnDUVwlDLtnLR3svSPnXsYp6C8Lkc-BVtt0mBDOG-hbw4_zdTq6UqhB-ZU1Wxld/s1600/LWF+fence+announcement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5R_bYl57l42OtuvBtcy2pPaTOR21Cj0rvKK69I2UmEKGNg93kYMiKVoDlf-5ti5E7SpQeevnEIv1xVnDUVwlDLtnLR3svSPnXsYp6C8Lkc-BVtt0mBDOG-hbw4_zdTq6UqhB-ZU1Wxld/s320/LWF+fence+announcement.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a photo we took when we arrived home after church on Oct. 21, a notice posted on the Lutheran World Federation fence where we live.</span> It is an announcement from the Jerusalem Municipality that plans are moving ahead to build an eight story<span style="font-size: large;"> IDF War College on land adjacent to LWF property</span> just a few meters from our house. This is viewed as one more provocation since it will be built in East Jerusalem on land expropriated from Palestinians.</div>
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Here are links to a couple of reports at earlier stages <a href="http://settlementwatcheastjerusalem.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/idf-academ/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=276002">here</a> and <a href="http://t-j.org.il/LatestDevelopments/tabid/1370/articleID/536/currentpage/1/Default.aspx">here </a></div>
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The notice gives people 60 days to express any opposition to the plan--which has of course been done by numerous parties from Israeli human rights groups to NGOs to Church leaders. With the announcement this week of construction of more illegal settlements in the E-1 corridor on the East Side of LWF property, it does not look promising.</div>
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<em><span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;"> The Writing on the Wall</span></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8SqYgOq-rEkR98Dz9FpQY0tAtWdgI2i-98tZNJb28YgSFuVGO3r0prkiYTBt7zxMfZHz6ixsmtf57u30AKibIXsvhSD1EJ0FwOSzIaiBNy9B00D2hFuDEEpiKD8R8M1NiqiPcvLG1PVHg/s1600/grafitti+forgiveness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Writing on the wall of a house in Hebron </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8OU2qymgdmrZV9WGHYbs_8_kADVe1xJH9rMjfDhUhMjUxK9OZeW1rYHsCPS8JObgAkdwgoAJSFbZKsABYN5oke2xI6smYQK_iwN8AhoDkl-6Lc2273UEARbeb0DsYa-FkHSX8I-P_t-Z/s1600/Grafiitti+to+learn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX8OU2qymgdmrZV9WGHYbs_8_kADVe1xJH9rMjfDhUhMjUxK9OZeW1rYHsCPS8JObgAkdwgoAJSFbZKsABYN5oke2xI6smYQK_iwN8AhoDkl-6Lc2273UEARbeb0DsYa-FkHSX8I-P_t-Z/s400/Grafiitti+to+learn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span></div>
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-46166908931377964132012-11-17T12:36:00.000+02:002012-11-17T12:36:33.282+02:00Living Stones<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">by Fred & Gloria Strickert</span></em></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Years ago, while living in
Bethlehem on a Sabbatical, I was standing one day </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">at the edge of manger square with a
group of students, waxing eloquently about</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">the ancient stones of the Church of
the Nativity off in the distance. “Do you see</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">the old man in the kheffiyeh?” I
asked, “Now just to his right, you can see the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">main door to the Church of the
Nativity, the small four-foot opening from Ottoman</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">days designed to keep out
camels and horses, and calling all to enter in humility.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Straight up about six meters is the lintel of
the main entrance from the Byzantine</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And if you let your eyes go back to the man with the kheffiyeh and
straight</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">up you can see another lintel partly hidden by the buttress, but
evidence of the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">once magnificent three-door entrance back from 1500 years ago.”
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliG0zHdsTC24qYMMVqjI4JzF_kJczQtIEBbdwrcsNujiL991IqjAFkruGzFyuETdosbfHLgXmWLoCEjn5n1QC6fmWxNYbAfeHmnqsyv7pCWeRSuQajROdzg5q20anfi3k8ERF9issj-GW/s1600/nativity+ch+facade+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliG0zHdsTC24qYMMVqjI4JzF_kJczQtIEBbdwrcsNujiL991IqjAFkruGzFyuETdosbfHLgXmWLoCEjn5n1QC6fmWxNYbAfeHmnqsyv7pCWeRSuQajROdzg5q20anfi3k8ERF9issj-GW/s400/nativity+ch+facade+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I then sent the students
inside to explore on their own, while I continued outside my</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">eyes fixed on that
fascinating façade of beautiful stones from the past. I love stones.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I’ve published articles in archaelogical
journals about stones, and back then I was </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">writing a book on Bethlehem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">But at that moment I heard
the voice of a woman speaking to another small group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“Look
at those stones:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the lintel above and the
small door where people are entering.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now let your eyes wander a little to the left to see an old man in a
white kheffiyeh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Ten years ago his wife
died of cancer, his oldest son was killed in the Intifada, his</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">other children
emigrated, his land was confiscated to build Har Homa settlement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Every day he comes to the church to pray, to
sit with the other men, to tell stories of </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">better times, to laugh together and
to encourage one another in their shared faith and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">hope.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">I had looked at the old
man as a prop, a pointer to the cold hard stones behind him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">In
reality he was an example of what Pastor Mitri Raheb had been trying to teach
me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">about the living stones of the Holy Land.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Look what large stones
and wonderful buildings!”</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Leave it to
the twelve disciples to miss the point, as in today’s Gospel Mark
13:1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">How amazing their preoccupation
with stones, especially when you consider the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">context:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>where Jesus has been teaching at the temple
for several days, where he has</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">encountered local folks, both those who challenge
him, and those hungry for a word</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">of grace, and where the last person encountered
was that poor widow who entrusted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">her last two coins to the work of the God who
always provided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">But the disciples don’t
get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The living stones are there to
embrace, and instead they</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">take out their digital cameras to capture the white
limestone buildings from every</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">angle so they can return home to share with
their friends and neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Jesus’</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
response:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">“Not one stone will be left
upon another.”</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No it’s not</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">about the end
times, but the birthpangs of something greater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’re talking about </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes and all kinds
of human tragedies, where God </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">calls us to accompany the human family with ears
to listen, with hands to bind up the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">wounds, and with hearts of love to remind
them that they have not been forgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">This is our calling as community, whether on the hurricane stricken east
coast of the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">U.S., or in Aleppo, Syria, or Gaza or Jerusalem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bDhp-QV02zWPFDF70elboazIs_DEBIGYO4Gnl4UQpFh3M2_J0KYT0KhwHXZ8burpnZfBbVGwLVzeE0sYZI-t5EZ3GxEsbuOe370Cm1EZjLQaqtfeg-u1MvoISvk3uPn7jFJ4MPpB4Boy/s1600/gaza+bombed.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6bDhp-QV02zWPFDF70elboazIs_DEBIGYO4Gnl4UQpFh3M2_J0KYT0KhwHXZ8burpnZfBbVGwLVzeE0sYZI-t5EZ3GxEsbuOe370Cm1EZjLQaqtfeg-u1MvoISvk3uPn7jFJ4MPpB4Boy/s400/gaza+bombed.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">What about the living
stones? What about the people who live here today, continuing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">a heritage and
tradition, so deeply rooted in the land, in the past, and yet persevering</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">with
amazing stories that need to be heard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Last Sunday we had the
wonderful experience when we joined with our Redeemer </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Palestinian Christian
congregation for a combined language worship service in the </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">main sanctuary,
with probably five or six tourists groups of different nationalities,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">several
hundred people joining with the local Christians, the living stones,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
accompanying them, providing encouragement and support, as only the community</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
of the people of God can do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Yet I was distracted by thoughts about
another group, a significant “no-show.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">tour group of 185 Lutherans who had emailed me last August that they
planned to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">join us for </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">worship, and who reconfirmed the previous Monday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then on Thursday</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">a series </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">of phone calls from
the tour office, the last from the Christian agency in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Chicago, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“You have to
understand,” he said, “we never get requests for tour groups</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">to attend a </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">church
service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re coming to Israel to see
the sites, and we don’t</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">want to short-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">change them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">It wasn’t the first time.
Visitors, sometimes ELCA pastors, email me their plans to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">attend </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">church or to
visit local Christians, then do not show up, and later email that </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Sunday was </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">the only time they could fit in the Dead Sea, or that they heard it was</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">too
dangerous to </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">travel to Bethlehem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Yet for me it is all
worthwhile when I encounter those who make the effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Last Tuesday we met for
breakfast with a pastor friend and his wife who had brought</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">a </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">group of fifty from
California. They hadn't been sure if they could fit us in, but </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">with a little coaxing, they turned up on Sunday morning. So now the group had left,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">but they wanted to report when the group debriefed that previous evening, it
was</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">unanimous: the highlight of the trip was the opportunity to worship with us,
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">surrounded by our ancient stones in our sanctuary, but more importantly
surrounded</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">by Palestinian Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
have someone shake their hand, <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Salaam
a Messia</i></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">(the peace of
Christ).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or to sing in Arabic <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Yarabba ssalaami amter alayna salaam</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">(God
of peace, rain peace upon us).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or to
receive communion from a Palestinian </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">pastor—<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dam a Messia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b>That is
what a Holy Land visit is all about. Spening time</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">with the Living Stones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The writer of Hebrews, soon after the
Jerusalem temple’s destruction calls us in</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Sunday’s epistle, <span style="font-size: large;">“Not to neglect to
meet together,”</span> –interestingly </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">not using the common term <em>synagogue</em> that might
make us think of a building of </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">stone, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">episynagogue
</i>reminding us of the lively gathering together wherever the</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">place may be,
not to abandon the opportunity for community, <span style="font-size: large;">“considering</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">how to provoke one
another to love and good deeds”</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">reminding each other of God’s faithfulness,
holding fast to the confession of hope.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Hebrews 10:23-24).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
gift of living stones. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In the destruction of Jerusalem and the
beautiful stone temple in 70 A.D.—what </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mark is telling us about in today’s
Gospel, we’re told that many of the Christian </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">community lost hope and fled to
Pella across the Jordan River.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others
undoubtedly</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">died and some lost faith, but a core remained steadfast in the hope
to which God</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">had called them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBNQ7T0VX2FkxS_KLsE52NeseJUiZ-D-pErlO3VH4a6ahCBlfwqi6qAflXiCa-IzqyClCyW-5ew6cvjYmMeAouNv6LLJZbMcK49yXfuXKdEwYj_fGfApS3qHAlWWAmGGVm6QC8bkcDKSV/s1600/tanks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBNQ7T0VX2FkxS_KLsE52NeseJUiZ-D-pErlO3VH4a6ahCBlfwqi6qAflXiCa-IzqyClCyW-5ew6cvjYmMeAouNv6LLJZbMcK49yXfuXKdEwYj_fGfApS3qHAlWWAmGGVm6QC8bkcDKSV/s400/tanks.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">How critical for us as war breaks out in
November 2012, to heed the word of Hebrews </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">“Not to neglect meeting together.”</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To provide the comfort and</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">encouragement that
takes place in community, to accompany one another and the </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">people of this land.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wars and rumors of wars in these
last days has provoked a</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">lot of people to anger, some to doubt, some to
feelings of despair and hopeless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note,
</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">however, what the Hebrews writer does, taking that term “provoke” which we
always </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">use in a negative sense, and turns it around to something positive and
uplifting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-size: large;">"Provoking one another to love
and good deeds."</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Last Thursday afternoon, I
was invited to lead Bible study for the ELCJHL’s Saihroon </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Youth Leadership Program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had a two-day break from school,
ironically to </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">commemorate Palestinian Independence Day declared in 1988, before
any of them </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">were born, yet on day two of the current conflict with reports
coming in by the hour of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">escalating bombing in Southern Israel and Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR672XSZmwzkbeWJLlGPUHEAF3Uu_3aVagDLIuFv30ONECQK1Lt0_opBaYX5FgohNOGM2CfL9Gbc0eFDMHbVdIYoHYs1xp_TZ8qhk_E-GNFzhXOxpfEpCdoQfQ646bXnWWkk6X5vRN3O-s/s1600/Sahiroon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR672XSZmwzkbeWJLlGPUHEAF3Uu_3aVagDLIuFv30ONECQK1Lt0_opBaYX5FgohNOGM2CfL9Gbc0eFDMHbVdIYoHYs1xp_TZ8qhk_E-GNFzhXOxpfEpCdoQfQ646bXnWWkk6X5vRN3O-s/s400/Sahiroon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“What about the Book of
Revelation,” they asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are
talking about the signs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">the wars and rumors of wars, and the end of the world. Is this the end?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So I read to them first
these words from Mark 13 that this is not the end, but the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">birthpangs—another time
of crisis, a time of suffering, that we will have to endure, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">but with the hope
of a new future for all of them, twenty some seniors in high school</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">and first
year university students from all the ELCJHL congregations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was in our
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">coming together at this critical time—not neglecting our gathering together—that
we</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">made common confession of our faith, provoking one another to love and good
deeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">We talked about living
every day as if it could be the last day of our lives, and not</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">getting hung up
about silly speculation of signs of the end-times, no matter what all</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">those
false prophets were preaching on the radio—after all, even Jesus did not know</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
the time nor the season. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And then we got to their
request to read Revelation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I picked
out chapters two and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">three, the letters to the seven churches, so much like the
handful of small churches</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">here in the ELCJHL.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We compared the opening words in each letter—three very </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">important words,
“I know you”—so important at times like these when people are</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">tempted to cry, “Why
are you abandoning us?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We read the
encouragement to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">remember the faith that we’ve had since the beginning and to hold
fast, and we also</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">read the amazing promise that faith can be strengthened in
difficult times such as</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">these—through the birthpangs—leading to a promising
future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All these words, not to</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">threaten
and scare us, but filled with comfort and hope and promise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And as further reports of
escalating violence in the south came over the radio—we</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">admonished each other
in the words from Hebrews “not to neglect to meet together,”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">or in the words
from modern missiologists “not to neglect to accompany one another”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">—even when,
and especially when, the conflict draws closer to home as on Friday </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">afternoon
when the Jerusalem sirens wailed, when our hearts skipped a beat, and </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">when the trail of missiles filled the Beit
Jala sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="WPNormalChar" style="margin: 0in -0.25in 0pt 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">To be honest, the idea of meeting
together is written in the DNA of young adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So after our Bible Study they offered an invitation for me to join them for their </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">planned late
afternoon social time, hiking together from Beit Jala’s Lutheran Church</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">up to
the top of the hill to the newly opened bowling alley, where they became</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">
acquainted with a Mid-West American ritual, filled with laughter and bonding,
and, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">for a short while, forgetting what was going on in the world around them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">And forgetting all this
talk about the end of the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Living fully in the present. </span><br />
<br />
Encouraging one another.<br />
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Provoking each other to love and good deeds.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">As we left the bowling
alley under the dark of night, we glanced back at the large
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">neon sign, wondering what it all meant. Reading the name of this new Bowling </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">establishment, displayed for all the Beit Jala
community to read:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">Déjà vu.</span></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliL-7FgcteEz1IA86_cxYs0FkH6gIu6Ggohny4Fn0mg5A0pDzj-RPGlCxA0MBr-ZQvZ_plJmsUqKMTZGo38g7Qhxk6O1f-JlsxsVSazg4e3N-J7mhx87GOZNn4QrodQ1DmCRdzzun9nvc/s1600/deja+vu.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliL-7FgcteEz1IA86_cxYs0FkH6gIu6Ggohny4Fn0mg5A0pDzj-RPGlCxA0MBr-ZQvZ_plJmsUqKMTZGo38g7Qhxk6O1f-JlsxsVSazg4e3N-J7mhx87GOZNn4QrodQ1DmCRdzzun9nvc/s400/deja+vu.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><o:p>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</o:p></span></i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></o:p></span></div>
Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-65842089360515438602012-11-10T12:10:00.002+02:002012-11-10T12:11:11.533+02:00Those Eager Beroeans<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Meet Bahjat and Mona-- my new "Beroean" friends.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9O35rCeJGCYrA2E2hiF7hhPmlVNdX-G5Lz5cahC9u2x8J4bdko9xDr-Rxzg37k9M8ItPqjAhyphenhyphenjuKY-BoU0kzFWzqZsGLq7JgC2-Yjf-89HPPKzhcw-CRqfboZt2kB8PXrWCBAclceLGfe/s1600/PR+Bahjat+and+Mona-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9O35rCeJGCYrA2E2hiF7hhPmlVNdX-G5Lz5cahC9u2x8J4bdko9xDr-Rxzg37k9M8ItPqjAhyphenhyphenjuKY-BoU0kzFWzqZsGLq7JgC2-Yjf-89HPPKzhcw-CRqfboZt2kB8PXrWCBAclceLGfe/s320/PR+Bahjat+and+Mona-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now might you be asking, what is a Beroean friend? Tucked away in a small corner of the Book of Acts, between all those grand and famous places visited by Paul--like Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth--Paul makes a short stopover in a small town named Beroea (Acts 17:10-12). It was a time of frustration for Paul with outside agitators disrupting his ministry in Macedonia, yet the Beroeans are described as hospitable and "more noble." The highest complement comes in verse 11: <br />
<em><strong><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">"They welcomed the message very eagerly </span></strong></em><br />
<em><strong><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">and examined the Scriptures every day."</span></strong></em><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
What better way to describe Bahjat and Mona--along with a group of young adults in the ELCJHL-- than as <em><strong>"Beroean Friends."</strong></em><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong>A new ELCJHL training program for Lay Preachers</strong></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImw4bGhjYnistSq6o-5RphjNAic5956ltNGBcBM5S6VnFTekMryaIa4h-FBtrWIwMiC6ueBs9wOFmSYdcdA8KM7GU6AuKzRSwq7D4zGvfcZ_KDn4YIA9RHc6sMJEa2gjx_s-r-r2vyU-R/s1600/PR+collage+screeb-1_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImw4bGhjYnistSq6o-5RphjNAic5956ltNGBcBM5S6VnFTekMryaIa4h-FBtrWIwMiC6ueBs9wOFmSYdcdA8KM7GU6AuKzRSwq7D4zGvfcZ_KDn4YIA9RHc6sMJEa2gjx_s-r-r2vyU-R/s400/PR+collage+screeb-1_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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Yesterday, we in the ELCJHL launched a new education program specifically aimed at young adult professionals to serve in their congregations and the Lutheran Schools as Lay Preachers and Bible Study Teachers. In a small church like the ELCJHL, there is always the problem of resources. With only six congregations, six pastors, and a bishop, the laity play a prominent role. So in response to their requests and to the general need for deeper theological education, the ELCJHL Council established a two-year education program (meeting one Friday each month), where each congregation is invited to send 3-4 young adults <em><strong>who have openly welcomed the message and who eagerly desire to examine the scriptures every day. </strong></em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJ6UniK3Pj4_v0193XFD5XLmhRaiu4uiueZH1h114T0CYnsGxM78tBAFjf4c7ppsQwuxKFIrqh0XIeVS-QuxxY1oyzxEPXZFBt2JQRrj26RVKPi7bnW2rGu5J74Eo6fuDhsQ7K-AErbbb/s1600/PR+Bishop+devos-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJ6UniK3Pj4_v0193XFD5XLmhRaiu4uiueZH1h114T0CYnsGxM78tBAFjf4c7ppsQwuxKFIrqh0XIeVS-QuxxY1oyzxEPXZFBt2JQRrj26RVKPi7bnW2rGu5J74Eo6fuDhsQ7K-AErbbb/s320/PR+Bishop+devos-1.jpg" width="256" /></a>Bishop Younan opens the day with morning devotions at Abraham's Herberge in Beit Jala, speaking on the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20, and inviting participants to share the joy that comes from proclaiming the word. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwU1PqadAsLEbpvCtiZFK5glhyphenhyphenVE4wjJf59WS29sOSCRsyV4srHx8YSalBG6AvQo3VosdAjVewc7KxCYXKidax5AMll4aqfTAo7RM2eItUuD06Uo_Y0vpagWzsAu_aGsP7yf8w7EvdDd73/s1600/PR+lunch-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwU1PqadAsLEbpvCtiZFK5glhyphenhyphenVE4wjJf59WS29sOSCRsyV4srHx8YSalBG6AvQo3VosdAjVewc7KxCYXKidax5AMll4aqfTAo7RM2eItUuD06Uo_Y0vpagWzsAu_aGsP7yf8w7EvdDd73/s320/PR+lunch-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Group building takes place over lunch and through plans for future field trips to Biblical sites. Unfortunately, as is often the case due to travel restrictions, our Amman congregation has been excluded from this opportunity.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Note well the number of women who were selected by their congregations and who will soon be filling our pulpits.</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TwUjwDLoQtIKc10BZpaR4AFpH_WSjJ-WSuaSwzm5SFOf5vKfnhY_X-Xr8TZmxXCsleFxxfLvz99uQgBeIuwRXhuZAPb8u9c5gM1W1sYCmCpeJ8PFgawo5_20KoTnk5Pga1yRhNht-TXe/s1600/PR+FS+lecture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8TwUjwDLoQtIKc10BZpaR4AFpH_WSjJ-WSuaSwzm5SFOf5vKfnhY_X-Xr8TZmxXCsleFxxfLvz99uQgBeIuwRXhuZAPb8u9c5gM1W1sYCmCpeJ8PFgawo5_20KoTnk5Pga1yRhNht-TXe/s400/PR+FS+lecture.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The course began with a six-hour overview of the Bible.</div>
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This will be followed in future months by a thorough study of the Augsburg Confession and Lutheran Theology, a section on "How Lutherans Read the Bible," Critical in-depth study of the Gospels of Luke and John, the Letters of Romans and Galatians, the Old Testament book of Isaiah, and sessions on homiletics.</div>
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"Why couldn't we meet twice a month?" Bahjat wanted to know. That kind of comment shouldn't be surprising after the experience of living and working here this long. The enthusiasm, the eagerness, the interaction and lively discussions, the desire to examine thoroughly the word, all of this is so encouraging and provides an outlook of hope for the future of the ELCJHL.</div>
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Yes, Paul, we understand what it must have been like for you when you paid that short visit to Beroea two thousand years ago. Someday, we'll have to compare notes about those eager Beroeans and . . . </div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>These eager Beroeans!</strong></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_T-bvCTa0p4zCC_uYaYECvnBW7HVPtuki_J545yNYuUVrEZMs-fjLtorctguUyZAjmzt-2V2qix6SBiARBOimF4aeiuxGlZq1i1KvoeMtJHPEa94-UIXsfS8cX9uKX2vPg4W_yrBMFVc/s1600/PR+Collage+class+-2_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_T-bvCTa0p4zCC_uYaYECvnBW7HVPtuki_J545yNYuUVrEZMs-fjLtorctguUyZAjmzt-2V2qix6SBiARBOimF4aeiuxGlZq1i1KvoeMtJHPEa94-UIXsfS8cX9uKX2vPg4W_yrBMFVc/s640/PR+Collage+class+-2_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Follow-up # 1</span></strong></div>
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Last February 16, we wrote a blog about a visit to al-Aqaba, a small village in the northern West Bank where one of our congregation members, Morgan, was serving. You can link to that blog page <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.co.il/2012/02/salaam-hon.html">Salaam Hon.</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">In <a href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=535050">yesterday's news</a>, we learned that the IDF had "temporarily" removed a thousand residents of al-Aqaba and neighboring villages so that military maneuvers could be carried out place in their streets, playgrounds, courtyards, and gardens--as well as target practice with live amunition. The article noted that these military exercises were special since the IDF is being joined by 3,500 American troops over the next three weeks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Follow-up # 2</strong></span></div>
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In November, 2010, we wrote a blog about the Ecumencial Accompaniers program sponsored by the World Council of Churches. You can link to that blog page <span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.co.il/2010_11_01_archive.html">Ecumenical Accompaniers.</a> </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Last Saturday, November 3, we had the privilege and honor to assist in leading a Service of Celebration for ten years of this amazing Peace-making program, where volunteers from around the world --Over 1,000 have now participated in the program-- commit themselves to living in Palestinian towns and villages 24/ 7</span><span style="color: black;"> for three months at a time. <a href="http://www.eappi.org/">www.eappi.org</a></span></div>
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Here are a couple of photos from our recent visit with EAs in the small village of Yanoun, where EAs build relationships and walk side by side in their daily lives--doing the things that make for peace.</div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span></div>
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-21625976358930721522012-11-01T21:43:00.002+02:002012-11-01T21:43:52.039+02:00Reformation Day<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LhdGuTVZjbaMWQR8N3uNY4svP4eku9yWvtJTTzXvo7I__g_VX5IFPINSf1lkM6_XwrdtRWmDuKxCEv5FgxlIsV5bgDYzzNkCqPTa55KCaelaYA90Vg_Wnc05xYnd8-3qR8Mh702-JdRS/s1600/tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_LhdGuTVZjbaMWQR8N3uNY4svP4eku9yWvtJTTzXvo7I__g_VX5IFPINSf1lkM6_XwrdtRWmDuKxCEv5FgxlIsV5bgDYzzNkCqPTa55KCaelaYA90Vg_Wnc05xYnd8-3qR8Mh702-JdRS/s320/tower.jpg" width="213" /></a>As children we remember Reformation Celebrations the last Sunday in October-- often with messages explaining why we should have felt superior to the Catholics. In Jerusalem we follow the practice of Reformation Day on October 31, Sunday or not, and this year on Wednesday. For us an official holiday, church offices closed, Lutheran Schools on vacation, and a 4:30 afternoon service attracting nearly 500 people.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxpdJTjFR6L_9VhRLggmprVEpdzRldIqyZJBeKTfCFphHBmI67S7A2gMrjhc6DnBwTxWqRdGYYniQKj3ibicSJemdOhfQdq4RHkdJ0m3H9aO3HlMNIgyR8yEV1Y8ZJMXFkC9iOaE3zfcZ/s1600/clergy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxpdJTjFR6L_9VhRLggmprVEpdzRldIqyZJBeKTfCFphHBmI67S7A2gMrjhc6DnBwTxWqRdGYYniQKj3ibicSJemdOhfQdq4RHkdJ0m3H9aO3HlMNIgyR8yEV1Y8ZJMXFkC9iOaE3zfcZ/s320/clergy.jpg" width="320" /></a>The message is Christian Unity. Here representatives of Coptic, Syian Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Armenian, and Ethiopian Churches stand in prominent positions.<br />
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As also Government diplomats</div>
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<img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQC0G1YLdivcd2P5OCbeC0-AaTiNAA5RH1KuLaBhugim2WdVU83H7fByRzJVve7tzLN18-Rcp1RprwI82e6okXli99ECs9bhFDsUuiyoK_sI5cA_jfdgZFrNHZnN0At9sWaNJ6LTX6n_jV/s320/diplomates.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLOvr6dlqq-SsZO2cyvxfqcqsptZ9ogAh4eDD4pdbMu0qez3jFpTlxleBy-l_V15HYfH67OV8LzY0MFxYa0kk4bv_CDxX9CTK8hLAAdYgEQKE2O3-ZNnKri6dhgWNbhPippXYKLXJbaX7/s1600/Bishop+Sermon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLOvr6dlqq-SsZO2cyvxfqcqsptZ9ogAh4eDD4pdbMu0qez3jFpTlxleBy-l_V15HYfH67OV8LzY0MFxYa0kk4bv_CDxX9CTK8hLAAdYgEQKE2O3-ZNnKri6dhgWNbhPippXYKLXJbaX7/s320/Bishop+Sermon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Bishop Younan's Sermon: <em>"For Freedom, Christ has set us free."</em> Gal 6:1<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWIiUWjWxit_Sd1hbuBRqfDVmYRvofKPC9rBzMepH-oASMnCjCGgzYTzKgFoA7oZij7mZm959LWmLlhLOtZhy3mFaQ8OTr2AdEXU8zvnsGebiafNYPfTHZA4HfcdCvuRt7wDmFlU9Oz2e/s1600/Fred+Cup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWIiUWjWxit_Sd1hbuBRqfDVmYRvofKPC9rBzMepH-oASMnCjCGgzYTzKgFoA7oZij7mZm959LWmLlhLOtZhy3mFaQ8OTr2AdEXU8zvnsGebiafNYPfTHZA4HfcdCvuRt7wDmFlU9Oz2e/s320/Fred+Cup.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Eucharistic Cup: The new covenant is Christ's Blood.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpudUHp-mcZLmT9QJuIXZQeFktDsqeOctUvZD0OTeT4VSC6xxQgVOGBhTsbrlSetWAvfDeZXCVaAOu6gll27HRg2ebxhwVRAX_xluTyn-4xQ6icoxpWGJvJfuVnNLYAnuuovL4bARXIGbg/s1600/Gloria+communion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpudUHp-mcZLmT9QJuIXZQeFktDsqeOctUvZD0OTeT4VSC6xxQgVOGBhTsbrlSetWAvfDeZXCVaAOu6gll27HRg2ebxhwVRAX_xluTyn-4xQ6icoxpWGJvJfuVnNLYAnuuovL4bARXIGbg/s320/Gloria+communion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
For the forgiveness of all your sins.<br />
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A Blessing of Peace</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UqgmZOJPCX0IDI4kbv4JY0BBS6cBIz3j9PjaEgtyzg0ybJMlwAOBSHbaMyt1NgyvYMxOPOW-536vvUO7oLqMKVuZI-RLgGm8tika05LHylUYVBvWQZMFIbOxa7R3n5CYfNP8CwzlAgfE/s1600/Brass+for+peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UqgmZOJPCX0IDI4kbv4JY0BBS6cBIz3j9PjaEgtyzg0ybJMlwAOBSHbaMyt1NgyvYMxOPOW-536vvUO7oLqMKVuZI-RLgGm8tika05LHylUYVBvWQZMFIbOxa7R3n5CYfNP8CwzlAgfE/s320/Brass+for+peace.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1UqgmZOJPCX0IDI4kbv4JY0BBS6cBIz3j9PjaEgtyzg0ybJMlwAOBSHbaMyt1NgyvYMxOPOW-536vvUO7oLqMKVuZI-RLgGm8tika05LHylUYVBvWQZMFIbOxa7R3n5CYfNP8CwzlAgfE/s1600/Brass+for+peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"> --</a>Beautiful Music by The Brass for Peace</div>
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All the way from Germany.</div>
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Free to travel.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgwijWFPtbgfc4y3dPcHY3NAVnt7gRIAN6by9p90weaT6cld9_iWMzPmibd0SuH9hKh14Hke9KqYv1X6aZnokdWk79sGvbHvw3BjUJiBdNfRV_MlfB01oNuA-aIQaI1H5cvlg-X6ekkOd/s1600/side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgwijWFPtbgfc4y3dPcHY3NAVnt7gRIAN6by9p90weaT6cld9_iWMzPmibd0SuH9hKh14Hke9KqYv1X6aZnokdWk79sGvbHvw3BjUJiBdNfRV_MlfB01oNuA-aIQaI1H5cvlg-X6ekkOd/s320/side.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In the space behind where we are sitting, we had hoped to show a photo of our Choir -- the Children's Choir from the Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah which was scheduled to sing, treating us to their usual upbeet, enthusiatic, hope-filled music-- songs of freedom. However, at twelve noon we were informed that their travel permits from just 8 miles away were all denied. <br />
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Today my waste basket is filled with 80 Arabic bulletins we had reserved to no avail for West Bank Christians to join us, leaving a feeling of disappointment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPYhgFpa9NZXUj8-SQYrhXUA1NVG56F3nIb1_rHYUvMU3DhrIzi_RdlHXqrLv93WqQJLkY2B9u3wX_YTg1ICuRga1lHe8j7GYl2QmGF5r1WFas7jlntarXs6FDk7myoEAMGSMduzPSH9q/s1600/rep+crowd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPYhgFpa9NZXUj8-SQYrhXUA1NVG56F3nIb1_rHYUvMU3DhrIzi_RdlHXqrLv93WqQJLkY2B9u3wX_YTg1ICuRga1lHe8j7GYl2QmGF5r1WFas7jlntarXs6FDk7myoEAMGSMduzPSH9q/s320/rep+crowd.jpg" width="320" /></a>Last night, we joined together, nevertheless, in fellowship at our community reception in the refectory, celebrating that we have removed some barriers that once separated us, yet committed to the realization of that we must remain committed to achieving that first part of our Reformation text:"For freedom, Christ has set us free."</div>
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Photo Credits: Michael Younan</div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">by Fred & Gloria Strickert</span></em></strong></div>
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-45022944922209403412012-10-20T08:12:00.001+02:002012-10-20T08:12:56.388+02:00Status Quo<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">by Fred & Gloria Strickert</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: black;">The Latin Term <em><span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Status Quo</strong></span></em> is defined as the existing condition or state of affairs.</span><br />
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In popular parlence, <span style="color: magenta;"><em><strong>Status Quo</strong></em></span> means simply the way things are.<br />
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In international law the <span style="color: magenta;"><strong>Status Quo</strong></span> denotes a situation, actual or legal, that exists or once existed and whose reinstatement or preservation is in question. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD8j3YKuEgXPNcVPvPkaeVLLCclN4tFiy3aeR0USlmdTlPsSxDZz6DYEhCfSOWHh5OoS48QBO0inzEsDP2j67X8Hi_9qlQ8eBjI7V1vS9ENi4pZCWNd7IlXrN39LSBS_f3DcpAQVjxA84/s1600/Holy+Sepulchre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoD8j3YKuEgXPNcVPvPkaeVLLCclN4tFiy3aeR0USlmdTlPsSxDZz6DYEhCfSOWHh5OoS48QBO0inzEsDP2j67X8Hi_9qlQ8eBjI7V1vS9ENi4pZCWNd7IlXrN39LSBS_f3DcpAQVjxA84/s400/Holy+Sepulchre.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In this land where facts on the ground are continually being established for political advantage, it would seem that the <strong><em><span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span></em></strong> can only be something imagined, except for the situation of the church and the Holy Places of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.<br />
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In the Holy Land, the <strong><em><span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span></em></strong> refers a<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">firman</i> issued by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulmecid I on
Feb. 8, 1852 to freeze the conditions of ownership and responsibility as a
legal framework to resolve disputes concerning the church of the Holy
Sepulchre, the Tomb of Mary, and the Church of the Nativity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">According to the <em><strong><span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span></strong></em>, the way things are in 2012 at these Holy Places is the same as the way things were in 1852. If the most common words in the church at large are "we never did it that way before," the saying goes a thousand times over for the Holy Places of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">According to the <strong><span style="color: magenta;"><em>Status Quo</em></span></strong>:</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The Franciscans are considered the Custodians of the Holy Places, because this was the appointment of Pope Clement VI in 1342.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The Greek Orthodox Patriarch is the official representative for the whole Christian community as was determined at the beginning of the Ottoman Empire in 1463.</span></span></li>
<li>The Armenian Church has a special place alongside the Catholics and the Orthodox because of a declaration by the Sultan in 1829 in gratitude for Armenian service to the Empire--an especially ironic sitution in view of the subsequent Armenian Genocide. </li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSohZJQxyQvD65N_lbLU9dlJ6037dhcxYa6VHagBkuWYUJF0_6BE05W9ICBRS_4vbJlI5RYxz2iOxe1yD_W8P3oDpcTbfnqCYcjsUtuhKN1v-o3xbZShZUmN-VOJGSOBirOrIsnO0aok-/s1600/Status+HS+key+Muslim+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXSohZJQxyQvD65N_lbLU9dlJ6037dhcxYa6VHagBkuWYUJF0_6BE05W9ICBRS_4vbJlI5RYxz2iOxe1yD_W8P3oDpcTbfnqCYcjsUtuhKN1v-o3xbZShZUmN-VOJGSOBirOrIsnO0aok-/s320/Status+HS+key+Muslim+2.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
According to the <strong><span style="color: magenta;"><em>Status Quo</em></span></strong>:<br />
*Two Muslim families-- Nusseibah and Judeh-- hold the key to the Holy Sepulchre and ceremoniously unlock the doors each morning and lock them each evening.<br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6r3TJ9wu7PunbH0FV30kCk-IxHZAqZWnF7N0BVEw6Pjtyx_oaty0E30WCPIICw5v7puNio4C28Im5w3-IXWG7GUWrWt1vFXMpLwdGDpHzGgirnlMRSB4291Iw3NPOrfbNecjeqh4JlJD/s1600/Status+GS+Greek.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6r3TJ9wu7PunbH0FV30kCk-IxHZAqZWnF7N0BVEw6Pjtyx_oaty0E30WCPIICw5v7puNio4C28Im5w3-IXWG7GUWrWt1vFXMpLwdGDpHzGgirnlMRSB4291Iw3NPOrfbNecjeqh4JlJD/s1600/Status+GS+Greek.png" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">According to the <strong><span style="color: magenta;"><em>Status Quo</em></span></strong>:</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">* After closing each night the Greek Orthodox have priority in the Holy Sepulchre saying their liturgy from 12:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU7R-3xT5taQtyxY47RoWjvFCOWRDuirmyH3uUrU5tZp9KqW3XPxEDsh3UiRHGreveGUYTqz1ypXESZ021gK8HyoKPHucfwIspGltdAhHfzrfi00yvIjS-bj2FE8mqUqnMYvTev4FKLEe/s1600/status+quo+hs+armenian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU7R-3xT5taQtyxY47RoWjvFCOWRDuirmyH3uUrU5tZp9KqW3XPxEDsh3UiRHGreveGUYTqz1ypXESZ021gK8HyoKPHucfwIspGltdAhHfzrfi00yvIjS-bj2FE8mqUqnMYvTev4FKLEe/s1600/status+quo+hs+armenian.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">followed by the Armenians from 2:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JIvipLmTzLvqTdY_xzWNkANOwThMvvPelz4to7U3g316Thy6kHpVy5APTgiVC8SMYTgb2kc6qdU06-zsgweksyKTDhHvYBjTy2Ci8fSQzNcEWO3ZwJqq6ITBPExZa3AnCTzMuw3oD8Oc/s1600/Status+HS+Latin.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JIvipLmTzLvqTdY_xzWNkANOwThMvvPelz4to7U3g316Thy6kHpVy5APTgiVC8SMYTgb2kc6qdU06-zsgweksyKTDhHvYBjTy2Ci8fSQzNcEWO3ZwJqq6ITBPExZa3AnCTzMuw3oD8Oc/s1600/Status+HS+Latin.png" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">followed by the Franciscans from 4:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. finishing in time for the unlocking of doors to begin a new day.</span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">According to the <strong><span style="color: magenta;"><em>Status Quo</em></span></strong>:</span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">During the summer months, while Jerusalem follows daylight saving time, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre follows Winter time/ Standard time because there was no daylight savings in 1852.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">In Bethlehem, the Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 19, although a recalculation of their calendar allows Armenians in the rest of the world to celebrate Christmas with the Orthodox on January 6.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Repairs and cleaning are regulated by specific instructions--when boundaries are crossed, fights ensue, and the church endures terrible publicity in the media.</span></span></li>
</ul>
According to the <strong><span style="color: magenta;"><em>Status Quo</em></span></strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>Three other churches are guaranteed a place in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.</li>
</ul>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSB4hTRg6-Ec2EWx24U-2z4hiNQyZXiajpnx-4C9OSsTSkVmbsj_j0Ahegm_KhJDRbYiw8b8HRVfxn6GIofxFbRw-Av3hiiS_2VLSvvgRrR2Fw6JLggb2wBLZ5CKigib7KLlhQIGgXPblZ/s1600/status+quo+hs+coptic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSB4hTRg6-Ec2EWx24U-2z4hiNQyZXiajpnx-4C9OSsTSkVmbsj_j0Ahegm_KhJDRbYiw8b8HRVfxn6GIofxFbRw-Av3hiiS_2VLSvvgRrR2Fw6JLggb2wBLZ5CKigib7KLlhQIGgXPblZ/s320/status+quo+hs+coptic.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">* The Coptic Church on the backside of the Tomb of Christ.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJAgAcLv1KWU_b6vYpAjcCgxwMGWnB0hzoVFPgEfVW8E0MJgWg0d5zK3xpDqql4CciNlT172hdhu7RWqFimJAhQnDwjLqR_79nQFUJ-dJIt2DPWtfCW17UFZx0YKOOVQVPDsUrPqr2EQG/s1600/status+quo+hs+syrian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJAgAcLv1KWU_b6vYpAjcCgxwMGWnB0hzoVFPgEfVW8E0MJgWg0d5zK3xpDqql4CciNlT172hdhu7RWqFimJAhQnDwjLqR_79nQFUJ-dJIt2DPWtfCW17UFZx0YKOOVQVPDsUrPqr2EQG/s320/status+quo+hs+syrian.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">* The Syrian Church in the Chapel of Joseph of Arimathia and Nicodemus in a room hidden away on the perimeter.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC1mIy1kwl6if6XdKdlLWLLSWOqCeXJqHH5ltRT6m9tMunvzxExjnnKW-Rt6J0U5HUOYJRUnRZ4Ab-vggBQRB6XCDwCMdKqQiSuRuxCYa3KL1Gt2BwBkUybibwDkbSns-1OP5bGfOmd2j/s1600/status+quo+hs+ethiopia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiC1mIy1kwl6if6XdKdlLWLLSWOqCeXJqHH5ltRT6m9tMunvzxExjnnKW-Rt6J0U5HUOYJRUnRZ4Ab-vggBQRB6XCDwCMdKqQiSuRuxCYa3KL1Gt2BwBkUybibwDkbSns-1OP5bGfOmd2j/s320/status+quo+hs+ethiopia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">* The Ethiopian Church in a humble mud hut compound on the roof.</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
According to the <strong><span style="color: magenta;"><em>Status Quo</em></span></strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>Anglicans and Lutherans are not included in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity, because they showed up later on the scene.</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> <br />
According to the <strong><span style="color: magenta;"><em>Status Quo</em></span></strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>Tthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity operate in 2012 as they did in 1852.</li>
</ul>
<br />
Many people misunderstand the <span style="color: magenta;"><strong><em>Status Quo </em></strong></span><span style="color: black;">because they see it primarily as an ecclesiatical arrangement, while in reality it's a political agreement that has ecclesiatical ramifications. The <span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span> firman of 1852 is a lasting by-product of the colonial quest of European Nations-- with France and Russia initially squabbling over their rights in the Holy Land, played out of the ground by the Franciscans and the Orthodox. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZHNdchEUfjPxaAz2QVv0zN5b9GyVet_OXVrR3_QTNry65X4wMQujK7_VxqGu_v64TsKn_1-4MHRlD7sOkboshbGLRltmhm2WsqUdRHvTEFMbK2RF22q62e6REwagqQ5bqBe6hoy-tEs6/s1600/nativity_grotto_star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZHNdchEUfjPxaAz2QVv0zN5b9GyVet_OXVrR3_QTNry65X4wMQujK7_VxqGu_v64TsKn_1-4MHRlD7sOkboshbGLRltmhm2WsqUdRHvTEFMbK2RF22q62e6REwagqQ5bqBe6hoy-tEs6/s1600/nativity_grotto_star.jpg" /></a><span style="color: black;">The straw that broke the camel's back was the removal of the silver star on the marble floor commemorating the place of Jesus "humble" birth in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem-- because the star's inscription was written in Latin. It was removed by the Greek-speaking Orthodox in 1847 resulting in the Crimean War, a formal protest by the French, and the Sultan's firman in 1852 of the <span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span>. As for the European Countries, while they were busy carving up the map of Africa for their colonial ambitions they also ratified the <span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span> in the Treaty of Paris in 1877 and the Treaty of Berlin in 1884.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The result is that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span></i> removed the
interaction among Churches in the Holy Places from the secular realm to the
ecclesiastical realm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No secular power,
whether it be Russia, France, or the United States—whoever may be the world
power of the day—will change this status of the Holy Places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor will the government ruling Jerusalem or
Bethlehem whether it be Turkey, Britain, Jordan, Israel, or the Palestinian
Authority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> So while it seems so strange to be fixed on the past, the <span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span> does protect the Holy Places to some degree from outside intervention.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">So here it is 2012, and just a stone's throw from Redeemer Church is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in some respect frozen in time by the<span style="color: magenta;"> Status Quo</span>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Our lectionary readings over the last six weeks have lead us to reflect on this interesting phenomenon because the Gospel readings have all come from the central section of Mark--chapters 8 to 10.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Three times in three chapters, Jesus has said
powerful things about death and resurrection--that the Son of Man would be handed over, suffer, be crucified, buried, and only then raised from the dead. This is a reminder that we are always living in the shadow of Golgotha and the cross, especially here at Redeemer in Jerusaelm.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Three
times the disciples have demonstrated that they just don’t get it:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In chapter 8 it was Peter who took Jesus
aside, scolding him, and pledging that he would never allow this to happen--he would do his best to continue the Status Quo of a comfortable life in Galilee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In chapter 9, it was the disciples as a whole
who argued in response about who was the greatest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now in chapter 10, James and John, offer
this rather pushy request to sit in the places of honor when Jesus comes into
his glory, as if they expect to take a short cut around the cross, and
fast-track to the glory road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For the disciples, i<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">t’s all about status and rank, or so it would
seem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the way of the world, as the
Gentiles do, in Mark’s words, or in political election campaigns when people
line up in hopes of future rewards as prestigious appointments for campaign
contributions, or special endorsements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And we are living here in the shadow of
the cross, a stone’s throw from the Church of the Holy Sephulchre
where status is so important, where we find a
whole hierarchy of titles, from Patriarch, to Archimandrites, to Bishop, and terms of address like your grace or your beatitude, where seating arrangements are important on occassion like yesterday afternoon when we visited the Armenian Patriarchate to offer condolences over the Patriarh's death, where the <span style="color: magenta;">Status Quo</span> agreement of 1852 is fixed in stone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet in a city marked by status and status quos, our
Gospel readings over these last six weeks have reminded us that it’s not about
status and status quos, but about earth-shattering reversals and downward
mobility, where the first shall be last and the last shall be first, where the
Son of man comes not to be served, but to serve and be a ransom for many, where
discipleship involves a separation from wealth and physical possessions for the
sake of the poor, and where Jesus sets a child in our midst and announces that
of such is the kingdom of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://WalkinJerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-25416608385561638832012-10-06T06:56:00.001+02:002012-10-06T06:56:53.590+02:00Taybeh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2Oqo8fgfSY9kTx26tYNU9w-Bg4SDJi38tSgZcrPstWkRSSErxF9D3n7uZmR1hhajN5aBZ29_NWRhGqdYXJXeqGM-lI5EqC19q5phgNJ-2z7IB1DjQFg1Ff4W6Im601qOA8cbWSUpV0ve/s1600/Taybeh+toward+dead+sea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd2Oqo8fgfSY9kTx26tYNU9w-Bg4SDJi38tSgZcrPstWkRSSErxF9D3n7uZmR1hhajN5aBZ29_NWRhGqdYXJXeqGM-lI5EqC19q5phgNJ-2z7IB1DjQFg1Ff4W6Im601qOA8cbWSUpV0ve/s400/Taybeh+toward+dead+sea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">One of our favorite destinations, when we want to get away from the clamor of the city is the quiet picturesque village of Taybeh.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The view from Taybeh looking east, includes open spaces, the sloping hills down to the Jordan Valley with the hills of Jordan on the other side, and a bird's eye view of the Dead Sea.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxtKCg3zJ2Tf3l46krAi3Vcw1QmmFksK7Ojr0hnap5zyyezb0qNqjvmVDkgNS0Te-wS-j4uUs2G3EfqFcYPQ-Y3JSS14leQpMgHYhcFr-FakmjHlj1HyNx1BGGLN4CQLDMWNx08msNjYE/s1600/taybeh+map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxtKCg3zJ2Tf3l46krAi3Vcw1QmmFksK7Ojr0hnap5zyyezb0qNqjvmVDkgNS0Te-wS-j4uUs2G3EfqFcYPQ-Y3JSS14leQpMgHYhcFr-FakmjHlj1HyNx1BGGLN4CQLDMWNx08msNjYE/s320/taybeh+map.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Taybeh is about a half-hour drive from Jerusalem, northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank, and clearly off the beaten path</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each visit is an adventure, wandering through the streets of the old city and exploring architectural treasures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Tradition says that the story of Gideon and the fleece in Judges 6 took place on the threshing floor just north of town, when the town was named Ophrah. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the New Testament era, it was called Ephraim. Jesus and his disciples retreated here, a long day's walk, when overwhelmed by public reaction to the raising of Lazarus (John 11:54). What better endorsement can a small village have?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When Saladin visited the village after defeating the Crusaders, he was impressed by the kindness and hospitality of the residents and changed the village name to Taybeen, meaning "beautiful."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_C7fdyxZ8tvshZK_8rm3uaa6bjjGEv_1bTbusQjOUJambyy34VlEPCFjCxWyyOoPFyp-jA88IzJfo-Q3jwf7qt4muSiV692qOFt53R9DpMRffPEeF_ms4ktkaJdE9I3pROnefP0PNace/s1600/taybeh+St+Georges+inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_C7fdyxZ8tvshZK_8rm3uaa6bjjGEv_1bTbusQjOUJambyy34VlEPCFjCxWyyOoPFyp-jA88IzJfo-Q3jwf7qt4muSiV692qOFt53R9DpMRffPEeF_ms4ktkaJdE9I3pROnefP0PNace/s320/taybeh+St+Georges+inside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today the village holds the remains of St. George's Church, first built in the 4th century in the Byzantine era, then taken over by the Latins under the Crusades, and then a Greek Orthodox Church once again.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZ3txOwwBaoZ_MHBD_4V9MejW8XLI4Bx730ldtq5huhdUvLxXoGH6upxby7aT4W2iyXNsmHng0gcy2B2HjRSnYltNNcZXgxnXipW9xD1yj93L-shBMG2gxalS56YOv20h6UshVnhcFM_T/s1600/tayber+latin+RC+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWZ3txOwwBaoZ_MHBD_4V9MejW8XLI4Bx730ldtq5huhdUvLxXoGH6upxby7aT4W2iyXNsmHng0gcy2B2HjRSnYltNNcZXgxnXipW9xD1yj93L-shBMG2gxalS56YOv20h6UshVnhcFM_T/s1600/tayber+latin+RC+tower.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Three church towers dominate today's skyline of this village of about two thousand residents: Roman (Latin) Catholic</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzO7vNSRIYh2L1bIgZa_fdHmhLBYYLureEk0qa9mD5YvvTCJ65TpK91DDtY3oFLCatwy6NS7wcLSsibHkk54kCuvUU5bRTWiekab33EGWGuiKnUoJug2LfoHmQY7Fb0irk54AVy_TXHRaf/s1600/Taybeh+Gk+Catholic+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzO7vNSRIYh2L1bIgZa_fdHmhLBYYLureEk0qa9mD5YvvTCJ65TpK91DDtY3oFLCatwy6NS7wcLSsibHkk54kCuvUU5bRTWiekab33EGWGuiKnUoJug2LfoHmQY7Fb0irk54AVy_TXHRaf/s1600/Taybeh+Gk+Catholic+Church.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoTycXc78RQmDK8SY0kF_HhNdQLgTfnNCue3nTJ6UOgyYZSwOLZ2UawSnN7PaJyuJPGWJy-PB4nklKxKbeSVbMaPpjM7E13RxhZbohG1AIx5AU1GZh7-0cGPjBtFVZdW7xButCSDH9ZIs/s1600/Taybeh+Greek+Orthodox+tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoTycXc78RQmDK8SY0kF_HhNdQLgTfnNCue3nTJ6UOgyYZSwOLZ2UawSnN7PaJyuJPGWJy-PB4nklKxKbeSVbMaPpjM7E13RxhZbohG1AIx5AU1GZh7-0cGPjBtFVZdW7xButCSDH9ZIs/s1600/Taybeh+Greek+Orthodox+tower.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Greek Orthodox </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Greek Catholic (Melkite)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNhvWbI51ZhOMRzuOFeDg4HVZ0sYUGakdkxAqAcVWXJlDzMXqOJeySVmgNirZDU9Agu4maW-On3HTs2hc1DblWU1cyR9HmanRRMLzmjzOKcGPedLPEhBlTnE2s1dcBQpC63vdjTQCkbfB/s1600/TaybatMosaic_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNhvWbI51ZhOMRzuOFeDg4HVZ0sYUGakdkxAqAcVWXJlDzMXqOJeySVmgNirZDU9Agu4maW-On3HTs2hc1DblWU1cyR9HmanRRMLzmjzOKcGPedLPEhBlTnE2s1dcBQpC63vdjTQCkbfB/s320/TaybatMosaic_12.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Even these modern churches are built on foundations from long ago with recent discoveries of mosaics.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiFLgjO39IZYc2br_tNY5LyZgP8kAUoGpn5vAn_F0laHP_GeVfLTTwhUQ1VP42b1i3lPEk2lQPqgRmaP7y4MLFUiaRtgg4U75EOlqh47du-LP9CLk1DoflJ-miBnGXQlaY774KVYFHXx0/s1600/taybeh+landscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiFLgjO39IZYc2br_tNY5LyZgP8kAUoGpn5vAn_F0laHP_GeVfLTTwhUQ1VP42b1i3lPEk2lQPqgRmaP7y4MLFUiaRtgg4U75EOlqh47du-LP9CLk1DoflJ-miBnGXQlaY774KVYFHXx0/s320/taybeh+landscape.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Historical records show that Muslims and Christians lived side by side for much of the village's history. Though today, this is a rare place where Christianity is in the majority. Some even claim its population is totally Christian. "The last completely Christian village," they say.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLtlrKOTZTa0o02o7iE28olby1-i1QCYGyR4LNaKmij1Ztvwwp5Y56nN-_WovjxBlnlKHnZz5Lftx8JM6dosgsBI9ouAvP1YE-C0CP7Lw-Av4oanBL9jtHhpOJTCJ50jmc6glsFuo7vp7/s1600/Taybeh+poster+2012_edited-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxLtlrKOTZTa0o02o7iE28olby1-i1QCYGyR4LNaKmij1Ztvwwp5Y56nN-_WovjxBlnlKHnZz5Lftx8JM6dosgsBI9ouAvP1YE-C0CP7Lw-Av4oanBL9jtHhpOJTCJ50jmc6glsFuo7vp7/s320/Taybeh+poster+2012_edited-3.jpg" width="234" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">This Saturday we will have a congregational outing, carpooling up to Taybeh for their eighth annual Oktoberfest. There will be traditional Palestinian Dabke dancing, and international musical groups from Germany, Brazil, and Italy. Palestinian women will have booths selling traditional needlework, and artists will display their crafts. But the reason we all gather is to sample Taybeh beer.</span></div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoEKhCyfE4qycjYDzjT2gkN4byLV2nLAfCne2HHT_Dhmpf9b9c0N47cesYVKAZPVBUmRr_1qeadKSjt-VfVEaShoSExYPRr55nhVgpRIeUV8p3z01MqdNWu_V0xgIXXSsJJ4stkxRMU2-8/s1600/Taybeh+brewer+Khoury.jpg" /></div>
</a><span style="font-size: large;">The Taybeh Brewing Company was established in 1995 when two brothers decided to return home after years abroad. They came in response to the promises of the Oslo Peace Accords that supposedly would end the occupation and establish normal relations between Israel and Palestine--including economic cooperation. <span style="color: red;"><strong>Nadim Khoury</strong></span>, having spent time in Germany, returned with the vision of producing the finest beer in the Middle East, brewed according to Germany's 1516 purity laws. See the <a href="http://www.taybehbeer.com/">Taybeh Brewery Website.</a></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICRiSSNmyUEaIk2zT4GQ1YcGxpmd5pnHSzdHcGkxo2n2Fa1h0XE2RhBKXTLVlGKX0q1Fwj92_6cBVvfFgAwdWQ96A6smvm4U2seE380_t0vas3ULbx21GoYnjLiMYjn53S6nFu2VxF3j0/s1600/Taybeh+glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhICRiSSNmyUEaIk2zT4GQ1YcGxpmd5pnHSzdHcGkxo2n2Fa1h0XE2RhBKXTLVlGKX0q1Fwj92_6cBVvfFgAwdWQ96A6smvm4U2seE380_t0vas3ULbx21GoYnjLiMYjn53S6nFu2VxF3j0/s320/Taybeh+glass.jpg" width="291" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Since the name of the town Taybeh also carries the connotation of "Delicious," this is the perfect name for the beer. Taybeh's own Media Page (<a href="http://www.taybehbeer.com/2/news.html">Click here</a> ) shows favorable reviews from <em>The New York Times</em>, <em>The Boston Globe</em>, <em>The Chicago Tribune</em>, and <em>Newsweek</em>, among others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Brewery Co-founder, and brother, David Canaan Khoury, returned to Taybeh from the U.S.A. to serve as Taybeh's mayor for over a decade and a half.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If ever there was a sign of the faith, hope, and resiliency of the Palestinian people, it is Taybeh Beer. Think about it! 98.5 % of the Palestinian people are Muslims who do not drink alchohol. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wbCyPeRV9MxamQOOqMilpKXoibSIUa2gbEeDmNs1ICrvBUx4fJD9lcCrHD0L7akBXldUpzQzVWNOXiQBskzlgPqZq4vYC_Mmyd3vh5y55zVcjOaL5XvfrTinGsC172BHAd4vonJDYwxT/s1600/taybeh+brewery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1wbCyPeRV9MxamQOOqMilpKXoibSIUa2gbEeDmNs1ICrvBUx4fJD9lcCrHD0L7akBXldUpzQzVWNOXiQBskzlgPqZq4vYC_Mmyd3vh5y55zVcjOaL5XvfrTinGsC172BHAd4vonJDYwxT/s320/taybeh+brewery.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Trade with Taybeh's neighbors is totally dependent upon the government of Israel and progress in the peace process which is incredibly slow in coming. Still they are determined, as Nadim here discusses marketing plans with Madees Khoury, the first female brewer in the Middle East.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXK4zGg1geW9iUBSR1YXC1GwDiptdHMo2DBRzDzIpFYtATkxw29ZIJ1skoXhzEEQfH_wV_hbIln4Vd9Z_Ks_LNZGpTMLjmuLEY5yzgJITakXRoXXZMnSXM2GDdrr6pPIcgPSfXfUl0UcG/s1600/taybeh+olive+oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZXK4zGg1geW9iUBSR1YXC1GwDiptdHMo2DBRzDzIpFYtATkxw29ZIJ1skoXhzEEQfH_wV_hbIln4Vd9Z_Ks_LNZGpTMLjmuLEY5yzgJITakXRoXXZMnSXM2GDdrr6pPIcgPSfXfUl0UcG/s1600/taybeh+olive+oil.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Eventually Taybeh will win out. In the meantime, diversifying may be the answer. Nadim and David have introduced non-alcholic beer and wine, and they hope to bottle water, including flavored water. Distributing olive oil is also a solution. In addition they are building a tourist hotel in hopes that visitors will be attracted to the retreat-like atmosphere of a peaceful West Bank village.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLLWyQmz4-lz26b21ASd6xQhCNyjLsJOxdd_NLa19fNDgWI1wy6ZZwfJxOBYP-29AZKvj7_Pipm4SGHxunst3_9frEoapDiip1NAoaEsTOTxVmtVr6uXsl7yoPaGlYChLws43pBSAGf5B/s1600/maria_c_khoury_St+George.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLLWyQmz4-lz26b21ASd6xQhCNyjLsJOxdd_NLa19fNDgWI1wy6ZZwfJxOBYP-29AZKvj7_Pipm4SGHxunst3_9frEoapDiip1NAoaEsTOTxVmtVr6uXsl7yoPaGlYChLws43pBSAGf5B/s1600/maria_c_khoury_St+George.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">No visit to Taybeh is complete without taking time to chat with Maria Khoury, wife of David, and the unofficial public relations manager for Taybeh. With a masters degree from Harvard and a doctorate from Boston University, Maria is very active in the Educational ministry of Taybeh's Greek Orthodox Church. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-ZiPEjvMi1VVz78d6lK4Pp7S4Xfn7UegESm39yU1zPI2R7mPnTBD6SgUgLY1Cot6oY8EJgRU0NO62B_SFPxIM9W1UpNWKTdlF7R4ViDDIF2HiNH2S-ZscyoBakxtdUuTYvz-tlqhRa0Z/s1600/christina+goes+to+holy+land.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-ZiPEjvMi1VVz78d6lK4Pp7S4Xfn7UegESm39yU1zPI2R7mPnTBD6SgUgLY1Cot6oY8EJgRU0NO62B_SFPxIM9W1UpNWKTdlF7R4ViDDIF2HiNH2S-ZscyoBakxtdUuTYvz-tlqhRa0Z/s320/christina+goes+to+holy+land.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Maria specializes in children's books such as <em>Christina Goes to the Holy Land -- </em>a perfect souvenir for our granddaughters.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5stJrdLGvb6cQBBZcQhfv1TKgzqbbybw1V1tnyt29oU5_qT6trlB2TjoGANfcpqCBIr7O_kOxaVjehmS6yyMSfpiq5CvDPmuuw3Pe3tvO3aZ1Q6D6BuIlL4wHg2h0QlMDz4YiQTGX-VXh/s1600/Peter's+Place.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5stJrdLGvb6cQBBZcQhfv1TKgzqbbybw1V1tnyt29oU5_qT6trlB2TjoGANfcpqCBIr7O_kOxaVjehmS6yyMSfpiq5CvDPmuuw3Pe3tvO3aZ1Q6D6BuIlL4wHg2h0QlMDz4YiQTGX-VXh/s320/Peter's+Place.jpg" width="290" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><em><span style="color: purple;"><strong>Peter's Place</strong></span></em> is our destination for lunch--in the middle of old city Taybeh.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_M2c0RFwVFj6OXgyG_tkgUaEXiqfuzTx3ul9UGJ_Tklejd_N_YoKQAaw6-2qT7ZcmtojsJE1u7RNFMu2xiX365CKNoBBPH2sR900C35SJKI_6l7GW3-V6AUSvjuB3AtmTy4NdQpG-oyWw/s1600/taybeh+Peters+dining.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_M2c0RFwVFj6OXgyG_tkgUaEXiqfuzTx3ul9UGJ_Tklejd_N_YoKQAaw6-2qT7ZcmtojsJE1u7RNFMu2xiX365CKNoBBPH2sR900C35SJKI_6l7GW3-V6AUSvjuB3AtmTy4NdQpG-oyWw/s320/taybeh+Peters+dining.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Peter Abu Shanab</strong> and his son Alex have restored one of the oldest homes in Taybeh for a place of fine dining. </span><strong> </strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQKZhDtS336ZDQ_u4Qu9qOSMQkOlp1QRbKdS2QRUQCEPfYMex9xGzbhZuJpRuAvVk0WoBJm62bjLWmss08y6n7NS_R3m2cXYlMTa0Gc3hK74wdff-ADwz-K1G2HJe3dvpzZR95nyztDyH/s1600/taybeh+Peter%2527s+pottery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLQKZhDtS336ZDQ_u4Qu9qOSMQkOlp1QRbKdS2QRUQCEPfYMex9xGzbhZuJpRuAvVk0WoBJm62bjLWmss08y6n7NS_R3m2cXYlMTa0Gc3hK74wdff-ADwz-K1G2HJe3dvpzZR95nyztDyH/s320/taybeh+Peter%2527s+pottery.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Decorated with antique pottery, domestic, and farming artifacts of eras long ago. Photos are from <a href="http://hoshbutros.webs.com/">Peter's website</a>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvPg_TiM4UPdwRklflSkt_FS5XxwbTDkFQ6gXSHY6tLz0gRfFEsXIAOpzlXs7SCdrf9j4uBRCcghJOhTisXSsaM0yeiCS-jVxtU0DY8_mflBRYdNv9108F6S6CPDYdFeSr-XyijNnCh-g/s1600/taybeh+Peter%2527s+Beer+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvPg_TiM4UPdwRklflSkt_FS5XxwbTDkFQ6gXSHY6tLz0gRfFEsXIAOpzlXs7SCdrf9j4uBRCcghJOhTisXSsaM0yeiCS-jVxtU0DY8_mflBRYdNv9108F6S6CPDYdFeSr-XyijNnCh-g/s320/taybeh+Peter%2527s+Beer+Garden.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">An outdoor beer garden with a fountain is the perfect spot for one last Taybeh.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPnFNTM3MY0tR1EJw5ddWSYefvv8h9VXx2nN49cJmhAOz-Zhc-fM26bDRfUGn2wlZFqhFCPvMUWKbbHpNGTAHBpeTxbl44UPD8Cqfc8JIOI41Q3PJWlN0kh_pZL5bvzAr1lcKVbuxmFCk/s1600/taybeh-father+Raed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">Taybeh is indeed a special place, off the beaten track.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The questions are often asked, "How long will Taybeh retain its unique Christian character?" "What will happen if the trend of Christian emigration from the Holy Land continues?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Last April the CBS news program <em>60 Minutes</em> featured the Christians of the Holy Land and this phenomenon of the disappearing Christian presence. Although Taybeh did not make the final editing for the program, a six-minute clip about Taybeh is included on the <em>60 Minutes</em> website labeled "<em>60 Minutes Overtime</em>."</span><br />
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPnFNTM3MY0tR1EJw5ddWSYefvv8h9VXx2nN49cJmhAOz-Zhc-fM26bDRfUGn2wlZFqhFCPvMUWKbbHpNGTAHBpeTxbl44UPD8Cqfc8JIOI41Q3PJWlN0kh_pZL5bvzAr1lcKVbuxmFCk/s320/taybeh-father+Raed.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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</a><span style="font-size: large;">Father Raed of Taybeh's Latin Catholic Church left an enduring image with his answer to the question of the future of Taybeh Christianity. When confronted with the possible scenario of no more Christians in Taybeh, the celibate Father Raed looked at the camera with a twinkle in his eye and gave his answer. "Then I'll find a young woman to marry and together we'll raise up a new generation of Christians in Taybeh."</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sixty Minutes Overtime (<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7406154n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox">Click here for short video</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To learn more about Taybeh, see the <a href="http://www.taybehmunicipality.org/">Taybeh municipality website</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em> by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span></div>
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-12427316223354267002012-09-21T15:46:00.000+03:002012-09-21T16:00:59.099+03:00A Week of Accompaniment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b><i>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Every Sunday morning, Fred begins the introduction to our service by announcing</span> </span></span><br />
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<b><i><span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">"I am called to serve in Accompaniment with the ELCJHL and as part of my responsibilities I serve as pastor of the English-speaking Congregation."</span> </span></span></i></b><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Accompaniment is at the heart of what we do. But what is accompaniment? There are theological statements and lectures by missiologists. Instead, we thought we would tell you about <span style="color: purple;"><strong>a <i>typical</i> week</strong></span> in our Jerusalem lives--(we had written this blog a month ago in late August, but waited for a couple photos before posting -- still you will get an idea of a typical week). Accompaniment is not a theoretical concept to be pondered, it is simply what we do, whether intentionally or not, whether consciously or not.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Sunday Morning</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">We rise out of habit before the alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIslSG4wvjbGYuS41osXAA7DOnAHEupbKt6P8cYLIW2umaeyzb1XhON11OfBMUsHuOYV-q8wFxhdeapB00Tb44fBwUeGer39v9ECeWaqE6M463sJ3-lEgsDE10g_S59QIz3enRNL19kRYT/s1600/Gloria+baking+Communion+Bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIslSG4wvjbGYuS41osXAA7DOnAHEupbKt6P8cYLIW2umaeyzb1XhON11OfBMUsHuOYV-q8wFxhdeapB00Tb44fBwUeGer39v9ECeWaqE6M463sJ3-lEgsDE10g_S59QIz3enRNL19kRYT/s320/Gloria+baking+Communion+Bread.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fred focuses on reviewing the sermon and today's worship service while Gloria is in the kitchen baking communion bread. By 7:15 we are heading to the corner to catch public bus # 75 down the hill and to the old city. The walk through Damascus Gate offers a less-than-typical experience with the streets nearly empty and the urban sounds muted before the city comes alive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">At Redeemer we are the first to arrive, and begin by opening windows and turning on fans on yet another hot August day. We are our own altar guild and hasten to get the sanctuary ready. There are no tour groups this time of year, so we take advantage of the lull to sit with Pastor Barhoum of the Arabic Congregation and his family in his office. Daughter Sally is beaming with stories from her trip to the New Orleans Youth Gathering, while Juji is anxious about her fall plans to begin university in Germany. We take time to listen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our pianist is late arriving because of a flat tire on her bicycle. She's not the only one. The 9:00 bells ring, but there are only six persons all in the front pews. Others trickle in until our numbers increase to 35 for the remainder of the service.</span><br />
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[Our June blog featured a short video about our congregation life which you can view again <span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4oCyZjMZOw&feature=youtu.be">here.</a>]</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Following announcements and welcoming of guests we gather in the courtyard for a cup of tea along with the Arabic congregation who have completed their worship in the main sanctuary next door. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Sunday School kids help Gloria clear the altar and carry things back to our office. Our regulars tend to linger sharing their experiences of the week with one another. We make time to become acquainted with newly arrived members: a couple with the U.S. Consulate, a young adult volunteer with the Mennonite Church, and a Swedish woman who will help with administrative tasks at the Swedish Theological Institute. Another couple from the States explains that they have come on their own for a two-week visit to the Northern West Bank and are filled with questions, which we do our best to answer. </span>It is noon before we lock the office and head out the door.<br />
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As Pastor and Associate Minister we find this role fulfilling as<span style="color: purple;"> <strong>accompaniers of those who accompany</strong></span>, equipping and nourishing those who are here to walk alongside the people of this land.<br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sunday Afternoon</b></span></span><br />
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"We have a dinner invitation," Gloria announces as soon as we leave the church. This is a culture where invitations tend to come on the spur of the moment. So visiting this Armenian family in Beit Safafa offered a healthy grill of chicken and lamb with garden-grown salads, but also an opportunity to share family news: theirs about plans for their daughter's upcoming marriage as well as photos of their first grandchildren; ours illustrated by photos of our summer vacation with children and granddaughters now numbering five.<br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sunday Evening</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fred begins sermon preparation for next week, studying the texts, to let the ideas roll over in his mind in view of the coming week's encounters.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gloria answers emails. A request for a Lenten devotion; An inquiry about an upcoming Holy Land visit; A question about how to get in touch with one of our local pastors.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Monday Morning</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">We head to the old city for our Monday routine of office work. Fred has to put finishing touches on a letter of condolences from Bishop Younan following the death of Abuna Paulos, the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ethiopia. Our regular tasks include bulletin preparation for next Sunday, our weekly email newsletter, and our weekly email prayer chain within the congregation.</span></span><br />
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</a>Morning coffee break with staff-- a time to listen to their joys and their sorrows, not just the routine of work to be done or tasks to be accomplished.<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Each week is unique with new experiences and new challenges. This in particular is <b>not really a typical week</b>. By virtue of Fred's job description as assistant to the Bishop of the ELCJHL, more office time is normally expected, with a lot of writing and editing. This week Bishop Younan is attending meetings in Lebanon, so we take advantage of other opportunities.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Monday Afternoon through Wednesday</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">The Redeemer Arabic Congregation has invited us to go with them on their annual retreat to Nazareth. We catch their chartered bus by 1:00 p.m. All 54 seats are filled while others follow by car. It is a time for spiritual renewal. As the bus departs, we all pray the Lord's Prayer in Arabic and then sing together perhaps a dozen Arabic hymns as the bus makes it way down the highway. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Each evening we have devotions and hymn singing, and the mornings are taken up with Bible study. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Fred has been asked to present lectures and small group discussions on a "Lutheran Approach to the Book of Revelation." With rumors of impending war, radio preachers of doom and gloom have flooded the airwaves with end-of-the world "prophesies." So the room is filled with questions, "Is this really what the Bible teaches?" They understand Luther's Gospel focus, but need a reassuring, comforting word of hope.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">For the children this is the equivalent of summer camp with games, and crafts, and lessons. </span></span><br />
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St. Margaret's Guest House is a century-old complex high up the Nazareth hill from the Church of the Annuciation. Its courtyard is perfect for the kids to run and play and for aftenoon and long night conversations among the adults. <br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday Evening</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">We return to Jerusalem by bus at 6:00 p.m. just in time for our congregational social evening--two hours of volleyball, then potluck dinner and good portions of conversation.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Thursday Morning.</span></b></span><br />
<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Gloria heads to Bethlehem to meet with one of our members who has just had a baby, while Fred spends the morning in the office.</span></span><br />
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<li><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> A Finnish magazine has requested a sermon from the Bishop for publication--so there is editing work to be done.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> A West Jerusalem Rabbi and dialogue partner has requested an article for an upcoming book. The deadline is just one week away, though the email request seems to have arrived several months ago. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">The German Church in the Rhineland has also written requesting logistical assistance with a November Jewish-Christian Seminar to be hosted by the ELCJHL at Redeemer. So phone calls are made and emails sent.</span></span></li>
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</a><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Later in the morning, Gloria heads to Beit Sahour for her monthly visit with Shadia. Their "excuse" for getting together is for Gloria to learn Palestinian cooking. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7g6RcZPTtsv3rxZT0P9e79htVIA_LCsyhrnLeM-jCZ0qNmyZCr9umSlr7J6Z9j6f3JSEeVvgHkV9di9Yr523DdaESWnDGG5qLsDozkyyc8sWQqlF4wBcSln6UAGAIATgUOqg9ECPa3z9q/s1600/Shadia+GS+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7g6RcZPTtsv3rxZT0P9e79htVIA_LCsyhrnLeM-jCZ0qNmyZCr9umSlr7J6Z9j6f3JSEeVvgHkV9di9Yr523DdaESWnDGG5qLsDozkyyc8sWQqlF4wBcSln6UAGAIATgUOqg9ECPa3z9q/s320/Shadia+GS+coffee.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> But it's an opportunity to share life's stories, for Gloria to listen as Shadia talks about the challenges with her young adult children in career and in school, with her husband working far from home in Baghdad, with the daily routine in this West Bank town.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">At noon Fred heads to the Sabeel offices in North Jerusalem to lead their weekly Eucharist, filling in for Rev. Naim Ateek, who is on Sabbatical in the States. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br /><b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;">Thursday Afternoon</span></b></span></span>
<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Fred walks home to pick up the car from Gloria just back from Beit Sahour for him to drive to Beit Sahour for a late afternoon funeral/ memorial service for the father of one of our retired clergy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">A text-message comes across the phone that a leading rabbi has died in Mea-Shearim, the Orthodox Jewish section of West Jerusalem. <i>"Be aware of traffic congestion with burial on the Mount of Olives [in East Jerusalem]." </i> Rush hour traffic is already heavy. Reaching the Northeast corner of the old city near the Rockefeller Museum, it suddenly comes to a stop. On a typical day, there would be a chorus of car horns. Today there is quiet--seeminly in a show of respect. A wave of Hasidic Jewish men-- all dressed in their usual white shirts, black suits, and hats, with side-curl sideburns swinging in the air, and fringes of tallits dangling--march down the eastbound lane as far as the eye can see. And the traffic inches slowly forward. One never knows what to expect, what delays to encounter. No trip is ever routine.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Then there are checkpoints to navigate whenever we come and go to the West Bank. Bethlehem check point "300." is surprisingly not so crowded this afternoon. Driving through the winding streets, the car pulls up at the church at three minutes to five o'clock. Fred fastens the top button of his clergy shirt to slip the white plastic tab into place, while falling into rank in the procession to the front of the church. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">On occasions like this, clergy all sit in front facing the congregation, today there are five of us from the ELCJHL. Fifteen minutes into the service a local Catholic priest joins us. Then half-way through the service an {Arab} Greek Orthodox Bishop and a Roman Catholic Bishop walk in together in a display of Ecumenical support. Following the service, there is a long receiving line for condolences, then a gathering in the church hall of the Greek Orthodox Church across the street (large enough to fill the crowd of mourners) where we sit a while to accompany the mourners in breaking their fast, eating together a piece of bread while drinking chocolate milk (a Beit Sahour custom), then the obligatory small cup of coffee-- "<i>Saada</i>" (without sugar). Then yet another round of handshakes and farewells.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"Can I catch a ride?" asks Ashraf Tannous, our newly ordained pastor from Ramallah.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"Only if you agree to first come for pizza," I insist. Gloria and Susanne are back at the Mount of Olives getting ready to welcome our newly arrive, jet-lagged YAGMs. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4r6ngsnj4m5470du88K4lERJUgbIRPSEHpek_On9P3AKMUqYmHc7DzrZHi_eWVXQuASwv27J7luoAkuGAwk-NMYmtQ3NdS4dp140vCvblh1Ba9vldOAh-GNaZOGKtrV4MQ9A0yQW4LREk/s1600/Ashraf+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4r6ngsnj4m5470du88K4lERJUgbIRPSEHpek_On9P3AKMUqYmHc7DzrZHi_eWVXQuASwv27J7luoAkuGAwk-NMYmtQ3NdS4dp140vCvblh1Ba9vldOAh-GNaZOGKtrV4MQ9A0yQW4LREk/s320/Ashraf+1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Ashraf is more than willing, "Someone should be there from the ELCJHL to welcome them. I must come."</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">First the checkpoint. Ashraf explains that his permit only allows him to walk through the maze often dubbed the cattle stalls. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"Let's see if they'll let you ride through with me in the car." </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">As we get closer, Ashraf suggests that maybe it would be better for him to get out now and walk through. "It's better you not get in trouble." </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"Me get in trouble? Do I look like a Palestinian?" That draws a smile from Ashraf as he remembers how it took him three hours this morning going through Qalandia Checkpoint. I then assure him, "You're a pastor now. The least they can do is offer you a little respect."</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">I turn on the overhead light in the car so that the guard can see clearly. He's talking on his cell phone as it's our turn in the queue. He finishes his conversation while we sit waiting. When I offer my passport, he barely offers a glance and waves me through. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Ashraf looks at me in disbelief, "He didn't even look at me!" </span></span><br />
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"You're a pastor now!"<br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">We stop by the Pizza Palace on Saladin Street to pick up our order, arriving at the Mount of Olives just as the YAGMs cross the street from the Guest House. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Ashraf offers an enthusiastic and sincere welcome, letting them know how much it means to have young people like them giving up a year of their lives to accompany the Palestinian Christians. The newcomers are a bit subdued, tired from their journey, but likely overwhelmed by the world they have embraced. The familiar taste of pizza is reassuring, but it's Ashraf's invitation that breaks the ice. "How about a game of volleyball." </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Then it was Fred who had to drag Ashraf away after 45 minutes of volleyball, with a ride down to the bus station to catch the last bus to Ramallah as it pulled away at 10:00 p.m.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"You and Gloria are coming to the baptism tomorrow?" he asked as we said good night.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">"Wouldn't miss it for the world."</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;">Friday morning</span></b><br />
<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Friday morning we were back in the Redeemer office. </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Fred meeting with the Bishop to go over a proposal for a two-year education program to train lay preachers. </span></span></li>
<li>Gloria preparing photos of new members for our congregation bulletin board.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: lime; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;">Friday afternoon</span></b><span style="color: lime;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span>Early Friday afternoon we're back in the car, this time driving north to Ramallah for the Tannous family baptism service.
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Marcel and Layan, Ashraf's twin niece and nephew are to be baptized on their first birthdays.<br />
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And this is also Ashraf's first baptisms following his ordination. So our presence offers a little support. Then spontaneously Fred is asked to deliver an impromptu baptism homily<br />
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</a>The twins celebrate by cutting their birthday/ baptism cake. We're reminded once again how children are the same all over the world.<br />
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Fred, in turn, is attending the College ceremonies at Dar Alkalima College in Bethlehem.<br />
This entails crossing two checkpoints and a drive across the length of Jerusalem. <br />
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Qalandia checkpoint is backed up with traffic, and cars are barely inching forward. It would take an hour to get through. Fred has the luxury of driving instead to Hizmeh, about five miles east, where the checkpoint is open only for West Bank settlers and Palestinians with yellow Jerusalem license plates and Jerusalem I.D.s and also expatriates like us.<br />
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It was the right choice. The M-16 carrying soldier responsible for checking Fred's lane is distracted by a young blonde-haired soldier, standing back-up, and flirting as young people often do. So much for security. The cars fly through hardly slowing down, increasing the odds that Fred will be on time.<br />
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Fred arrives at the Dar Annadwa auditorium just in time for photos.<br />
48 students are graduating tonight with degrees in <br />
<ul>
<li>film</li>
<li>music</li>
<li>art (Pottery, Painting, Jewelry-design)</li>
<li>tourist guiding</li>
</ul>
The ceremony is impressive with proud families gathered. The program starts late and lasts several hours. Fred offers quick congratulations and offers apologies for leaving early.<br />
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Gloria sends a text message that she will be at Qalandia at 10:00 p.m. <br />
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The Bethlehem check-point is backed-up so Fred pulls out his Kindle and reads several chapters of <em>Anna Karina</em> while pausing to pull forward and stop, to pull forward and stop, twenty times over.<br />
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Once past the check-point, it's a breeze. It is Friday night, Shabbat, with no traffic on Jerusalem streets. Now Fred sends a text message coordinating our meeting. By the time Fred reaches Qalandia, Ashraf's cousin has dropped Gloria off on the Ramallah side, and she walks through the relatively empty cattle stalls--still the guards take their time, allowing only one to pass through before the next person enters. When Fred arrives, Gloria is standing by the side of the road.<br />
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Ashraf's mother has sent Fred a plate piled high with grilled chicken and kebabs, and only then do we remember that we had not taken time for lunch.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;">Saturday Morning</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<span style="color: black;">The new YAGM orientation will shift from Jerusalem to Beit Jala tomorrow, so we help Julie and Jeff transport luggage in our vehicle to one of the YAGM apartments in Beit Jala.</span><br />
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Then we have a stop to make in Bethlehem. One of the families from the retreat earlier in the week asked to borrow one of Fred's books, so we drive by their house. There is never a quick stop. We do decline the invitation for coffee, but we can't just passby without offering full greetings.<br />
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Pastor Imad in Beit Sahour, has been reassigned by the ELCJHL to serve at the Pastor of the Lutheran Church of Hope in Ramallah. So we stop in Beit Sahour to help Imad and Rula with their packing. A truck will come for their furniture next week, but we can load breakable items in the back of our car.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2covRKTr3nMavQ6CCxvCbpVSyosbXrhUT-29ZFDi61wFW__pfOgVQwPbEuWfJivnNPHByXHMUKFZT5GvbPx7KKr-jzJF9cUSctLe6QJvzDLJmfjyiN1CUpjE5hu8bBmBGDjc_GKRPFBy7/s1600/Imad+Rula+pack+bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2covRKTr3nMavQ6CCxvCbpVSyosbXrhUT-29ZFDi61wFW__pfOgVQwPbEuWfJivnNPHByXHMUKFZT5GvbPx7KKr-jzJF9cUSctLe6QJvzDLJmfjyiN1CUpjE5hu8bBmBGDjc_GKRPFBy7/s320/Imad+Rula+pack+bowl.jpg" width="268" /></a>When the back of our vehicle is full of boxes, we realize that we have made a critical mistake. <br />
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"We don't yet have a key to the Ramallah parsonage," Imad informs us. <br />
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Our plans had been to drive the Wadi Nar road East of Jerusalem, entirely in the West Bank. Now we realize we will have to pick up a key in Jerusalem. <br />
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The problem: we are not allowed to bring cargo from the West Bank into Jerusalem, just a few groceries which we usually place in an inconspicuous location on the floor of the back seat. The guards are supposed to open the trunks of all vehicles to be sure nothing "Dangerous" is transported. Often they wave us through without looking when they see our American Passports and our Caucasian features. But today the car is full--both the back seat and the cargo area in back. <br />
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"I won't go through the Bethlehem check-point," Fred announces. "We can take the settlers check point by Har Homa." This is a restricted checkpoint like Hizme, where they always pass us through quickly, often not checking at all. Only today Fred is not wearing a clerical. <br />
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The check-point is totally empty of cars. Fred reaches his hand out the window with his passport, and a "<i>Shabbat Shalom</i>" greeting. </div>
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A young woman soldier starts to take the passport, touching it lightly, then with the same hand waves us through. But then she calls out, "Wait! <i>Ma na</i>!" </div>
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"What is this?" Fred responds repeating her Hebrew question. "Just Kitchen things, dishes and glasses." She looks like she doesn't understand, so Fred clarifies, "It's for the church. For the kitchen."</div>
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She turns to holler in Hebrew to a guard a little bit older, clearly her superior, who is sitting in the shade, checking his text-messages with his M-16 draped across his knees. He walks over, seemingly unhappy about the interruption. He speaks only in Hebrew.</div>
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"Do you speak English?" Fred asks, while the guard responds more loudly, still in Hebrew. </div>
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"<i>L'Kenneset Lutheri."</i> Fred offers, trying to make sense with minimal Hebrew. "It's for the church." </div>
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The guard shakes his head and mutters something.</div>
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The young woman directs us to drive ahead, where there's space to park the car. We anticipate that we will soon be unpacking all of the boxes in front of them. Five, ten minutes pass while the older guard is talking on the phone, reading out Fred's passport number and the spelling of his name.</div>
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Eventually he approaches, again asking what was in the boxes. They are all carefully packed and taped shut, but we show him the contents of one. He continues to talk loudly and ask in Hebrew, "What is it?"</div>
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Fred continues to respond, "<i>L'Kenneset Lutheri</i>."</div>
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Another guard, an Ethiopian, is sitting seemingly unconcerned, until he is called over. He asks in English, "What's in the boxes?" </div>
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"They're for the church. For the priest's kitchen. Just dishes and cups." Fred also turns to the visa page of the passport and points. "<i>Ish Dat</i>. Clergyman visa."</div>
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We are half expecting that we will be sent back to Beit Sahour to unload, when the older soldier gives a look of disgust and a hand gesture, "Go on. Get out of here. But don't do this again."</div>
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"<i>Mish Muskele.</i> Not a problem!" </div>
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We get in the car, driving through Jerusalem from south to north, through Qalandia checkpoint into Ramallah, unpack the boxes at the parsonage, and back through Hizme checkpoint --so how many checkpoints does that make this week? --and home to the Mount of Olives.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: large;">Saturday evening</span></b></div>
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One last event for the week. We've been invited by the Beit Sahour congregation to help them say farewell to Pastor Imad and Rula. There are the customary speeches, the Dabke dancing, and the school choir. We retreat to the schoolyard for juice and cookies.</div>
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It is a time for sharing in appreciation for the gifts offered by this young couple. It is a time for sharing the sadness of life's transitions. It is a time for sharing best wishes for what God may bring, <i>Inshallah</i>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is accompaniment.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><i><b>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</b></i></span><br />
<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
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Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-39898963958293439542012-09-08T07:53:00.001+03:002012-09-08T07:53:34.871+03:00The Difficulty of Crossing Boundaries<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: black;">In the Gospel for September 9, when Jesus crosses a boundary into what is now Lebanon, he finds himself offering the classic snub to a foreigner. "You and your daughter are just dogs," is basically what he says. (Mark 7:24-30 = Matthew 15:21-28)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">I (Fred) have no trouble relating to this Gospel reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember well the time when I was extremely
rude:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May 12, 1990 in Bethlehem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still have the Sunday <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jerusalem Post</i> with the front page story of the 12-year old boy
shot and killed that Saturday in the Bethlehem market in the pre-Oslo days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pastor Mitri Raheb, then a relatively new pastor had invited me to bring a group for an extended visit, meeting
with young people and worshipping with the congregation on Sunday morning, as
well as visiting other programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was my first
time staying in Bethlehem, there at the newly renovated Casa Nova guest house
next to the Church of the Nativity—and I should add, the first of many wonderful
experiences in Bethlehem, but that first time was out of the ordinary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">I still remember that moment on that Saturday afternoon when touring the
Children’s Orthodopedic Hospital (later closed), and shots rang out and smoke
from burning tires filled the sky and our hospital administrator told us of
trouble in the market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Already word
quickly had filtered back that at least one youth had been shot and a full
scale riot had broken out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“At least all
of your students are safe here with us,” said the administrator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> “Not exactly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Several failed to show up.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And one of my students chimed in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“They were going to the market.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> And so the worried look on the
administrator’s face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a brisk walk
back to the guest house to find the missing students.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpH8e-MUi_izvTmCj_JYxXAgwBOeLB2mjOen3HeViLbFrms9LsqVqEv-fnl9jFl4NoHtvTdEIwTxJXzYxD11sEjGS42xt-NR3F8w6UgrCYpzq-UwEk999j311MjUwAJoy-v6Ew3vEF6fs/s1600/manger+square+beth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpH8e-MUi_izvTmCj_JYxXAgwBOeLB2mjOen3HeViLbFrms9LsqVqEv-fnl9jFl4NoHtvTdEIwTxJXzYxD11sEjGS42xt-NR3F8w6UgrCYpzq-UwEk999j311MjUwAJoy-v6Ew3vEF6fs/s400/manger+square+beth.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">But there outside the guest house where a crowd had gathered to watch the
developments from a distance, a strange voice called to me in broken English,
“Professor, Professor.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I walked by
ignoring him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">But persistently he called
out, “Your students.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">“Not now, I’m
busy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Now it wasn’t the first time I had encountered this aggressive
shopkeeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Earlier that morning while
walking across Manger Square, he had called out to me, “You must come visit my
shop.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was leading a couple of my
students in that direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> “No we have
an appointment at the Women’s Cultural Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>No time for shopping.” And I emphasized the ‘we” and walked on not
giving him the time of day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"> “No please,
it will just take a minute.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I gave
him the cold shoulder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t remember
exactly what I said, but I know I was extremely rude to him. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And so there outside the guest house that afternoon he was pestering me
once again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you want to see
rudeness, I turned on a double dose. “Out of my way. I have to find my
students. I don’t have time for you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And calmly he pointed out, “your students are okay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re safe in my shop.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">“Then I need to go get them.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“No, it’s too dangerous, you stay
here, and send the rest inside,” he instructed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I’ll bring the others to you.” And one by
one he led the others back to the guest house, in spite of the way I had
treated him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then he facilitated a
transfer to the Jerusalem Casa Nova up by New Gate, and arranged for three
taxis, explaining, “They’ll be soon announcing a curfew and you don’t want to
be stuck inside for three days or longer.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And only later while driving off in the taxis did I get the full story how
he had remembered seeing the students in the market and when the commotion
broke out, he had gone out into the streets to bring them to safety in his
shop, and then when realizing that several had been overcome by tear gas, he
went down the street to purchase onions and then cut them up for them to make
their eyes water to cleanse away the irritation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">It was an amazing example of Arab hospitality, undeserved hospitality, in
the face of close-minded rude behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">So why was it that I was unwilling to give him the time of day to his open
welcome?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I look back I guess it’s
merely an example of the difficulty we have crossing boundaries, moving beyond
our comfort zones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In our heads, we
recognize a certain reality, but deep down it’s more difficult to embrace the
stranger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had been able to move
physically to Palestinian turf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
embrace the stranger?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was a bit too
much. In this case, a Palestinian, a Muslim, and a shopkeeper—a stereotypical
outgoing shopkeeper, overly friendly, aggressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps one of those boundaries could be
easily crossed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But three?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three strikes and you’re out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet grace comes when it’s the other who
crosses the boundaries in our direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Grace comes when the other reaches out and accepts us the way we are,
rudeness and all.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv21x651zWXZmIfsGrMnxSjS7JOSALy-wmPHsp9lM8l9StyVP2j-e401oAcm53nVRYGsJ9QtDF2lP44O-ELCfqOttRb5fSO7VtV5DiFOm2M7G46EYRGPvp-PqEV9IM-0cvfzVKwSasZpuY/s1600/cannanite_woman.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv21x651zWXZmIfsGrMnxSjS7JOSALy-wmPHsp9lM8l9StyVP2j-e401oAcm53nVRYGsJ9QtDF2lP44O-ELCfqOttRb5fSO7VtV5DiFOm2M7G46EYRGPvp-PqEV9IM-0cvfzVKwSasZpuY/s400/cannanite_woman.gif" width="390" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And that seems to be the case in today’s Gospel with the encounter of Jesus
and his disciples with the Canaanite woman, after crossing the geographical
boundary into the region of Lebanon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
woman confronting Jesus in a world where men and women do not interact in
public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A foreigner, described in Mark
as Syro-Phoenecian, or in Matthew as Canaanite, the ancient inhabitants of
Palestine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Gentile in a world where
Jews simply did not associate with non-Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And in Matthew’s version of the story, Jesus makes that clear, “I have
come only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gender, ethnicity, religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three strikes and you’re out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so we have one of the most
difficult episodes in the gospels with Jesus and the disciples giving her the
cold shoulder or worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"It is not
fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And this language about dogs seems overly offensive in a world where the
other is portrayed as less than human, and especially the wild dogs, not the
clean well groomed house-hold pets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">I’m reminded of the line in the novel <em>Mornings in Jenin</em> at the
patriarch’s funeral in 1953 when family members finally realized a return to
their home village near Haifa would never again be possible:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We are refugees,” Hasan said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Even our Palestinian countrymen from the
towns look down on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we must be
refugees we will not live like dogs.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjph_lISJ52vThQlQf5RiQklEjQMbpagztMhOfy8WeA4Xabin2LHM587Qz8KfAP3RpfKTc1VMcj6Ri3XXknugnkYcdGbRQ1Yl_5DcVtlV460elhNnWA_LuvSrJqhIGQVcLIlujfvor8gCiY/s1600/bread+on+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjph_lISJ52vThQlQf5RiQklEjQMbpagztMhOfy8WeA4Xabin2LHM587Qz8KfAP3RpfKTc1VMcj6Ri3XXknugnkYcdGbRQ1Yl_5DcVtlV460elhNnWA_LuvSrJqhIGQVcLIlujfvor8gCiY/s400/bread+on+wall.jpg" width="400" /></a>There is a custom among Pales-tinians today, that bread is never thrown away. If there is a left-over piece, place it on a wall, a place free from dirt, so that a hungry passerby can benefit from the crums falling from another's table.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p>With the Gospel encounter coming so soon after the feeding of the 5,000, where the last lines emphasized the abundance of bread and the inclusion of women and children, we can only ask why this abundance couldn’t cross over the boundary. But in the end it did.</o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">But again, it’s the other who crosses over, adapting to Jesus’ own
religious terminology. “Lord, Son of David, have mercy,” the woman says in
Matthew’s Gospel, using acceptable Jewish titles, and humiliating herself in
begging, and being uncharacteristically<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>assertive and quick witted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>"Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their
masters' table."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And God’s mercy
falls down upon her and her daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And God’s mercy falls down upon us as this encounter becomes a turning point in
salvation history as the gospel is extended beyond the boundaries of ethnicity
and religion, the door to the gentiles is open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
In the end, Jesus and the woman have both crossed boundaries to accept each other. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Crossing boundaries is not easy, but the result is often surprising and full of grace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">So we can only respond with smiles and appreciation for what this woman
accomplished in breaking down these boundaries.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">And as we reflect on the story today, we can only be amazed at the
generosity and unrestricted abundance that is prepared at the Master’s table for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">Whether we identify with the child in the story, coming to the table with
our burdens and pains, coming in need of God’s mercy, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">or whether we see ourelves as this determined woman, the
advocate, frustrated by a world deaf to our pleas for openness or concern, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">or
whether we are like the disciples, as Matthew describes them, acting as
gatekeepers and restricted by policies and procedures, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">or whether we are the
decision makers who are called to break with tradition and norm, who hear the cries of
those in need, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;">there is room at the Master’s table for all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the words are spoken with the sharing of
the bread, “All are welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
room at the table for all.”</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">by Fred & Gloria Strickert</span></em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-22951625092528562402012-09-01T13:49:00.001+03:002012-09-02T19:53:36.507+03:00A Ministry of Listening<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></span><br />
<em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"></span></em><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;">This last Thursday I (Fred) had the opportunity to
lead the regular Thursday noon Eucharist service at Sabeel, something I’ve been
invited to do occasionally when Anglican priest Naim Ateek is traveling out of the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a good opportunity to go over the Sunday
texts in advance<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>with a small group of
individuals committed to peace and justice issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;">Now it is the custom at Sabeel that following
the sermon, we pause for a few moments for those dozen or so persons present to
discuss the sermon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes this elicits a long moment of
silence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes a few short
comments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this week was different, my
words on the Gospel from Mark 7 about the law, its misuse, and the contrast between externals
and what comes from heart, had struck a chord with an older Palestinian woman, who
began to express her concerns about many current events that reflected how the law today is used against the powerless while protecting the powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And you can easily imagine some of the things she mentioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>And perhaps you’ve been in situations like
this where you can only listen and nod your head in agreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> "</span>Yes I understand" —but you feel helpless,
powerless about what can be done to change things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What words can I say to help her feel better, or more hopeful—Except, “I
understand.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;">Later. on the way back to the Old City, it dawned on
me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While my sermon focused on Mark 7,
in reality, we had been acting out the James 1 text assigned as the epistle for Pentecost 14.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><em><strong>“Be quick to listen, slow to talk, slow to
anger</strong>.”</em> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"> (James 1:19)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: black;">Listening can be the most difficult thing to
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Listening is</span> difficult, because we feel like
we should be able to say something to make things better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Listening is</span> difficult because we would prefer to be
in control, and if we can monopolize the talking, we may keep our place of power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Listening is </span> difficult because so often we are so
occupied by our own concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We have our own issues, so do we want to surrender our place at center stage to give way to another?</span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Listening is</span>
difficult because when we are silently listening, we often find ourselves feeling
vulnerable and powerless, no different from the person speaking to us.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black;">Yet note how James holds up listening as a
very important ministry that all of us can offer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><em><strong>“Every generous act of giving is from above,”</strong></em></span>
James begins this passage (James 1:17).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The faith
that God creates in us, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>faith in a God
who gives of himself through his Son, generates every act of giving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That</span> word <span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><strong>Every</strong> <span style="color: black; font-size: small;">should capture our attention</span></span>--<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s not just the heroic actions—like a
Rachel Corrie giving her life for what she believed, or a Mitri Raheb, risking
his reputation for his courageous prophetic speech.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Every act of giving is from above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in our acts of accompaniment, James would
place listening right there among the most needed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14z6rfyxOhP_EePi9ci5STTAZ5ITR1WLz9RC_yCxHiocTrBAZG1XWD-2toLYtOaS-ZCDR35aqeB5i95gU5q_Bsddq66B3aKHg8kJC7jS6OzXjQ_drwEHg_RxjPXmV8vRoQtxU7MkNE2xP/s1600/al+aqaba+coffee_crop-1_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14z6rfyxOhP_EePi9ci5STTAZ5ITR1WLz9RC_yCxHiocTrBAZG1XWD-2toLYtOaS-ZCDR35aqeB5i95gU5q_Bsddq66B3aKHg8kJC7jS6OzXjQ_drwEHg_RxjPXmV8vRoQtxU7MkNE2xP/s320/al+aqaba+coffee_crop-1_edited-1.jpg" width="272" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: black;">At the end of this section, James explains<span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"> the
essence of religion, "To care for widows and orphans in their distress" <span style="color: black; font-size: small;">(James 1:27)</span>,</span> (the powerless
of our societies, those forgotten by our politics and our ecclesiastical smugness).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here listening
fits right in because listening offers them dignity, listening recognizes their
humanity, listening gives them voice when no one else hears their cry for help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtSaSbkhcRzs4jKqh41wKtSYmnTHn3WTe9u1aklIhd_1YIQTnUnpbXzx1x2046Qb5z4RLySDYtTFVn-8DWrcs0jUSANDJqcUNAw46HYtatC5KB4C5MA1c7JAoQUlit0-nHKxKkHKziFpB/s1600/Sharouq+%2526+GS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtSaSbkhcRzs4jKqh41wKtSYmnTHn3WTe9u1aklIhd_1YIQTnUnpbXzx1x2046Qb5z4RLySDYtTFVn-8DWrcs0jUSANDJqcUNAw46HYtatC5KB4C5MA1c7JAoQUlit0-nHKxKkHKziFpB/s320/Sharouq+%2526+GS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">And when we feel vulnerable
and powerless in those situations of listening, then we find ourselves on the
same level, we really understand what accompaniment is all about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be the greatest gift of all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;">Early in the week, when meeting with our new
YAGMs, one asked the question how they could keep from becoming a burden to the
people they befriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had all heard
about the generosity of Palestinians, and their hospitality especially when it
comes to meals and visits to their homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s difficult for those of us from privileged backgrounds, from
comfortable lifestyles, with more pocket money than some people’s monthly
salaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How not to become a
burden?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIFEOVtXTCDyuQNKLBDEI0DVsuE0IRTfKamPex-0_RGvhcaNw005urYl-ARhAUCEk_-a6-ZfU6EkCzyY2OERt_-0Cx73bBziK8kBJCQaDo9A8bpQN5ioS35nih6n9-Ee58jiCnFRawarA/s1600/Azara+GS+FS_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHIFEOVtXTCDyuQNKLBDEI0DVsuE0IRTfKamPex-0_RGvhcaNw005urYl-ARhAUCEk_-a6-ZfU6EkCzyY2OERt_-0Cx73bBziK8kBJCQaDo9A8bpQN5ioS35nih6n9-Ee58jiCnFRawarA/s320/Azara+GS+FS_crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Be slow to talk, be slow to anger, but quick to listen.</em></strong></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Listening can be to
most generous gift you can offer, </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnkTCHVAJUpVWUP9cS1TvVeK2HpCs1Y6ToDuUHo0gYcQJiLjfuJ8RiaM5lP1oB_nzWsTqZKhztyKnPT7Q7-551JAGdVmGO7FTyAMxTeydWqQCL2lczA_KnQWXH0-_jYcesmtZb_enyOu0/s1600/Sally%252C+juji+making+brownies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnkTCHVAJUpVWUP9cS1TvVeK2HpCs1Y6ToDuUHo0gYcQJiLjfuJ8RiaM5lP1oB_nzWsTqZKhztyKnPT7Q7-551JAGdVmGO7FTyAMxTeydWqQCL2lczA_KnQWXH0-_jYcesmtZb_enyOu0/s320/Sally%252C+juji+making+brownies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;">to the teenagers whose young mother has just been diagnosed with cancer.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;">to a mother whose children have never seen the
Mediterranean or Galilee,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-outline-level: 3;">
<span style="color: black;">to the husband and father who has been out of work for longer than he can remember,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;">to the child whose uncle is in prison,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;">to one of our pastors delayed at the checkpoint for three and a half hours,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhaOqOFPKaWtwB9mggb6AQNaSOHBiT3jR1ExP7Fghj3t1fWbMZPPIIKmnDizKfzy0CQZjSSjvNMN7pQpuv710rvRk5WFPXhS11uFx-q80Ty7Kfwp9q_hhFUgutMZTLi3gHtptehafFQnp/s1600/Daoud+Jihan+Gloria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRhaOqOFPKaWtwB9mggb6AQNaSOHBiT3jR1ExP7Fghj3t1fWbMZPPIIKmnDizKfzy0CQZjSSjvNMN7pQpuv710rvRk5WFPXhS11uFx-q80Ty7Kfwp9q_hhFUgutMZTLi3gHtptehafFQnp/s320/Daoud+Jihan+Gloria.jpg" width="320" /></a>to the family that has received demolition orders for their home and confiscation orders for their land,</div>
</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"></span> <span style="color: black;">to the young grandmother </span><span style="color: black;">whose daughter has married a husband from
Jerusalem and now The Wall separates her from seeing her new granddaughter,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;">
to one who simply can’t understand how life could have dealt them such a bad hand of
cards.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><strong><em><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;">Be Quick to Listen. </span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p> <span style="font-size: large;">This is accompaniment.</span> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p>Sometimes a passage like this one from James 1, gives us new eyes to understand more familiar Bible stories. Such is the case with Luke 10's story of Mary and Martha.</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span></o:p></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVvZYIebQRqoTCinmK5DUX4BkSOVUqmV1BzdFovlJHo2gX8q47-IZgE77pvtn6Zznlj7p8NFsGVQSoXz6sZAS9vui928Y_4as9aOWp5FQSKVnFNuCKZZA0GDOE1pxjOJ5gZ7iLZHtXTd7/s1600/Mary+and+Martha+stain+glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVvZYIebQRqoTCinmK5DUX4BkSOVUqmV1BzdFovlJHo2gX8q47-IZgE77pvtn6Zznlj7p8NFsGVQSoXz6sZAS9vui928Y_4as9aOWp5FQSKVnFNuCKZZA0GDOE1pxjOJ5gZ7iLZHtXTd7/s320/Mary+and+Martha+stain+glass.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Martha had a sister, Mary, </span></span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">who sat at the Lord's feet, listening. . . ."</span> </span><span style="color: black;">Luke 10:39</span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Traditionally we have assumed that Jesus has been giving her private biblical tutoring sessions. But just maybe it's another kind of listening. Perhaps Jesus</span> was confiding in her his frustrations over the
fading crowds, or his fears over what might befall him in Jerusalem, or his
concern about one wayward disciple, or about Jesus’s own good
friend Lazarus, her brother, who hasn’t been looking well lately, and about
Martha who seems so preoccupied in doing something, that she can’t just sit
there and listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You have chosen the
better part.” says Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="color: black;">Every generous gift comes from above, and that
includes listening.<o:p></o:p></span></span></em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: black;">And so last Thursday, after returning to the Old City, I had to make a stop at the money changer on Christian Quarter Road, and after responding with a "Next time" to his last forty invitations for a cold drink, I finally sat down and learned that his son was just returning from Germany to begin his residency in cardiac care. And, even though I had plenty of things
I needed to do, I paused to chat with Rami at his jewelry shop to hear
about his new born daughter Pearla, born just last Sunday--mother and daughter are doing just fine Then a final stop
at Shawar’s Bakery and Coffee Shop, where I felt a bit of an obligation to give him
business on this slow day, even though I had plenty of coffee already at the
office.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;">Only then did I realize that slow business never bothered him and
that his selling coffee was just an excuse for him to listen to people like me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as he listened to me describing my day, I
understood James’ words.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #a64d79; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Every generous gift comes from above.</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span> </div>
Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-10055292406868370012012-08-27T14:00:00.002+03:002012-08-27T14:00:49.272+03:00Sermon for new YAGMs<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">by Fred & Gloria Strickert</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"></span></em></strong><br />
Sermon for new YAGM installation:<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">“Where
else would we go?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">It was only a short time ago – last January-- when we were reading
the Gospel story about the call of the disciples—Peter and John in particular--to
leave their boats, their fishing nets, and their families, to follow Jesus and
dedicate themselves to lives of commitment and service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then things happened so fast, it was a whirlwind of activity going
here and there trying to keep up with this Jesus of Nazareth walking from one
village to the next and proclaiming the kingdom of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And all that led to a hillside near the Sea
of Galilee and an afternoon lunch of loaves and fish with crowds beyond numbering—John says there
were about 5,000 present and adding women and children that could mean 10, 15, 20,000 or
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I</span>t’s good to get caught up in
the crowds and to feel comfortable, to feel secure, especially when the menu lists foremost the
bread of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">For five Sundays we’ve
been reading Gospel lessons from John 6 with Jesus expounding upon the meaning
of this bread come down from heaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet
slowly, slowly, the crowds dissipate. Many return to their homes and daily
routine, others trickle off a bit bored and looking for excitement, and others
yet are starting to criticize Jesus’ words and find offense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So by the end of John chapter 6, it appears
that we’re back to the starting lineup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And Peter says it well, “We signed on for the long haul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where else would we go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord, you have the words of eternal
life.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>( John 6:68)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">I think of those of you who have arrived here in Jerusalem most
recently, especially new volunteers who have dedicated yourselves to a year of
service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m guessing it seems like just
yesterday when you heard the call and responded with applications and letters,
which you followed with a hustle and bustle of activity preparing yourself, and
then, at least in the case of the ELCA- Young Adults in Global Mission who
joined together with dozens of others heading to other parts of the world,
together in a long discernment weekend, and then the week of orientation where
perhaps you could be swallowed up in the crowd and all its group
enthusiasm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the goodbyes, the long ride to the airport,
the flight, and eventually the realization that only a few of you were left, and then in a quiet moment late at night
a feeling of being all alone, and thoughts of “What am I doing here?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>or "Am I really up for this?" or “What next?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And having just arrived two days ago, your eyes are still blurry, maybe confused, maybe uncertain, maybe even a little teart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But down deep, your inner self is echoing
those words of Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have the words of eternal life?”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">That blurry vision appears in one of my favorite paintings, Eugene
Burnand’s "Peter and John running to the tomb on the morning of the
resurrection," from the Orsay Museum in Paris. This unique depiction reflects this
same blurry vision, while these two disciples found themselves left all alone,
now seemingly without Jesus clearly present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mary Magdalene had just awakened them—which explains their bad hair day--with the news of the empty tomb, and with this same question in mind, “Lord, to
whom shall we go?” they take off running to the tomb with Mary following in the
distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Running to the tomb, not
knowing, full of doubts, yet believing that even after Good Friday Jesus has
the words of eternal life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><o:p><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Thus the disciples with <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>looks of hopeful consternation, their urgent, purposeful race moves them past a well-centered frame to nearly run off canvas to the
left, for that is where the light of the rising sun is taking them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The focal point is off canvas, out of sight,
still beyond recognition, beyond<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>perception, beyond comprehension and understanding—yet totally in realm
of faith and hope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">How appropriate this is for our <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">context here at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">,</b> often described as just a stone’s
throw from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, The <em>Anastasis</em>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my whimsy and wonder, I’d like to imagine
this scene of Peter and John somewhere nearby, perhaps right in the vicinity of
where we sit at this moment here in the St. John's Chapel, perhaps right under our feet, perhaps out in the
street, where tourists run by every day, having been separated from their
groups, and trying to catch up, where pilgrims race ahead, not wanting to miss
that site or experience that will forever add meaning to their faith walk back
home. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">At the same time, I think how appropriate this image is for a
community made up in large part by individuals on “temporary assignment,”
short-term and long-term calls, and how sometimes it seems like we are racing/
running through our sojourn here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit
the ground running and when the day comes to leave, it seems like we had just
arrived, running through our months and years here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Yet it is significant that the artist has not chosen the Luke 24
text where it is only Simon Peter who races out to the tomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In John 20 it is the Beloved Disciple and
Peter who run to the tomb together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
to take a little artistic liberty, we might imagine Mary Magdalene in guise of
the long distance jogger, off canvas to the right, having already completed her
pre-dawn walk to the tomb, and having run back to tell the disciples, and
now following breathless at a distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The point is that this trek to the tomb emphasizes community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter is not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mary is not alone. The Beloved Disciple is
not alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are together in
community—just as we are in this congregation.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">And how interesting in the way the artist portrays a contrast in
the characters!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As is almost always the
case, the beloved disciple is depicted clean shaven and youthful, the youngest
of the disciples, while Peter, the leader is further along in years,
middle-aged, with a hint of grey, and out of breath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And their clothes:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Beloved Disciple in white—yes the
idealism of youth, yes even the innocence of youth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Peter, dressed in drab earth-tones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two disciples contrast and yes they
complement one another—just as our young volunteers and our older professionals
bring various gifts to the table in this amazing community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Notice the hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter
holding his chest with his right hand, “I think I’m about to have a
heart-attack” and with the left about to make a gesture to interject a word of
wisdom to John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the Beloved Disciple
runs with hands clasped prayerfully as if he already sees something that
Peter’s blurry eyes cannot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">What happens next?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John 20
reports that the Beloved Disciple,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>took
off sprinting to the tomb and arrived first, yet out of respect and deference to his
elder, waited outside bending to observe as best he could the grave wrappings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then impetuous Peter rushed in to inspect things
from a different perspective—now the face cloth folded to the side—and to
pause in reflection with the wisdom of age. But it all didn’t come together until the
Beloved Disciple also entered, observed and believed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Different gifts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Different perspectives, different backgrounds,
different ages, but all coming together with a single confession: The Lord is
Risen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has the words of eternal life!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">And here at Redeemer, perhaps what we offer best in community is
an opportunity to pause periodically in that daily walk of accompaniment with the people of this place--that walk that is so often a sprint--<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">to
pause to reflect</span> on the meaning of why we are here, why we seem to be
running through this place, why we feel a sense of calling to follow in the
footsteps of Peter and the Beloved Disciple, why we endure until the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"></span> </div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">With Peter & John, and also with Mary, we <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">pause to gaze into the empty tomb</span>, and
with Mary to rest outside and hear the voice of the risen Jesus calling us,
comforting and challenging at the same time—in word and sacrament we
gather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Healed and strengthened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, and then we run back to tell the others, to listen to their stories, to laugh with them, and sometimes to cry, to live in accompaniment whether walking or running alongside, to
serve others, to be agents of healing to a tired and broken world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In community, we are reminded again and
again, “Lord,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have the words of
eternal life.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Where else would we go?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-34318565874551169172012-08-14T20:42:00.004+03:002012-08-16T09:49:56.352+03:00Laylat al-Khadr<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Tonight is <em><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong>Laylat al-khadr</strong></span></em>, considered the holiest night of Ramadan.</span> </span><br />
<br />
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<br />
<span style="color: black;">This was the night in 610 A.D. when the angel <em><strong>Jibril</strong></em> (Gabriel) appeared to Muhammed during his fast in isolation on Mount Nur outside of Mecca. "Recite!" were the first words from Gabriel's mouth, and what followed was the first of many revelations over the course of two decades that were later compiled as the <em>Qur'an.</em></span><br />
<br />
So thousands of Muslims -- tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands is more like it-- are making their way to the Haram al-Sharif in old city Jerusalem to spend the night in prayer. The Israeli authorities announced that they would open the check point for Muslims--women, children, and men over the age of forty. Buses and more buses fill all roads to the old city.<br />
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Ramadan, the ninth month in the lunar calendar, is, of course, the month of fasting from sun-up to sun-down. It's not just food, but no water, no smoking, no sex, no evil thoughts or words. Then with the setting of the sun, communities gather for an iftar, to break the fast. First, a word of prayer, then the taste of fresh dates, and a glass of water.<br />
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We have adopted the custom of sitting on our patio on the Mount of Olives overlooking East Jerusalem and the old city to observe sundown each day of Ramadan. The streets are now deserted with only a few stragglers heading home. At about 7:30 p.m. the sun sets over West Jerusalem (and the Mediterranean somewhere in the distance), and immediately our most-talented muezzin begins the call to prayer, followed by several others from mosques in different directions. Then a few moments of silence while the city is enveloped in prayer. Then our eyes are fixed straight ahead until we see a flash and a puff of smoke hovering over Saladin Street north of the old city. Two and a half seconds later (sound does travel much slower than light!), the sound "Boom!" of the Ramadan Cannon, announcing to Muslims, "Take and eat!"<br />
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For the last 120 years the family of Ranjay Sanduka has been responsible for setting off the Ramadan cannon each evening from the Muslim cemetery just north of the old city in view of a signal from al-Aqsa Mosque. You can read about him in this <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18958266"><span style="font-size: large;">BBC article</span></a> or watch him in action in this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLsVTIqx6QE"><span style="font-size: large;">YouTube video</span></a>. <br />
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</a>Ranjay pauses for a well-deserved drink after fulfilling his task of signaling every Muslim in Jerusalem that the time has come to bite into that tasty date.<br />
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<br />We think of fasting periods in our religions--Ramadan and Lent alike--as times for giving up something. Muslims tell us that it is a time for adding something or emphasizing the spiritual part of their lives-- especially other pillars of Islam like prayer and charity, and in the recitation of Suras from the Qur'an. <br />
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Each evening we hear the sound of hymns raising up from Haram al-Sharif. Each morning as I walk through the Muslim Quarter, shopkeepers are engrossed in reading their Qur'ans. And then there is the shopkeeper across from Redeemer Church who each Friday of Ramadan shares his earnings with anyone in need, no questions asked.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dAHXQvWkPOuKUnzmTM-Vey1pvlMG2Ih1-5bKp3jHVL86Fj0zLmyIW5gXPF7ong4bGBeed4OPRodM0f7R37zFw3Dy7oAAyhyphenhyphenBb7BGi7SdM-IAk4ektLthuIp_gHoEuFGYlx167pyjXZLs/s1600/ram+celebration+maan_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dAHXQvWkPOuKUnzmTM-Vey1pvlMG2Ih1-5bKp3jHVL86Fj0zLmyIW5gXPF7ong4bGBeed4OPRodM0f7R37zFw3Dy7oAAyhyphenhyphenBb7BGi7SdM-IAk4ektLthuIp_gHoEuFGYlx167pyjXZLs/s320/ram+celebration+maan_crop.jpg" width="320" /></a>To be sure Ramadan is a time for celebration-- in Jerusalem for Jerusalemites and in the West Bank for West Bank residents. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrO-jhBsfb44-2zuuVjQmDw-B-CkjmMm27Ij5KihdJb22VXzWDd3mamXS7e6jQdrDdgY57psniaVy4u_tivK1jU67k864X5xtfhBlJPyCYE027Us1THqK8qxztGP2FUrZbBxK3jZgSDcY/s1600/ramadan+decorations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrO-jhBsfb44-2zuuVjQmDw-B-CkjmMm27Ij5KihdJb22VXzWDd3mamXS7e6jQdrDdgY57psniaVy4u_tivK1jU67k864X5xtfhBlJPyCYE027Us1THqK8qxztGP2FUrZbBxK3jZgSDcY/s1600/ramadan+decorations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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People buy gifts for their children or new clothes. Lights and decorations are purchased to decorate homes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_fG5DGprI6xDtztqujlwVSUFdSWh5UEqAiu0xilAvtANMGoKuWbhJhyphenhyphen1rjQTs7GnvHN-WozP8Jd_4GwB_H_p-wRxMCpnAzMiAU8SBouBg2KvsOynFy9nlluzj_etx-F6CqI3KFFDBufs/s1600/katayef+pancakes.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">to<img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL_fG5DGprI6xDtztqujlwVSUFdSWh5UEqAiu0xilAvtANMGoKuWbhJhyphenhyphen1rjQTs7GnvHN-WozP8Jd_4GwB_H_p-wRxMCpnAzMiAU8SBouBg2KvsOynFy9nlluzj_etx-F6CqI3KFFDBufs/s320/katayef+pancakes.png" width="320" /></a>Our favorite felafel stand has been re-equipped to make a special Ramadan pancake, called Katayeh, for people to take home to stuff with nuts and cinnamon, and bake in dripping honey.</div>
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And each Friday of Ramadan, as also on this night of Laylat al-Khadr, West Bank Muslims numbering in the thousands line up for hours at the check-points, standing in the hot August sun without food or drink, humbling themselves in hopes of being admitted. . . <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKSiA1lQVHkDDg-qrCE-WF-lE_6IywBcmr1z-EYgpSk117JP2pF7dFn207whQcSqVt2jW1pXtuP9Un151Z8XDsGN2N2523Ile353EzC-VPV7ypGwyBkPfR7U3wzzLd2QJHUv-zoEYNq_p/s1600/check+point_collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKSiA1lQVHkDDg-qrCE-WF-lE_6IywBcmr1z-EYgpSk117JP2pF7dFn207whQcSqVt2jW1pXtuP9Un151Z8XDsGN2N2523Ile353EzC-VPV7ypGwyBkPfR7U3wzzLd2QJHUv-zoEYNq_p/s400/check+point_collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">. . . for the privilege of praying at their holy shrine in their holy city.</span></div>
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<em>Haaretz</em> newspaper later reported that Israel unexpectedly increased permits from 16,700 from last year to 123,514 this year.</div>
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photo credits: Reuters news service</div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span></div>
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-64542758151124407592012-08-11T21:00:00.000+03:002012-08-15T12:07:21.714+03:00Emigration & Statistics<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span><br />
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On Friday of this week, we attended a conference at the International Center of Bethlehem, the conference center of Christmas Lutheran Church where Mitri Raheb is the pastor. We have come to expect when Mitri is behind a project, it will be a first-class operation, it will increase our understanding, and we will leave feeling better for the experience.<br />
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The conference title printed above from the header of the conference program notes that the focus was on the <strong><span style="font-size: large;">Christian presence</span></strong> here in the Holy Land. A conference like this could have easily been titled "Christian Absence" focusing on the<strong> dwindling</strong> Christian presence and the phenomenon of Christian emigration. The oft-quoted figure is that Christians here number less than 2 % of the population, and many of us have reflected on what Jerusalem and Bethlehem would be like<strong> if</strong> the day came when there are no Christians left and the churches became museums of the past? What would this mean for us individually? What would this mean for the global church?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3GPBMXb4r_Z-o4Ogl1vgQ7KGhPh9Vj-SZWxoOGhDzZFac76n-vnClEJ4zRSdOOgbDiVHzova_7-lFxC0zYPhxILB-aifEfbmFZEskOf9DlgolpT5-RdkakFryc5NfI0Y7wZZw25nI6s2/s1600/image001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3GPBMXb4r_Z-o4Ogl1vgQ7KGhPh9Vj-SZWxoOGhDzZFac76n-vnClEJ4zRSdOOgbDiVHzova_7-lFxC0zYPhxILB-aifEfbmFZEskOf9DlgolpT5-RdkakFryc5NfI0Y7wZZw25nI6s2/s400/image001.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yet the conference was not aimed at us. It was aimed at Palestinian Christians to reflect on the challenges and opportunites that confront them. The language of the conference was Arabic with tranlsation provided for the handful of us expatriates who attended. The several hundred attendees included religious leaders, but also sociologists, historians, and educators from the Arab speaking Christian community living in Israel, as well as the West Bank. Half of the attendees were youth--after all it is their future that is at stake.<br />
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The terms<strong> <span style="font-size: large;">challenges and opportunities</span></strong> are significant. For decades we have been talking about the<span style="font-size: large;"> problem</span> of Christian emigration and have been using statistics to demonstrate it. The CBS News 60 Minutes program on the plight of Christians last April is an example that makes us sit up and take notice. <br />
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The conference corresponded to a book launching of not one, not two, but<strong> <span style="color: red;">three new publications by the Diyar Consortium</span></strong><span style="color: red;"> </span>on the topic of Christian emigration and the Christian presence in the Holy Land. The books are hot of the press and will soon be available at <a href="http://www.diyar.ps/">www.diyar.ps</a> <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong><em>Palestinian Christians in the West Bank: Facts, Figures, and Trends, </em>by Mitri Raheb, Rafit Odeh Kasis, and Rania al Qass Collings</strong></span>, is an updated and expanded edition of a 2008 study also published in book form by Diyar and available online in a pdf. file that can be accessed <span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.diyar.ps/media/documents/pal_chr_booklet.pdf">here.</a></span><br />
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Their concern was more that just the statistics, but the questions of Why? and What are we going to do about it? In the preface he wrote that the purpose of the study was so that "Christianity will survive and thrive."<br />
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Recently, there has been a lot of misrepresentation of the facts and misuse of statistics regarding Christian emigration from the Holy Land--especially having surfaced in this year's American presidential election campaign and in an Op-Ed published in the March 9 <em>Wall Street Journal</em> by the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. The result was a strong campaign of letters to the editor by American Church leaders and also by Palestinian Christians. Among the responses was one by Pastor Raheb. Yet his approach is also one of providing the information needed to present interpretations clearly and factually. This book will be an important resource in that regard.<br />
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The book also includes an important 2008 questionaire in which Christian families who were seriously considering emigration were asked to state their reasons. This is what they said:<br />
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Lack of freedom and security --32.6 %</div>
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Deteriorating Economy--26.4 %</div>
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Political Instability -- 19.4 %</div>
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Churches, like the ELCJHL, have responded with strategies to provide affordable housing--such as the proposed Mount of Olives Housing Project--vocational training, and leadership development. </div>
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For those of us in the West, one of the surprises is that only a very few (less than one per cent) listed "religious extremism" as a factor in their decision to emigrate. <br />
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Studies like these have been available for some time, yet there are many who are convinced that Christians are being driven out by Muslims. A current top-ten <em>New York Times</em> Book in fiction describes an imaginary scene of a papal visit to the Holy Land with the Pope delivering a speech in Bethlehem scolding the Muslims as responsible for the demise of Christians in Bethlehem. Similar ideas are also spread by popular evangelical preachers who frequently make pilgrimage to the Holy Land, yet never speak to the local Christians. The same was argued in the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> piece.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYSdaIhV41MdSAwjr6-AUmWzDphbUkpifkavd6OXJ4CW35gbG5j6OV9jre2_fqoKxJc0WjEdJWITiqJEcnNXkbjNB8QCebmUvZbzGYfqANHci02q8TfftfmZ54SGhFTrKKzMYSJTtiLi4/s1600/Boor+Arab+Chr+Israel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYSdaIhV41MdSAwjr6-AUmWzDphbUkpifkavd6OXJ4CW35gbG5j6OV9jre2_fqoKxJc0WjEdJWITiqJEcnNXkbjNB8QCebmUvZbzGYfqANHci02q8TfftfmZ54SGhFTrKKzMYSJTtiLi4/s320/Boor+Arab+Chr+Israel.jpg" width="251" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"><em><strong>Arab Christians in Israel: Facts, Figures and Trends</strong></em> <span style="font-size: small;">was written</span> <strong>by Dr. Johnny Mansour</strong>,</span> A Christian from Ibillin in the Galilee and a Professor of History at Haifa University, to present the same kind of accurate and complete information about the 151,000 Christians who are Israeli citizens. The focus is on Arab Christians, but with the realization that the numbers of Christians in Israel also include Messianic Jews, migrant workers from places like the Philippines and Thailand, Ethiopians, and 20,000 Russian Orthodox Christians who immigrated to Israel in the late 1990s as part of the massive immigration of Russian Jews. Charts and graphs showing the high level of education by Arab Christians, yet also high unemployment rates, low acceptance into Israeli univeristies, and similar difficulties, support the common description of Arab Israelis as second-class citizens. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcue4mh1XqC81Y2CD1f34a_FcAao2yjv1xJxpxVQagbJWs6Kmy13C_RNpUrnJYijH8f_3ueBSe3xKs5rKuOkQnoGvIsq-odoG5mhnP-PwLK40Zn14j-qZK6DkRbJVuPSaI0ZKaWWCoJlEm/s1600/Book+Lat+Amer+Pal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcue4mh1XqC81Y2CD1f34a_FcAao2yjv1xJxpxVQagbJWs6Kmy13C_RNpUrnJYijH8f_3ueBSe3xKs5rKuOkQnoGvIsq-odoG5mhnP-PwLK40Zn14j-qZK6DkRbJVuPSaI0ZKaWWCoJlEm/s320/Book+Lat+Amer+Pal.jpg" width="254" /></a>A third book presents another side to emigration--the Christian Palestinian emigration for economic reasons to Latin America at the beginning of the 20th century. <strong><span style="font-size: large;">Violet Raheb</span></strong> has edited <strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em>Latin Americans with Palestinian Roots</em></span></strong> compiling a series of new studies by several Palestinian historians and several Latin Americans who reflect on their families' experiences. Most Iowans are aware of the large immigration to Cedar Rapids from Lebanon and Syria.</div>
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Many Christians merchants from Bethlehem brought olive wood and mother-of-pearl wares to the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, receiving business invitations to the U.S.A., Mexico, Guatemala and other countries.</div>
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Descendants of these early Christian immigrants (most from Bethlehem region) to Latin America now number over half a million.</div>
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The highest number of Palestinians are found in Chile.</div>
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The highest percentage are found in Honduras.</div>
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Several presidents of Honduras and El Salvador have been Palestinian.</div>
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By 1930, twenty of 58 clothing factories were owned by Palestinians.</div>
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77 % of the immirgrants to Chile were male, 40% were under the age of 20.</div>
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Again the reason for emigration was economic with many young men sending back funds to help their families back home. Others returned to their homeland after a time--the greatest number after World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. </div>
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One of the interesting findings is the role of emigration and repatriation in the self understanding of Palestinian identity, especially as Britian officially recognized Palestinian citizenship for those who left under Ottoman passport according to the stipulations of the Treaty of Lausanne.</div>
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That early emigration influenced Palestinian architecture with Bethlehem's Jacir Palace, built by Suleiman Jacir in 1910, and now incorporated into the Intercontinental Hotel.</div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></span></div>
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Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-21080307741570637922012-07-28T19:04:00.001+03:002012-07-28T19:04:19.267+03:00Olympics viewed from Jerusalem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></span><br />
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We must begin with a confession. We missed the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Even though London is only an hour time zone away, the festivities were televised here around midnight and in primetime in the USA.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11PYPHTvIhl1ZAwmYRhXlaJIfmdZSQsmJhj2RMRYO8itWMkWLk5qyGK381RCwivnea2FmSSakNk3Siy3vJCb8m6DAen3NFkrFk-0Cb7yfTe7794Glxr5824lMZHE5RObxDcuJ7kDwXEBI/s1600/Israel+Olympic+Team+Shahar+Zubari+38+ath+opening+ceremonies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11PYPHTvIhl1ZAwmYRhXlaJIfmdZSQsmJhj2RMRYO8itWMkWLk5qyGK381RCwivnea2FmSSakNk3Siy3vJCb8m6DAen3NFkrFk-0Cb7yfTe7794Glxr5824lMZHE5RObxDcuJ7kDwXEBI/s320/Israel+Olympic+Team+Shahar+Zubari+38+ath+opening+ceremonies.jpg" width="320" /></a>Israel is being represented by 38 athletes led by windsurfer Shahar Zubari as flagbearer. The <em>Haaretz</em> news website this morning also noted that he had dyed his hair blue and shaved an Israeli flag on top of his head. The jubilation of the opening ceremonies is somewhat restrained in memory of the tragedy forty years ago at the Summer games in Munich in 1972. Yet 2012 marks the opportunity for this new generation of athletes to shine.</div>
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Also among the parade of nations were five athletes representing Palestine with Judo hopeful Maher Abu Rmaileh from East Jerusalem carrying the Palestinian flag (although missing from the photo on the left).</div>
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Palestine does not get a whole lot of attention during the Olympics. Let's face it, the media are concerned about the medal winners, and that has yet to be. Maybe this year, <em>inshallah.</em><br />
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For those who paid close attention, there were 204 countries represented in the parade of flags during this year's opening ceremony. That's eleven more countries than are officially recognized by the United Nations. So although Palestine still has only observer status at the UN, it has participant status in the Olympics. (The Olympic committee does not give veto power to a handful of world leaders).</div>
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Actually Palestine was already recognized by the Olympic Council of Asia in 1986, and by the International Olympic Committee in 1995, and sent their first team to Atlanta in 1996, and to every Olympics since.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWkrfjFVskJpOOhGqWI06F_zm2sAuoHpMiVvsA5kqe1VteloMLBWyxEImaB6RXXjz72qw_zJmtwRg8MFJoSGnZ05fDyg7RU0k6oPJBqMS6JGHR24JHKbIO999xy8NDe0bdliR4X9T2AKX/s1600/Maher-Abu-Rmeileh+judo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWkrfjFVskJpOOhGqWI06F_zm2sAuoHpMiVvsA5kqe1VteloMLBWyxEImaB6RXXjz72qw_zJmtwRg8MFJoSGnZ05fDyg7RU0k6oPJBqMS6JGHR24JHKbIO999xy8NDe0bdliR4X9T2AKX/s200/Maher-Abu-Rmeileh+judo.jpg" width="194" /></a>This Sports Illustrated Photo shows flag-bearer Maher Abu Rmaileh working out at the al-Quds sports club in East Jerusalem. He qualified for the Olympics competing in Japan. His first Olympic competition will take place on Monday, 30 July.</div>
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Already on Saturday, July 28, Ahmed Jibril will compete in Men's 50-meter freestyle swimming. On Saturday, August 4, Baha al-Farah will compete in 400-meter track.<br />
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The Palestinian team also includes two women: one a Muslim, one a Christian. </div>
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Woroud Sawahla grew up near Nablus and trains at a local school. She will compete in the 800 meter run on Wednesday, August 8.<br />
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</a> She was quoted in a local news source as saying “My dream is to change the reality of veiled women and to be a part of all sports. . . Religion encourages sport, not vice versa.” <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK-mcP401hMfXrSqqzFy3u7AIjVNyTxrAtQdiG4Ltq8gnmDQ4X8RLdq3WuX1O7kMWNX_TRc9h8cGDHPVqbVIoEo87mQ1kJ5620TBrQawH1yT_yCHDsoynZx-E-J4P8TlowtXvUJhAeAAU/s1600/chariots+of+fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMK-mcP401hMfXrSqqzFy3u7AIjVNyTxrAtQdiG4Ltq8gnmDQ4X8RLdq3WuX1O7kMWNX_TRc9h8cGDHPVqbVIoEo87mQ1kJ5620TBrQawH1yT_yCHDsoynZx-E-J4P8TlowtXvUJhAeAAU/s200/chariots+of+fire.jpg" width="170" /></a><br />
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This brings back memories of the 1981 film<em> Chariots of Fire </em>when religion played a role in the competition between Harold Abrams and Eric Liddell in the 1924 Paris Olympics--Harold, a Jew facing anti-Semitic prejudice, and Eric, a Christian who chose not to compete on Sunday. (photo on right)</div>
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Not only will Woroud compete wearing the Hejab, but she and all Muslim athletes will be observing Ramadan, neither eating nor drinking water during the daylight hours of the summer-heat. </div>
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On Friday, August 3, <em>Sabine Hazboun</em>, a Christian from Bethlehem, will be seeking to medal in the Women’s 50-meter freestyle swimming competition.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMpmt_4OlBc14k3UBiUH08DoMUKwEmGCYdp0tfxY1cRzCx0ETgng9hPKP56PI7nE6JP-ThumCAxgbL5gnxIfnWnoAFklM3CjywKj63s6O5XD6aW1SgKP7VAr_s42FegoWKaRRKLzkAS0R/s1600/Sabine+Hazboun+%2526+father+Issa+Hazboun+Director+of+Catholic+Center+in+Bethlehem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMpmt_4OlBc14k3UBiUH08DoMUKwEmGCYdp0tfxY1cRzCx0ETgng9hPKP56PI7nE6JP-ThumCAxgbL5gnxIfnWnoAFklM3CjywKj63s6O5XD6aW1SgKP7VAr_s42FegoWKaRRKLzkAS0R/s320/Sabine+Hazboun+%2526+father+Issa+Hazboun+Director+of+Catholic+Center+in+Bethlehem.jpg" width="320" /></a> Sabine's father, Issa Hazboun, is the Director of the Catholic Center in Bethlehem. Already at age 13, Sabine had made her mark as the national champion and has participated on the International stage in the 2010 Youth Junior Olympics and the 2011 FINA Championships. Unfortunately, there are no 50-meter swimming pools in Palestine, so training is difficult. At 17, Sabine has delayed her final year at St. Joseph's School in Bethlehem to spend this past year in full-time training in Barcelona at a training facility especially for athletes from countries with limited resources.</div>
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<br />Sports are extremely popular in Palestine, but not official-sized sports facilities. See our previous blog about our dear friend Honey Taljieh, former Palestinian women's soccer star and now coach. <span style="font-size: large;"> </span><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.co.il/2011_06_01_archive.html"><span style="font-size: large;">Click here for June 9, 2011</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJykVqtn9MJmD7XOZML0fEZ8dmIDwrk6YFW5-zIGVaObiBl1awExXsZwRrQLYSuI7RE2cHMUz6GSkdP4uWd9UObi5ULuPtH8624cSrSk8QOPnjTi-ttHw1KuQJX0f59Dbnoxw8gP_ywxge/s1600/football+field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJykVqtn9MJmD7XOZML0fEZ8dmIDwrk6YFW5-zIGVaObiBl1awExXsZwRrQLYSuI7RE2cHMUz6GSkdP4uWd9UObi5ULuPtH8624cSrSk8QOPnjTi-ttHw1KuQJX0f59Dbnoxw8gP_ywxge/s320/football+field.jpg" width="320" /></a>We are pleased to report that in recent months--after years of patient waiting for proper permits--our LWF dirt football (soccer) field here on the Mount of Olives has been upgraded with an artificial grass surface into a competition-level facility where local teams can compete on a regular basis.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qkvGV7jlj7wGSZnJQfJ02YUmTl4QrmWzUY52vELIm8pdplsCJf31g2Z7a9i32P7zNYkbXez4gYn_vjdIEyeOLQHEnJeHVDHh4j1kbdgtDEf8eYlnb12_cUyaP3KjQSvaIlJk6B5MOUBU/s1600/Dar+Alkalima+gym+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qkvGV7jlj7wGSZnJQfJ02YUmTl4QrmWzUY52vELIm8pdplsCJf31g2Z7a9i32P7zNYkbXez4gYn_vjdIEyeOLQHEnJeHVDHh4j1kbdgtDEf8eYlnb12_cUyaP3KjQSvaIlJk6B5MOUBU/s320/Dar+Alkalima+gym+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In Bethlehem, thanks to a million-dollar gift from an Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Church, our Lutheran Dar Alkalima School will soon have a gymnasium. <br />
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One of our spring highlights already is to attend the Dar Alkalima School sports day.<br />
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And for fun, we will leave you with several photos from last fall's Lutheran-Church sponsored fun run where boys and girls, young and old, participated in races through the hills of Beit Sahour.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">. . . all with dreams of what it might be to participate in a future Olympics.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span></div>
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>
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</div>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-17498681376892777172012-06-14T19:06:00.000+03:002012-06-14T19:06:33.927+03:00Sunday Morning<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</span></a><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">It is 9:00 Sunday morning in Old City Jerusalem</span> <br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">The sun is shining</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;">View our new video about the English-speaking Congregation at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. <span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4oCyZjMZOw&feature=youtu.be">Click here</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Thanks to YAGM Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath, Video producer extraordinaire.</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span></div>
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: black;">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-120652241746565612012-06-02T13:51:00.000+03:002012-06-14T19:14:40.805+03:00Cremisan<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span><br />
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Last week after church we accidentally broke our favorite communion chalice. It fell to the floor with pieces of broken glass and drops of red wine scattered everywhere. Every Sunday we hear the words <strong><em>broken for you</em></strong> in relation to the bread that we share as a symbol of Christ’s broken body for our broken world. Now I can say it in relation to the cup and the wine, Christ’s blood broken and shed for you in the brokenness of our lives and for our whole broken world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aCAHzh-IMe1M9Wd9JObaVhIm4N4Z0-B8Lo5w-5U2RtC-ACEz3aF4yi4wQ4otO1vgTwb5hWmoAwXDrwLuwq71veZ3R89_B1lfNRPNmWdVCJntqB6kBvREHwq3-x3NZwEc_TTRQPbJjIdo/s1600/communion+class+altar_edited-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_aCAHzh-IMe1M9Wd9JObaVhIm4N4Z0-B8Lo5w-5U2RtC-ACEz3aF4yi4wQ4otO1vgTwb5hWmoAwXDrwLuwq71veZ3R89_B1lfNRPNmWdVCJntqB6kBvREHwq3-x3NZwEc_TTRQPbJjIdo/s400/communion+class+altar_edited-2.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Here our favorite clear glass chalice sits in the center of the altar next to a bottle of Crem-isan wine-- during a first communion class at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.<br />
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We really liked that old clear glass chalice because we could see the rich deep red color of the wine, the port wine that we always buy from the Cremisan Monastery on the northern slopes of Beit Jala just next to Bethlehem.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13upJQLgnveh-sUKmupE4luksq8mlFUOu6vCXNh6wpWlE2xfkYD_SdWGBzjcC5pSdWSB-NKAamPFTlNzjrspscqOJPugy-ItLhimb_sps2bHYxipySOLKG5rTip5iZG0du1FIHgAg9Oke/s1600/logo_cremisan_winery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13upJQLgnveh-sUKmupE4luksq8mlFUOu6vCXNh6wpWlE2xfkYD_SdWGBzjcC5pSdWSB-NKAamPFTlNzjrspscqOJPugy-ItLhimb_sps2bHYxipySOLKG5rTip5iZG0du1FIHgAg9Oke/s320/logo_cremisan_winery.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Back in 1995-96 when Gloria and I lived in Beth- lehem, we would take Sunday after- noon walks out to Cremisan, a full five-kilometer walk up the steep Beit Jala hills, and, of course, another five kilometers back. Yet it was worth it to experience this idyllic setting with terraced vineyards and olive groves sloping down the hillside and down the valley heading west.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispHgLuHoIhcjHNqPoyGzBADdhAzXGMW1y6-_vnMQdxGbAXLlwF2DtjXACLHdtvOEyB0ZWKrXs-EpYHNXIUOIlTVXsaUavorPUp8Sxbo43Yz_Ln7bGvA9TF4u6_X_6OYGXWndM5yDJ9Cyk/s1600/cremisan_school.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispHgLuHoIhcjHNqPoyGzBADdhAzXGMW1y6-_vnMQdxGbAXLlwF2DtjXACLHdtvOEyB0ZWKrXs-EpYHNXIUOIlTVXsaUavorPUp8Sxbo43Yz_Ln7bGvA9TF4u6_X_6OYGXWndM5yDJ9Cyk/s320/cremisan_school.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This idyllic scene has existed throughout the generations since the Salesian Brothers had come from Italy in 1885 to build this monastery with its school and winery on the ruins of an ancient sixth century monastery. Each Sunday there would be Palestinian families enjoying the shaded monastery grounds for picnics, and young boys playing basketball on the playgrounds and people like us coming to taste the red Cremisan wine. <br />
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Today things have changed. The idyllic picture is disappearing. Late each Friday afternoon Father Ibrihim Shomali from Beit Jala's Catholic Church of the Annunciation holds an outdoor mass among the olive trees as a reminder of the brokenness of this world and of Christ's presence in situations like these.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugiiOlN0DFUd9_4pDSIDb-xAyV1ybb_1a3bmLRweVrcbmaITTqo3EJpQu1ugZGeuBc2ZAv-D_5y5Wn9YcLAEvCUpL8g1H8iGcWGyH56ojfUQ1egRIRxOVvF9uTozMvBDevJMqH_BdeBiI/s1600/cremisan_mass_priest_settlements_inbackground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhugiiOlN0DFUd9_4pDSIDb-xAyV1ybb_1a3bmLRweVrcbmaITTqo3EJpQu1ugZGeuBc2ZAv-D_5y5Wn9YcLAEvCUpL8g1H8iGcWGyH56ojfUQ1egRIRxOVvF9uTozMvBDevJMqH_BdeBiI/s400/cremisan_mass_priest_settlements_inbackground.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
In the background is the Israeli settlement of Gilo now encroaching on Cremisan lands.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgALKpRV4TD8aDJnYqyxVH-nJ0f0eGJAmuEk1Hs2DFM70BL62VecECqlx6KDsgsMIeuQ2hppKXSOaX6RvQo6Xh8r5ifC5XWN8y3iDWY3-1VqYirq9yhE7xdEZCRA7sdKxR4OkpN2CmHKi/s1600/cremisan_mass_1948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgALKpRV4TD8aDJnYqyxVH-nJ0f0eGJAmuEk1Hs2DFM70BL62VecECqlx6KDsgsMIeuQ2hppKXSOaX6RvQo6Xh8r5ifC5XWN8y3iDWY3-1VqYirq9yhE7xdEZCRA7sdKxR4OkpN2CmHKi/s320/cremisan_mass_1948.jpg" width="320" /></a>A few weeks ago when we gathered prior to the commemoration of al-Nakba, several participants wore tee-shirts with <strong>1948</strong> as a remembrance that two-thirds of the Christians in this land lost their homes and their land in that catastrophe fleeing as refugees.</div>
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Our own Bishop Younan was invited to give the homily, describing how both his parents lost their homes and all their possessions at that time, finding refuge in another monastery, the Monastery of John the Baptist in the Old City of Jerusalem. The bishop witnessed how the Holy Communion always has assured him of Christ's presence in such situations of brokenness.<br />
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The Cremisan story is a reminder that al-Nakba is not just an event of the past but it is a description of the ongoing catastrophe for the Palestinian people. The maps below are taken from a recent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16656978">BBC report</a> about Cremisan--marked in the lower left-hand corner of the map. The dotted white line shows the boundaries up until the 1967 war--commonly called the Green Line, officially recognized by the United States, every other country of the world, and the United Nations as the limit of Israeli territory and the starting point for peace negotions. However, beginning in the early 1970s two Jewish- only settlements, Gilo and Har Gilo, were established on land conviscated from the residents of Beit Jala. Cremisan became sandwiched in between. The dark blue areas show other settlements clearly designed to take more and more land from Arabs surrounding Jerusalem--many of them Christians.<br />
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The next step came with the building of the Separation Wall--the route marked with red on the map--deep within Palestinian Territory and clearly designed to offer no room for further growth of cities like Beit Jala, Bethlehem, and Beit Sahour, and cutting off the Cremisan monastery, as well as Christian and Muslim families living in the surrounding area..<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFf1RX5oA1XbcKLyl7auFG5Ia6SVsNqonHXDUbUOdXFrle0n8q0i96yeGu47RYEAeHi3tJy1CWtZGdwIyLADrkHKy09y_9N4OUVCARSSnaoILASwShpzGvDLvzoizc5S2ij4vlUYKNjDA/s1600/cremisan_with_wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWFf1RX5oA1XbcKLyl7auFG5Ia6SVsNqonHXDUbUOdXFrle0n8q0i96yeGu47RYEAeHi3tJy1CWtZGdwIyLADrkHKy09y_9N4OUVCARSSnaoILASwShpzGvDLvzoizc5S2ij4vlUYKNjDA/s1600/cremisan_with_wall.jpg" /></a><br />
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Today that idyllic picture has been replaced by the brokenness of the separation wall that climbs the hill from the Bethlehem check point. Fortunately, construction on the wall came to a halt when the Cremisan sisters appealed to Israeli courts on the grounds that the wall would separate their school from the students. The court ruled in the sisters' favor, but the wall was then rerouted to cut straight through monastery property to divide the sisters of Cremisan and their school from the brothers of Cremisan and the rest of the monastery. <br />
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This aerial photo (from BBC) shows the route of the existing wall and the proposed route cutting Cremisan in two. It seems obvious that its purpose is to provide room for the illegal settlement of Har Homa to expand toward Gilo--squeezing out Cremisan along the way, as well as homes of many Palestinian families.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJAg0n-Tz4iP7dk5CWIaCLKYEtefhDkYivGBoSxQyegk8nwJnMW3ewc6Bzsk-_SCdiflsIynHMmDZnHllnAE4vLGeCcfj_6Pin3C7TyW7VEV-7IgSjZwggzeoGbX4BXaQyA970kTagXvn/s1600/cremisan+aerial+map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOJAg0n-Tz4iP7dk5CWIaCLKYEtefhDkYivGBoSxQyegk8nwJnMW3ewc6Bzsk-_SCdiflsIynHMmDZnHllnAE4vLGeCcfj_6Pin3C7TyW7VEV-7IgSjZwggzeoGbX4BXaQyA970kTagXvn/s400/cremisan+aerial+map.gif" width="400" /></a> <br />
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This is the continuing al-Nakba.<br />
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On this weekend of Trinity Sunday when we wonder how it can be that "the whole earth is filled with God's glory" and the holiness of God raised to the third power (Isaiah 6:3), we are reminded of a story about Karl Rahner, one of the most prominent Roman Catholic Theologians of the 20th century whose crowning work was a systematic treatment of faith <em>The Foundations of the Christian Faith</em>. One day a university student told him that he had lost his faith and could Professor Rahner suggest a couple of books for him to read. Rahner’s response: You don’t need books. Go to Munich and work among the poor for a year and then we’ll talk.<br />
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer talked about this from his prison cell in Nazi Germany, “We have for once learnt to see the great events of world history from below, from the perspective of the outcast, the suspects, the maltreated, the powerless, the oppressed, the reviled – in short, from the perspective of those who suffer.” <br />
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Seeing world history from below was one of the great lessons learned by Archbishop Oscar Romero as he ministered to the oppressed in El Salvador--even though it was a long and difficult lesson for him to learn. In the film <em>Romero</em> there is a scene where he is walking in accompaniment with the poor people of the land when they are accosted by Salvadoran soldiers. When the soliders humiliate him and strip him to his underwear, he makes the announcement, "Now we will begin to say the Mass." They looked surprised. Is this the place where Christ belongs? Is this the place for a Eucharistic celebration? There amidst the squalor and the suffering, in this place of brokenness he brings the message of "Christ's body broken for you." (View a six-minute clip from the film Romero <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=cW3I3dQEBLE&NR=1">here.</a> )<br />
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And so every Friday afternoon, Father Ibrihim Shomali celebrates the Mass in the olive groves of Cremisan where the separation wall is scheduled to break this already broken land even more. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L0gPGrRmec3K9mJutGZJMwbpdfwfVgTyV9Nm22oHfUAeqaKgs1IV3zhh87_Cq1e59gGQrRDybWMwEkR8p3Cu-uf-UoOyup6-4bX5OYYmV9XChBg_9Ar735QlAzTwt1icn4J4blidxrAu/s1600/altar+in+trunk_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5L0gPGrRmec3K9mJutGZJMwbpdfwfVgTyV9Nm22oHfUAeqaKgs1IV3zhh87_Cq1e59gGQrRDybWMwEkR8p3Cu-uf-UoOyup6-4bX5OYYmV9XChBg_9Ar735QlAzTwt1icn4J4blidxrAu/s320/altar+in+trunk_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
At 4:25 promptly, he drives up hauling a small table in the trunk of his car, which is set up in the olive orchard as a make-shift altar.<br />
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There he puts on his chasuble with the appropriate color<br />
for the season while a crowd of fifty, sixty, and sometimes over one hundred gather under the shade of the trees. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb3QM7nllXratQUvCkBoYoc3mPudM4-d_Lr3UI7WNXjlhVzMVDQyf_PcDSv77-_9jhmKQ2tIEQfjCKK_s_eDp3xrp_GpMWLhdhvUJjqVO_q4KSS_B0NgF2x-ZqUHUnLEeo-AiCxzdYrGv/s1600/cremisan_mass_dignitaries2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigb3QM7nllXratQUvCkBoYoc3mPudM4-d_Lr3UI7WNXjlhVzMVDQyf_PcDSv77-_9jhmKQ2tIEQfjCKK_s_eDp3xrp_GpMWLhdhvUJjqVO_q4KSS_B0NgF2x-ZqUHUnLEeo-AiCxzdYrGv/s320/cremisan_mass_dignitaries2.jpg" width="320" /></a> Among them people who know the experience of losing homes, and others who have learned to see life from below, sometimes diplomats of various countries and clergy from different denominations.<br />
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This week a women's choir joins us from the Catholic Church in Beit Sahour.<br />
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<br /><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxhKu3LIPTE">Click here to see a video of the Cremisan Mass.</a></span><br />
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Michael Sabbah, retired Latin Patriarch, is the special guest.<br />
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He blesses the chalice of Cremisan wine, holds up the bread & breaks it,<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong>Christ’s body & blood broken for a broken world.</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span> <br />
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<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-55869168850759795232012-05-26T10:23:00.000+03:002012-05-26T10:27:53.917+03:00Our Shared Witness<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span><br />
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<strong><em><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">Announcing a new book by</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;">Rev. Munib A. Younan</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="color: black; font-size: large;">of Jerusalem</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">Bishop of the ELCJHL</span></em></strong><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-size: large;">The President of the Lutheran World Federation</span></em></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.lutheranupress.org/Books/Our_Shared_Witness">Link to Lutheran University Press</a></span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">A bridge-builder. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">An ambassador of reconciliation. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">A prophetic voice, </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">speaking truth to power. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">An advocate for justice, </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">peace, and non-violence. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">A witness to the liberating </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: small;">Gospel of Jesus Christ. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Life-Italic; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: small;">A servant for the suffering. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">See </span><a href="http://www.lutheranupress.org/"><span style="font-size: large;">www.Lutheranupress.org</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Leonard Flachman, publisher</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;">Table of Contents</span><br />
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<em>Biographical Sketch </em><br />
<em>Foreword </em><em><br /></em><em><strong>Part One: The Life and Work of Lutherans in the Holy Land</strong> </em><br />
<em>The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land</em><br />
<em> Adapting to a Changing Environment while Drawing Strength</em><br />
<em> from Deep Christian Roots </em><br />
<em>Lutheran Interest in the Middle East: A Historical Survey </em><br />
<em>Fifty Years of Living Witness and Creative Diakonia </em><br />
<em>Word for Graduates of ELCJHL Schools </em><br />
<em> </em><em><strong>Part Two: Messages of Reconciliation for a World of Division</strong> </em><em><br /></em><br />
<em>Justice, Reconciliation, and Hope: United for God’s Mission </em><br />
<em>Reforming Luther: Toward a Prophetic Interfaith Dialogue</em><br />
<em> Among Christians, Jews, and Muslims </em><br />
<em>Give Us Today Our Daily Bread </em><br />
<em>What’s Lutheran about Health Care? Insights from Martin Luther </em><br />
<em>Ecumenism Is Reconciliation in the Middle East and in the World </em><br />
<em>Jerusalem Today and Tomorrow: Four Visions </em><br />
<em>What Does the Lord Require of Us? A Vision of Peace through Justice </em><br />
<em>The Church’s Commitment to Non-Violence</em><br />
<em>Bring Religion Back to the Front Lines of Peace</em><br />
<em>The Role of Religion in the Middle East </em><br />
<em>Why Lutherans Should Recognize Interfaith Harmony Week</em><br />
<em>A Suggestion for Christian–Muslim Dialogue</em><br />
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<em><strong>Part Three: Sermons about Love for Neighbor and Reconciliation</strong> </em><br />
<em>Fear not! (Luke 2:10) </em><br />
<em>Living Stones (1 Peter 2:5) </em><br />
<em>Reformed for Costly Discipleship and C</em><em>reative Diakonia </em><br />
<em>With Eyes and Ears on Jesus (Matthew 17:1-9) </em><br />
<em>Jesus’ Strategy Session for the Early Church (John 14:1-14) </em><br />
<em>I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25) </em><br />
<em>One in the Apostles’ Teaching (Acts 2:42) </em><br />
<em>Living as the Children of Light (Ephesians 5:8) </em><br />
<em>Welcoming the Stranger (Matthew 25:31-46) </em><br />
<em>Christ–the Hope of the World (Ephesians 1:15-23) </em><br />
<em>Planting a Tree for the Future (Genesis 8:11) </em><br />
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Munib Andria Younan was born in the Old City of Jerusalem after his parents<br />
sought refuge in the Monastery of John the Baptist during the war of 1948. <br />
His parents lost everything and were never allowed to return to their homes.<br />
As a youth in the old city, Younan began attending the Lutheran Church of<br />
the Redeemer, where he learned the power of the Gospel.<br />
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In 1976, after studying in Finland, Younan was ordained at the Lutheran<br />
Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. <br />
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In 1998 he was consecrated as bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran<br />
Church in Jordan, later renamed the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan<br />
and the Holy Land. -- ELCJHL. <br />
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Bishop Munib A. Younan was elected as president of The <br />
Lutheran World Federation by its Eleventh Assembly in <br />
Stuttgart, Germany, in July 2010.<br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Rev. Martin Junge, General Secretary, The Lutheran World Federation,</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;">writes about Bishop Younan:</span><br />
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<em>"This is the way I have come to know Bishop Munib Younan in his service as</em></div>
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<em>LWF president. As a pastor and a church leader he cares deeply both about</em><br />
<em>his own church in the Holy Land and about the church universal. He cares</em><br />
<em>both about the well-being of his own Palestinian people and people around</em><br />
<em>the world. He cares about violations of human rights wherever they occur</em><br />
<em>and about what it takes to make for peace. He lives with passion for the</em><br />
<em>church and for the world!</em><br />
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<em>"As you will read in this collection of sermons, speeches, and writings, Bishop</em><br />
<em>Younan’s theology is contextual—deeply rooted in his daily reality as a Palestinian</em><br />
<em>Christian—while at the same time being universal—offering insights and</em><br />
<em>principles that apply to other situations in vastly different parts of the world.</em><br />
<em>Given the tragic history of failed Israeli--Palestinian peace efforts, it would</em><br />
<em>be easy to become pessimistic, discouraged, and even bitter. But Bishop</em><br />
<em>Younan is full of hope, the hope that comes from a deep faith. This is the</em><br />
<em>testimony of a man liberated by God’s grace, working for a just, peaceful,</em><br />
<em>and reconciled world."</em><br />
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<em><br /></em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-4752039958458199162012-05-19T15:17:00.003+03:002012-05-19T15:17:52.684+03:00Ascension footprints<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><i>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</i></span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">Ascension Day on the Mount of Olives</span></i><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><i> </i></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjLKhemJyEF-Jbkg5Afa4nytP02JL65piMajxU75BFKtZSy3HttSm6RS-K0dWoyo11CH0fd61tsgXeQHwQmCzK56IkP_5QUtNkspAAybk2awsmka7l1M8p_oZ3B7f6nZ7vnS5n4bzs79b/s1600/ascension+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjLKhemJyEF-Jbkg5Afa4nytP02JL65piMajxU75BFKtZSy3HttSm6RS-K0dWoyo11CH0fd61tsgXeQHwQmCzK56IkP_5QUtNkspAAybk2awsmka7l1M8p_oZ3B7f6nZ7vnS5n4bzs79b/s400/ascension+collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><i> </i><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">For a number of years now, the ELCA communications people have promoted a tagline that goes with the ELCA logo. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>God’s work. Our hands.</b></span> That’s a clear way of describing our responsibility as Christians living out the resurrection in the world around us. What we do is not really our own accomplishments. It’s God’s work. Yet God chooses to employ our hands in carrying out these things on earth. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">This is not a new idea. Martin Luther used this imagery in his explanation of the First Commandment, “People are the hands, the channels, the means by which God bestows all blessings.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">A few summers ago the ELCA invited congregations to submit short video that demonstrated the ways in which they were using their hands to carry out God’s work in their communities. Of the hundreds of submissions the best of the best were shown at the Churchwide assembly in Minneapolis where we were amazed at all the creative ways that highlighted the hands of congregational members. White hands, black hands, olive colored and brown. Tiny hands of a young child dwarfed by the large hands of a father. Soft dainty hands and scarred calloused hands. The hand of a newborn and the wrinkled blotched vein-protruding hands of the elderly. Dirty or clean, open or grasping an object, embracing another or lifting them up. God’s work, our hands.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">I thought of this <span style="font-size: large;">hands-on imagery</span> this week as we have come to that part of the church year called <span style="font-size: large;">Ascension.</span> That point where we acknowledge an end to Jesus’ resurrected appearances on earth. A point in time that Luke calculates somewhere in the range of 40 days. It is that moment when Jesus’ healing hand recedes so that ours reaches forward. Where Jesus’ embrace of the children coming to him gives way to our own hugs and embraces, where in a sense Jesus hands over God’s work to his disciples and to us.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkXYL2usghgoSp_DDX9ZU6gSrNwSHA8OZB5IzwNb91C7hIph23xeRTELiWOmgR-2HRdwZVbaDFJnq0woQGMb_kitB6vFqlPdbDGsGWlWYErPutUXA-74AywccJ5dltxkz0jTXd07G3Ss4/s1600/ascension+procession+forward_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkXYL2usghgoSp_DDX9ZU6gSrNwSHA8OZB5IzwNb91C7hIph23xeRTELiWOmgR-2HRdwZVbaDFJnq0woQGMb_kitB6vFqlPdbDGsGWlWYErPutUXA-74AywccJ5dltxkz0jTXd07G3Ss4/s320/ascension+procession+forward_edited-1.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Here in Jerusalem, we mark Ascension Day
with an afternoon service at the Augusta Victoria Hospital Ascension
Church and then recess out to the eastern ridge of the Mount of Olives
(with Mount Nebo off in the distance.)</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Most of the great artists depict the ascending Jesus lifting up his hands in a farewell blessing, while the disciples stand there on the same Mount of Olives gazing up into the heavens until awakened from this trance by the proclamation of angels.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">This is one of the dangers of depicting the ascension with that first century cosmological world view of Jesus floating up into the sky—as it raises the visions of religious people upward and away from this world we live in. Thus the focus through much of Christianity that religion teaches how to go to heaven, as if nothing in this present life really mattered. It follows when Christians neglect the environment and show disregard for neighbor. It is exhibited when fundamentalists proclaim the end of the world, turning Israelis and Palestinians into pawns in this Armaggedon 3-D battle, and promoting a rapture theology where the earth is abandoned.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">But the angels turn our heads downward to see the world around us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(photo: </span><a href="http://www.emergentkiwi.org.nz/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.emergentkiwi.org.nz/</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">If I were an artist painting the
ascension, I think I would offer a change of perspective. Instead of the
disciples looking up to Jesus raising his hands in blessing, it would
be looking down from Jesus’ perspective. Looking down, not to focus on
the hands, but on Jesus’ feet and the disciples’ feet. Yes even the
footprints of Jesus there on the hillside below.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Jesus' muddy and blood-stained footprints are all over the pages of the gospels.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">• Can you see Jesus' footprints in the wilderness as he faces each temptation under the strain of hunger and thirst? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="color: black;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">• Can you see the wet footprints on the jagged rocks along the Galilean Sea as Jesus called his disciples?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">• Can you see Jesus’ footprints northward across the West Bank to sit with the Samaritan woman at the well?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">• Can you see Jesus’ footprints crossing to the other side of the Jericho road to bind up the wounds of the man beaten by robbers?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">• Can you see Jesus’ footprints beneath the sycamore tree, where he invited Zaccheus to come down and walk over to his house together for a plate of hummus and pita?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">• Can you see the dirty, muddy footprints of Jesus plastered over the floor of the upper room where he put first his own disciples in washing their feet?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">• Can you see the blood-stained footprints along the Via Dolorosa and Golgotha, loving us to the end?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">• Can you see the footprints on the Mount of Olives, as if Jesus were leaving behind a road map for us to follow?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">From that day in the Synagogue in Nazareth, the Holy Spirit moved Jesus in certain directions, not others. He had said it would be so in his first sermon when he read from the scroll of Isaiah. "The Spirit has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of God's jubilee." When Jesus finished that reading, he said, "Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." This is my road map. This is how I will walk on the earth. Come, follow me.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieO_WsdBkWOJkDupz3iX2HJsfVTuEBO8qkYs8TsiCriGBTqWSsI3Q_inqPLxsWdXttchIjEFss_YgxKCQrKkueb-fCmlooKfk2IdZf1snLJZCn1FB6CRUD0pn99rX2SS66BOz5NrH0ZEjh/s1600/ascension+procession+forward_feet_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieO_WsdBkWOJkDupz3iX2HJsfVTuEBO8qkYs8TsiCriGBTqWSsI3Q_inqPLxsWdXttchIjEFss_YgxKCQrKkueb-fCmlooKfk2IdZf1snLJZCn1FB6CRUD0pn99rX2SS66BOz5NrH0ZEjh/s400/ascension+procession+forward_feet_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">The Spirit that anointed Jesus now
anoints you and me. That's what Jesus tried to tell his disciples before
he left them. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes
upon you, and you will be my witnesses." On this earth where I left my
footprints.</span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">Maybe this is why one of the first pilgrim records describing churches on the Mount of Olives mentions a footprint in stone—Bishop Arculf mentioned it in 670 A.D. and it’s still visible in the Mosque of the Ascension, not far from our church. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vVeA_-fAVgMYSrs7fzntw-DKlJj1VKkjkamd9kFlBvy2obXqfGccfJDNsEXTQEMn3TlvtWasO2Ceb0NRSCn8DFapu3CoVEIBKxh91KuhGakwhRlPSiyeRrcdZdYWFHU4VQ-aiW98shrV/s1600/ascensionjesus-footprint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vVeA_-fAVgMYSrs7fzntw-DKlJj1VKkjkamd9kFlBvy2obXqfGccfJDNsEXTQEMn3TlvtWasO2Ceb0NRSCn8DFapu3CoVEIBKxh91KuhGakwhRlPSiyeRrcdZdYWFHU4VQ-aiW98shrV/s320/ascensionjesus-footprint.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;"> Not so much that this stone indentation represented the extraordinary physical force necessary to launch into heaven. Not so much to mark the exact spot. But to remind us that this is where we are called. God’s work. Our feet. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: small;">I like the imagery of God’s work, our hands. But sometimes we’re too much the fix-it people, and judge things on what we accomplish with our hands, even when it is God’s work. But it’s not just doing that matters. It’s also being that’s important. Being in relationship. Being in accompaniment. God’s work. Our feet.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQ24oCNiSyogWEyJ2AjJIzjEbzarcSKcDZy3nQm7O0DdnQH03GFjBWKr98pdLlMy3rqpb8vKhfL6l9xXZa6aTurMNRLKrpfQ_382E63bkvQELRoz-uPZY8YVkXSkbYqAYPKRc_tyAeevh/s1600/ascension+procession+away+feet_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZQ24oCNiSyogWEyJ2AjJIzjEbzarcSKcDZy3nQm7O0DdnQH03GFjBWKr98pdLlMy3rqpb8vKhfL6l9xXZa6aTurMNRLKrpfQ_382E63bkvQELRoz-uPZY8YVkXSkbYqAYPKRc_tyAeevh/s400/ascension+procession+away+feet_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;">Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Christ Has No Body</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Christ has no body but yours,</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>No hands, no feet on earth but yours,</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Yours are the eyes with which he looks</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Compassion on this world,</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Yours are the eyes, you are his body.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Christ has no body now but yours,</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>No hands, no feet on earth but yours</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>Yours are the eyes with which he looks</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><i>compassion on this world.</i></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><i></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Christ has no body now on earth but yours.</i></span></span></div>
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<div style="color: purple; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><b>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">http://walkinJerusalem.blogspot.com/</span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;"></span></div>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-84683254548913909042012-04-25T08:31:00.001+03:002012-04-25T12:22:47.867+03:00A New Pastorhttp://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/<br />
<i style="color: purple; font-size: x-large;"><b>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiOtcziFpppsn3bxomgeqTthOF0CqGJfzToFAqz8bMBLXqbhDMwL10uduQ_uqywXwB_R3OvNeEh04XQuNSzDC8Inor27jQEdbMzZHQ7Cw1JnBvL7BSxkXypEZmnc6jSbjQieyQAlhfT1U/s1600/AshrafOrdinatioaddressing+cong2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRiOtcziFpppsn3bxomgeqTthOF0CqGJfzToFAqz8bMBLXqbhDMwL10uduQ_uqywXwB_R3OvNeEh04XQuNSzDC8Inor27jQEdbMzZHQ7Cw1JnBvL7BSxkXypEZmnc6jSbjQieyQAlhfT1U/s320/AshrafOrdinatioaddressing+cong2.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>Meet our new pastor:</b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b>Ashraf Tannous</b></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Here Ashraf addresses the congregation at the end of his ordination
service on Sunday afternoon at Jerusalem’s Lutheran church of the
Redeemer. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">One of the highlights of my former life as a college religion professor was the opportunity to take part in ordinations of forme</span><span style="font-size: large;">r students—several each year.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXY0BL7VWqlOOaXuuOTy-h13LRoRiTJFCifFY70_HTIA2k7G_kfly4Wwu1fKPvx_LYXc1l2iLjL0fXikavNW3sKQ4KAwA7KQpZRoaR4qGAGsul1WUDLEKsTCxpYUd3acOVO1RqZk2KMLUF/s1600/AshrafOrdinatio+saliba+Imad+process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXY0BL7VWqlOOaXuuOTy-h13LRoRiTJFCifFY70_HTIA2k7G_kfly4Wwu1fKPvx_LYXc1l2iLjL0fXikavNW3sKQ4KAwA7KQpZRoaR4qGAGsul1WUDLEKsTCxpYUd3acOVO1RqZk2KMLUF/s320/AshrafOrdinatio+saliba+Imad+process.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">The ELCJHL is such a small church that ordinations are few
and far between— seven Palestinian pastors and a bishop. The last ordinations were in March 2008 when
Pastors Saliba Rishmawi and Imad Haddad entered the holy ministry--and so they were given the honor of leading our procession on
Sunday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ashraf's ordination was an occasion for great celebration and jubilation for the local
church—small as it may be—with our Palestinian pastors congratulating Ashraf as
he rises from the kneeler upon the declaration of ordination.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That declaration was pronounced by Bishop Munib A. Younan with the Palestinian pastors leading the Arabic liturgy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yet the larger church community was present
to accompany the ELCJHL on this occasion.
Jerusalem’s Anglican Bishop Suheil Dawani and the Lutheran Bishop of
Oslo, Norway, Ole Christian Kvarme, assisted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Accompanied also by representatives of Jerusalem’s churches offering their prayers.</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Accompanied by representatives of the ELCJHL’s international
partners sharing a word of Scripture.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18px;">Accompanied by the ELCJHL’s expatriate clergy standing in the background in a supportive role.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Accompaniment is a
key word in our understanding of today’s global mission, as we the global
church walk along with the local church contextualized in
theology and worship</span>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFAS0__Da1X6TeC6qNLREZ_lE1s4L-czG96LYjoXG1Wy60T8k-6rkXGeJkwRHD-gbvqb8yDTsYGLRvyZOUhw-UhPegcEkmUd3S-oKX9BnOgmUx-qI8iBuwOiZOscknYQoQSwp4xndtDWC/s1600/AshrafOrdinatiofred+epistle_edited-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFAS0__Da1X6TeC6qNLREZ_lE1s4L-czG96LYjoXG1Wy60T8k-6rkXGeJkwRHD-gbvqb8yDTsYGLRvyZOUhw-UhPegcEkmUd3S-oKX9BnOgmUx-qI8iBuwOiZOscknYQoQSwp4xndtDWC/s320/AshrafOrdinatiofred+epistle_edited-2.jpg" width="169" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am mindful that
today, as we are writing this blog, marks the 37<sup>th</sup> anniversary of my
own ordination at Messiah Lutheran Church in the small town of Wabag in the
highlands of Papua New Guinea. While
ordinations are often held in a candidate’s home congregation with family and
friends present, our mission agency called one day to ask if we would consider
postponing ordination until after arrival in PNG where I was ordained not by a
bishop of the sending church, but by the bishop in Papua New Guinea. It would be a sign of this new understanding
of the emerging local churches and the accompanying role of missionaries. </span> </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, the red stole I wore Sunday was the one Gloria
handmade for me 37 years ago in the highlands of PNG where we learned to serve
the local church as we walked together in mission in that particular context.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And here in the city where the Christian Church was born and from which missionaries went out to the four corners of the world, Ashraf continues an unbroken chain of two millennia of ministers of the Gospel.</span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja684U8S9jGf5ufdD94VuHBf0j9KhT8eqYz7ogtKwphshUosj8xwKkKm6jQF_LXBJogkUveD7P5MM8a3UIJA-4M7vOOZlMFdWd2O4npXBO-ZOT6ciY-q4HxYdV4cdO10rSBNupfh22S5Mt/s1600/AshrafOrdinatio%252C+laying+on+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja684U8S9jGf5ufdD94VuHBf0j9KhT8eqYz7ogtKwphshUosj8xwKkKm6jQF_LXBJogkUveD7P5MM8a3UIJA-4M7vOOZlMFdWd2O4npXBO-ZOT6ciY-q4HxYdV4cdO10rSBNupfh22S5Mt/s400/AshrafOrdinatio%252C+laying+on+hands.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is our favorite photo from the ordination. </span><span style="font-size: large;">As a symbolic gesture of our understanding of
accompaniment, we the clergy from the Global Church formed an outer circle laying our
hands upon the shoulders of the pastors and bishop of the ELCJHL who form an inner circle laying
hands on the kneeling Ashraf Tannous.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now it is our privilege to serve alongside Ashraf in
ministry in this place. Ashraf grew up
in the West Bank city of Ramallah where his parents came as refugees during the
1948 war. He is a graduate of the Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah, the Near
Eastern School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon, and graduate school in Geneva,
Switzerland. We got to know Ashraf two
years ago while he served as Vicar of the Arabic congregation here at
Redeemer. He spent a second year of
internship this past year in Germany.
Fluent in Arabic, German, and English, Ashraf brings many gifts and lots of energy to
ministry and will be an asset to the church. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3W1gYFZdrlUBOcpVTFHuFagZNKQFg9hP3GSgQQVIJ3TidyK6xBNOZIE2R0A0gIWXKWMDQzsezCWzRWEsFu4HUcK4UM927_luEnmCLBHUeJ0nhx8NLQECooJB8VufeD2GPwsXeOIoOH2S/s1600/AshrafOrdinatioeucharist2_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3W1gYFZdrlUBOcpVTFHuFagZNKQFg9hP3GSgQQVIJ3TidyK6xBNOZIE2R0A0gIWXKWMDQzsezCWzRWEsFu4HUcK4UM927_luEnmCLBHUeJ0nhx8NLQECooJB8VufeD2GPwsXeOIoOH2S/s400/AshrafOrdinatioeucharist2_edited-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;">Mabruk, Ashraf. Congratulations!</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-size: small;">photo credit: Ryan Rodrick Beiler</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><i><b>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: red;">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</span></div>
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<br /></div>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-65388759690869710172012-04-09T10:29:00.000+03:002012-04-09T10:29:05.852+03:00Holy Week<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;">by Fred & Gloria Strickert</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #38761d; color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Palm Sunday in Jerusalem</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7hbiKTYBmnIPaHXQwj75eaKDb8BIJ_VPFKHt9ZXPHgbFNbCdV1IBKZfbaGaraSgk9LThf144H5F4LSPh9Ofxpy3mdPkrymFwppU5efnrFECfOc4DPgEn1fjSWmLt-4PYEbNfx6ds0c-H/s1600/Palm+Sunday+processionpilgrims.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7hbiKTYBmnIPaHXQwj75eaKDb8BIJ_VPFKHt9ZXPHgbFNbCdV1IBKZfbaGaraSgk9LThf144H5F4LSPh9Ofxpy3mdPkrymFwppU5efnrFECfOc4DPgEn1fjSWmLt-4PYEbNfx6ds0c-H/s400/Palm+Sunday+processionpilgrims.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Thousands of Pilgrims Converge on Jerusalem</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jn41qLS_bImB_xB3ETPuRzIOna1YrjssQO6y9kXEcLeNYd6FhReJD39tZkiBFXc0RSWqcgxMUDr_dM3nnDTRyeQwzSKmmbA2zgE2EDIbJr7ce4NbwhMl0XLuiVeqb7uLG5XfZvkqtmgh/s1600/Palm+Sunday+procession+Bethphage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="212px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7jn41qLS_bImB_xB3ETPuRzIOna1YrjssQO6y9kXEcLeNYd6FhReJD39tZkiBFXc0RSWqcgxMUDr_dM3nnDTRyeQwzSKmmbA2zgE2EDIbJr7ce4NbwhMl0XLuiVeqb7uLG5XfZvkqtmgh/s320/Palm+Sunday+procession+Bethphage.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Beginning at Catholic Church in Bethphage</span> .</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQfAIVf_VK405vaD_m58wUeglN42Yca5cBb5voGPPIgBolK6qF9WpwfNuuqCSuMlJP4TJPxynH4uvfLuBGnapxDpidDhV1iOUNOV4-3_xuak8Z_r42Lb49xG1FRTMt7zurs2QLvYcefeg/s1600/Palm+Sunday+procession.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="212px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQfAIVf_VK405vaD_m58wUeglN42Yca5cBb5voGPPIgBolK6qF9WpwfNuuqCSuMlJP4TJPxynH4uvfLuBGnapxDpidDhV1iOUNOV4-3_xuak8Z_r42Lb49xG1FRTMt7zurs2QLvYcefeg/s320/Palm+Sunday+procession.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"> Crossing East Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"> down the Kidron Valley to the Old City</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLc9M4RRLw00tefxjeTJ2tnYtq61eNx73ZeKlM6RTplxAbn68a2ycYU5EowIDQ14y5RZH24nAL_0Cw6y2MHlPwoAnzt1PfA1J4WCB5sOAI8xwXTh8YHl39JPuMbrUtZjW-GCHx1VWEoZy/s1600/Palm+Sunday+procession+dome+background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLc9M4RRLw00tefxjeTJ2tnYtq61eNx73ZeKlM6RTplxAbn68a2ycYU5EowIDQ14y5RZH24nAL_0Cw6y2MHlPwoAnzt1PfA1J4WCB5sOAI8xwXTh8YHl39JPuMbrUtZjW-GCHx1VWEoZy/s320/Palm+Sunday+procession+dome+background.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFLkKCZGZpbNAxUHWcUkEwwwsVjepdEa46FtffXrwsqO79A5M_21mYmtd9UKuZJMrYadG3hc5q8XgJFkPsVSWlg6az83oDqAEysCRb9HxsK5UNBmHezNfI9eS8yadgT3zkca_Ifl0iJ7f/s1600/Syrian+orthodox+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="144px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFLkKCZGZpbNAxUHWcUkEwwwsVjepdEa46FtffXrwsqO79A5M_21mYmtd9UKuZJMrYadG3hc5q8XgJFkPsVSWlg6az83oDqAEysCRb9HxsK5UNBmHezNfI9eS8yadgT3zkca_Ifl0iJ7f/s200/Syrian+orthodox+group.jpg" width="200px" /></span></a><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Led by Palestinian Scout Troops--Here from the Syrian Orthodox Church. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabZIU5zlfymesSLfW0Hyow170J_eVHwEwMhYfeLOWQyPxpeTrrF5_G-wJYY_bDL0Y9yaKzwXOEHPEeav7RkzEdRzh1QlMTiSwGwLgja5SCxMpMjwT1hPMrGPgnU0l-DASdNRwAEfr254_/s1600/Palm+Sunday+procession+beit+jala.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabZIU5zlfymesSLfW0Hyow170J_eVHwEwMhYfeLOWQyPxpeTrrF5_G-wJYY_bDL0Y9yaKzwXOEHPEeav7RkzEdRzh1QlMTiSwGwLgja5SCxMpMjwT1hPMrGPgnU0l-DASdNRwAEfr254_/s320/Palm+Sunday+procession+beit+jala.jpg" width="320px" /></a><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Palestinian Christians still remain a small minority overshadowed by the thousands of pilgrims. Here young women from Beit Jala -- just seven kilometers away, but across the separation barrier-- were given permits for the Holy Days.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tdlo8kGC18_xyMHERT0QdNzfwnGrIoJVzH4JGtdDl0C9rh9y-3w7wIqgB9gPAnLjb_s92OSiaBK7oN6iWW3pCZMlWzDor8yUujtMt3GB6MKXnnnF2Ho1ezvSlFxX_R5pmdK7SL_89JU3/s1600/palm+sunday+Ramallay+sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="320px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tdlo8kGC18_xyMHERT0QdNzfwnGrIoJVzH4JGtdDl0C9rh9y-3w7wIqgB9gPAnLjb_s92OSiaBK7oN6iWW3pCZMlWzDor8yUujtMt3GB6MKXnnnF2Ho1ezvSlFxX_R5pmdK7SL_89JU3/s320/palm+sunday+Ramallay+sign.jpg" width="217px" /></span></a><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">The irony: Christians from all over the world have free access to all the holy sites, but those from nearby need special permission. In many cases, one spouse received a permit while the other did not. And with the frequent closure of checkpoints during these holy days, permits were often meaningless pieces of paper.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXRPThZmvcFLstMT6Ja-82NSKJHXjEz7WW9J455zSoVNbv7q5E9YbKB-PR10zU3AHL3X1RebMcLTw9NnArIfA75-Znq9AF76rZi53bhUgQrMGbptyFIRqPJfrdldKPF6rDJkBxKZO8srm/s1600/Palm+Sunday+Holy+Sepulchre+above.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="212px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNXRPThZmvcFLstMT6Ja-82NSKJHXjEz7WW9J455zSoVNbv7q5E9YbKB-PR10zU3AHL3X1RebMcLTw9NnArIfA75-Znq9AF76rZi53bhUgQrMGbptyFIRqPJfrdldKPF6rDJkBxKZO8srm/s320/Palm+Sunday+Holy+Sepulchre+above.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Palm Sunday procession of priests in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre around the tomb.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: purple; color: white; font-size: x-large;">Maundy Thursday</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2I-IPCLkbmQBQmNLyzW3OMO4Z674RkPiVsO_ziMtIJdhY6sHFr7Y9I1v-qY8J-AjFvt_juw0c1Sc-h3M73R-rbrWhNOnMWiykGtbdKg8QAoBZP9-ZDbvahRvua-wigc3p8gWvAMEOkge/s1600/Upper+Room+Washing+boys'+feet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple;"><img border="0" height="212px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2I-IPCLkbmQBQmNLyzW3OMO4Z674RkPiVsO_ziMtIJdhY6sHFr7Y9I1v-qY8J-AjFvt_juw0c1Sc-h3M73R-rbrWhNOnMWiykGtbdKg8QAoBZP9-ZDbvahRvua-wigc3p8gWvAMEOkge/s320/Upper+Room+Washing+boys'+feet.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Catholic foot-washing ceremony at upper room.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8uTMKSEbRUmUa8LkLdzoEFzgko2qJA56KGBfNy-h46hMPzQTxTPEGD3JVwYGH85BIxCmdq7OOPRzMUtbPzgi-B3BqUGP4UvfPAf1K0dYpFfEQJ9ESDcLCewx0zJ2AdzAlFiWbIxhtj8h/s1600/MT+Bishop+Younan+altar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik8uTMKSEbRUmUa8LkLdzoEFzgko2qJA56KGBfNy-h46hMPzQTxTPEGD3JVwYGH85BIxCmdq7OOPRzMUtbPzgi-B3BqUGP4UvfPAf1K0dYpFfEQJ9ESDcLCewx0zJ2AdzAlFiWbIxhtj8h/s320/MT+Bishop+Younan+altar.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojy8v0gmC2-ceDvXxJP7IkhprN11aCXDWMqBLU-ESDIwsI4J5n_4sVrjydBtz0Nf8oMmIBIUVY3SOj9Lm3bXbHC3RcTgNfKGP3KLDkOpSatveqe_HkDJnK1O1xIPV-4S-iOU3HtUicSY-/s1600/MT+gloria+communion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="213px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhojy8v0gmC2-ceDvXxJP7IkhprN11aCXDWMqBLU-ESDIwsI4J5n_4sVrjydBtz0Nf8oMmIBIUVY3SOj9Lm3bXbHC3RcTgNfKGP3KLDkOpSatveqe_HkDJnK1O1xIPV-4S-iOU3HtUicSY-/s320/MT+gloria+communion.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Eucharist at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer.</span></div><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBUnUET_jBqMkhBWRzw0LTPtor51pJ911qY4wFVojpV6QiQ4V1OcsLVFqAjPlR64eY4ffyHIebnuSboKN38LqqOonifII7uwoGnvAqhRDBvNQ0i2bMKfmA0xNiBfUeXAw3mYw6NzX57MO/s1600/20120405rrbon+way+to+Gethsemane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBUnUET_jBqMkhBWRzw0LTPtor51pJ911qY4wFVojpV6QiQ4V1OcsLVFqAjPlR64eY4ffyHIebnuSboKN38LqqOonifII7uwoGnvAqhRDBvNQ0i2bMKfmA0xNiBfUeXAw3mYw6NzX57MO/s320/20120405rrbon+way+to+Gethsemane.jpg" width="320px" /></a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Procession from Redeemer to Gethsemane</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDlx49rjuoP6ZfkegzzhBe-Q-TssPw6xuFJyauwgtuyLw9Rrxjws_k-7J9Tpx79nfY0er5Yvprn6Gb-W6ZiFMIieoibPNC46MKNuVSgqZkbnnk9rjy5IwQ4Ch_GKfrz0z2FgATRngfqrx/s1600/Gethsemane+night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="212px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDlx49rjuoP6ZfkegzzhBe-Q-TssPw6xuFJyauwgtuyLw9Rrxjws_k-7J9Tpx79nfY0er5Yvprn6Gb-W6ZiFMIieoibPNC46MKNuVSgqZkbnnk9rjy5IwQ4Ch_GKfrz0z2FgATRngfqrx/s320/Gethsemane+night.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Stay with me! Watch and Pray</span>!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHXIxb1tGH2tHL0nRp0vyrhyphenhypheneFcIJazpBGlHfoITWGxzTC4en05lcRk0rmd6fnE2uo9pr6ebLwmWU8FmGK1Gx1oKuqVCkPv4MYblGRy8g0uar1bj4NeeOJ9CGc3V3tibh9Kk7MZERJecb/s1600/Via+Dolorosa+1000s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #eeeeee;"><img border="0" height="320px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCHXIxb1tGH2tHL0nRp0vyrhyphenhypheneFcIJazpBGlHfoITWGxzTC4en05lcRk0rmd6fnE2uo9pr6ebLwmWU8FmGK1Gx1oKuqVCkPv4MYblGRy8g0uar1bj4NeeOJ9CGc3V3tibh9Kk7MZERJecb/s320/Via+Dolorosa+1000s.jpg" width="257px" /></span></a><span style="background-color: black; color: #eeeeee; font-size: x-large;">Good Friday on the Via Dolorosa </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS3tq09mGlsb_gb-kmvYIORgNNrEvilYDuIrXzIZFT9T1qVvZ6NyfTjuiKrJTO-YARsxfhNxp7rfNohd69KF-p9TWPVdQYfCuaPDAnu3YRTAoi_VLZekO8fCpnsDa1RxYIEkfri0zvZmJ_/s1600/Via+dolorosa+from+above.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #eeeeee;"></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3Ez1Z5RB859_j2JAtBYEaIjGk0Rm17BNn52RRSzYcw3o-R170ylEMa2aArgFvynqsfnS2bi-SejAkfydI3BUMxtGhofcvFQGSOFKvHvec5FDe_tcpMeRaHLHjuFho4KGKH0olatAenDb/s1600/20120408-palestine-0002-1784634637-W.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ3Ez1Z5RB859_j2JAtBYEaIjGk0Rm17BNn52RRSzYcw3o-R170ylEMa2aArgFvynqsfnS2bi-SejAkfydI3BUMxtGhofcvFQGSOFKvHvec5FDe_tcpMeRaHLHjuFho4KGKH0olatAenDb/s400/20120408-palestine-0002-1784634637-W.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1lgi-x2XTu0tNKtD4T2IKTC6IAkty-TqTvLzK4TlwznGdm043n1spv-f5gMpV511o19AsggiK24QWaPqhos9Xban1JLoqgEA99QhGvhJRoUIOiIF6ar9XZpWjvl4MiI_AoPo51TPqAda/s1600/Easter+SR+crowd+in+darkness20120408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF1lgi-x2XTu0tNKtD4T2IKTC6IAkty-TqTvLzK4TlwznGdm043n1spv-f5gMpV511o19AsggiK24QWaPqhos9Xban1JLoqgEA99QhGvhJRoUIOiIF6ar9XZpWjvl4MiI_AoPo51TPqAda/s320/Easter+SR+crowd+in+darkness20120408.jpg" width="320px" /></a><span lang="EN"><em><span style="background-color: yellow; color: blue; font-size: large;">Very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.</span></em> (Mark 16:2)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q8RVgneITNCVg3bDu1szilSY3Q4KgDWLImT5I4KTUGafmHjSz4AhdpSlobVpRQfdqbpgyWQ66Lxlk8iH0Jlz0VibhFCWU77C_3Es96HspKn3dONg-nZ_n1cni-DV_lpJ51Gl5nTMJVWA/s1600/20120408-palestine-0201-1784652718-W.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266px" nda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6q8RVgneITNCVg3bDu1szilSY3Q4KgDWLImT5I4KTUGafmHjSz4AhdpSlobVpRQfdqbpgyWQ66Lxlk8iH0Jlz0VibhFCWU77C_3Es96HspKn3dONg-nZ_n1cni-DV_lpJ51Gl5nTMJVWA/s400/20120408-palestine-0201-1784652718-W.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><span style="background-color: yellow; color: blue; font-size: x-large;">Go and Tell!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">photo credits: Ryan Roderick Beiler & Michael Younan</span><br />
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: blue; font-size: x-large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: purple;">by Fred & Gloria Strickert</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: purple;"><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></span>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-31342544589132695752012-03-30T15:58:00.000+03:002012-03-30T15:58:34.109+03:00Blind Bartimaeus<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></span></strong><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">“Teacher, order your disciples to stop.”</span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”</span></em></div>(Luke’s Palm Sunday Gospel—Lk 19:40)<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Just a few days before Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, while passing by Jericho on this way to Jerusalem, Jesus encountered Blind Bartimaeus<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Mark 10:46-52).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the last miracle of Jesus according to Mark’s Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the most surprising part of the story is that “many sternly ordered him to be quiet,” trying to prevent healing for this unfortunate member of God’s creation. Yet Bartimaeus only cried more loudly until he got Jesus' attention.</div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It happened again this week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People trying to prevent “the recovery of sight to the blind.” And it happened near Jericho, at the Allenby Bridge border crossing from Jordan.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B50wPb0myAdvMJ1Ar8QllsNzYuTq5eQsBP0Z7nu92pzybuxbWlBua9rPnv2UyA00SaexTih9YU3X-vlxaXmsbzi7X-FM-0h4K2D_AJfGU2NXUgW622HQSTi2D60M5ek2nsR8PEw4PDUu/s1600/dabbagh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B50wPb0myAdvMJ1Ar8QllsNzYuTq5eQsBP0Z7nu92pzybuxbWlBua9rPnv2UyA00SaexTih9YU3X-vlxaXmsbzi7X-FM-0h4K2D_AJfGU2NXUgW622HQSTi2D60M5ek2nsR8PEw4PDUu/s1600/dabbagh.jpg" /></a>Dr. Ali Dabbagh, an eye-doctor with specialist credentials, was on his way to Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem to offer his third segment of a course on “Diabetes and Eye Complications.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">And he was denied entry by Israeli security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> He tried another border crossing the next day, and was denied once again.</span></div><br />
This is one of the many road blocks thrown up every day by a government of occupation in making life difficult for Palestinians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It highlights even more t</span>he amazing story of our Lutheran ministry of health care to Palestinians at August Victoria Hospital--especially when one considers all the determination by health care providers and all their extraordinary efforts. We were made aware of this story once again this week with the release of the <a href="http://lwfjerusalem.org/wp-content/uploads/LWF-Jerusalem-Annual-Report-2011.pdf">LWF Jerusalem Annual Report --2011</a> (click the link to read the report or go to the website <a href="http://www.lwfjerusalem.org/">www.lwfjerusalem.org</a> ).<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOi3lLQ-xCpT1EjYs6oXxjjxCQ3JLaz2RyZi6Fj5xjegDzso0FkTB30HhN80qm8d3Id58pACf4ReQP1xeSQcpda_80e0794f6vs7wQGtksSbkDiNnfi2RTUnlZzpJ2WKREsZqjdl_lLpc/s1600/LWF-2011-thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOi3lLQ-xCpT1EjYs6oXxjjxCQ3JLaz2RyZi6Fj5xjegDzso0FkTB30HhN80qm8d3Id58pACf4ReQP1xeSQcpda_80e0794f6vs7wQGtksSbkDiNnfi2RTUnlZzpJ2WKREsZqjdl_lLpc/s320/LWF-2011-thumbnail.jpg" width="226" /></a> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">When you see a beautiful cover photo of a young Palestinian dialysis patient with her Winnie the Pooh coloring page, you can only feel proud about what the world-wide Lutheran community is doing to continue Jesus’ healing ministry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can also read the story of Asmah, a six-year old cancer patient who came to AVH from a refugee camp in Gaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On page 12, you can read about the celebration at AVH of World Diabetes Day and the hospital's focus on childhood diabetes—with funding assistance of USAid.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">14 % of Palestinians suffer from diabetes, the high figure a result of the stress-filled life under occupation—and in many cases it affects the eyes, no different than the world Jesus encountered with Roman occupation.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX9gzHt7jlfQuUoNL0miONSyWdQhKGqpFxqyXNWiLGP6CUTlIioN8La6ok9feOj1kONEpBIT5kMxz_jgCj1yxDSqMifZ1qtCt_x30kNiVtWN0kqifDadocsDxUWfS8A_QkhVL_LRfHz-U/s1600/Dabbagh+oyoni+clinic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuX9gzHt7jlfQuUoNL0miONSyWdQhKGqpFxqyXNWiLGP6CUTlIioN8La6ok9feOj1kONEpBIT5kMxz_jgCj1yxDSqMifZ1qtCt_x30kNiVtWN0kqifDadocsDxUWfS8A_QkhVL_LRfHz-U/s1600/Dabbagh+oyoni+clinic.jpg" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There are 66 ophthalmologists and 12 eye specialists for the Palestinian community, but none have been trained in diabetic eye problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus the importance for a specialist like Dr. Dabbagh who is a British citizen working in a hospital in Kuwait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the last thirteen years he has been donating part of each year working with Palestinian patients, establishing the <a href="http://oyooni.org/">Oyooni Mobile Clinic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></a>(Click for the clinic's webpage)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRmOnWB0mSZanxmrKdX6m65amO4CSNLEHqIiWpYAyZN2KIxsSFehy5gwcXwwgU7_WLn8hnFQ9y_IdiSooMw6fZcGOOZjQQTbmoYYsRX7OePNTry__LQ2YrWcaZv8BJLqKsWQkh_zNZohU/s1600/dabbagh+class.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJRmOnWB0mSZanxmrKdX6m65amO4CSNLEHqIiWpYAyZN2KIxsSFehy5gwcXwwgU7_WLn8hnFQ9y_IdiSooMw6fZcGOOZjQQTbmoYYsRX7OePNTry__LQ2YrWcaZv8BJLqKsWQkh_zNZohU/s320/dabbagh+class.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> And so the importance of Dr Dabbagh’s courses at Augusta Victoria Hospital. What a gift he offers to diabetic patients throughout Gaza and the West Bank, and particularly those coming to AVH for treatment.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">What a disappointment for those who had come to the hospital on Tuesday expecting to learn from him. What a <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">tragedy for individuals who continue to suffer because of such unnecessary delays.</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
Fortunately the Israeli newspaper <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haaretz</i> reporter Amira Hass heard about the denial of entry of Dr. Dabbagh at the border this past Monday and again at another border crossing on Tuesday and decided to investigate. The reporter’s inquiry at the Israeli Interior Ministry provided the explanation<span style="color: black;"> that he <strong>“was refused entry at the recommendation of defense elements.”</strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result of her prodding, there was typical beaurocratic backtracking-- no he really wasn't a security risk-- and eventually the decision was reversed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><em>Haaretz </em>published the Friday story <em><strong><span style="font-size: large;">“</span></strong></em></span><span style="color: #353434;"><span style="color: purple;"><em><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Israel reverses decision denying entry to British-Palestinian humanitarian doctor.”</span></strong></em><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="color: black;"> <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-reverses-decision-denying-entry-to-british-palestinian-humanitarian-doctor-1.421621">(Read the newspaper story here.)</a></span></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #353434;"><o:p>By Thursday </o:p></span><span style="color: #353434;">Dr. Dabbagh was finally allowed to enter--three days after his original planned arrival. He was merely delayed. One wonders how many others have experienced the same unwarranted roadblocks? How many other humanitarians have been denied completely?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="color: #353434;">In the story of blind Bartimaeus, when many sternly ordered him to be quiet, he refused. Bartimaeus cried out even more loudly, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #353434;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #353434; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Let’s pray for more determined individuals like Dr. Dabbagh and for more voices like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Haaretz’s</i> Amira Hass to continue crying out even more loudly to bring an end to the occupation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">"I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”</span></em></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: #4c1130; font-size: large;"><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-29393975597804026702012-03-24T12:34:00.000+02:002012-03-24T12:34:48.325+02:00Wilderness<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
by Fred & Gloria Strickert<br />
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<em><span style="color: #741b47;">Jesus was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him. Mark 1:13</span></em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtK_lo7Xi_hWPgmqUf7HB1DLnXQvBE5NmOjQwR1ttpCX9hHNsk4Jjbz-kX0GnceSQkDg7kkpnFnerimL_ETTbVcvoaNKoO02Bs9wDHjRzDIT9yeNMB8UDYUrfd8WYyZxCHJ_Hy70gu3ST/s1600/20120318cross+monasteryWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAtK_lo7Xi_hWPgmqUf7HB1DLnXQvBE5NmOjQwR1ttpCX9hHNsk4Jjbz-kX0GnceSQkDg7kkpnFnerimL_ETTbVcvoaNKoO02Bs9wDHjRzDIT9yeNMB8UDYUrfd8WYyZxCHJ_Hy70gu3ST/s1600/20120318cross+monasteryWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Lent is the season for wilderness walking.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The perfect time for a congregational outing to the wilderness east of Jerusalem.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4ktR7olrp257tTr63CoZYEUHgTcNQcTxIl9G5Pj9PFDR67TVDBlhspHusSs1wo1s26br1LxV2ue1SUebv3fsAfczcS37zYTupqobn6HtcbiuJ1EsSTUGYIgw0RevdR9rYDak4vlmnSR2/s1600/20120318GroupWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI4ktR7olrp257tTr63CoZYEUHgTcNQcTxIl9G5Pj9PFDR67TVDBlhspHusSs1wo1s26br1LxV2ue1SUebv3fsAfczcS37zYTupqobn6HtcbiuJ1EsSTUGYIgw0RevdR9rYDak4vlmnSR2/s400/20120318GroupWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-M.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLZW4_8YNUb8nIEFZ_x7oHERQuoVSE0s4lC_rao3bH76qJ1EZvhdFCzsGt6H_RRGT09EBoG9puCCNhyXSEcIYbLh2yO-v7nkC-4M8RXDhsfyABbpMDJ4s_w_xjqSd4CQBwtb5sdmAYdg6/s1600/picnic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="209px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLZW4_8YNUb8nIEFZ_x7oHERQuoVSE0s4lC_rao3bH76qJ1EZvhdFCzsGt6H_RRGT09EBoG9puCCNhyXSEcIYbLh2yO-v7nkC-4M8RXDhsfyABbpMDJ4s_w_xjqSd4CQBwtb5sdmAYdg6/s320/picnic.jpg" width="320px" /></a> <span style="font-size: large;">A Picnic Lunch</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UsUXKlbE7Iq1ALtlJb-84Qgeql8VCanRFpWUledN9v1nwUobF7A-_xcsWL4Y2lqcfvyeXN1tWVA79tEkA9PTaA1LebIz23QKPRgaEY6qzt2lEACmxB8jYJSltT-uM-B4MxVAAyJtdGsz/s1600/20120318yagms+breadWadiQelt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-UsUXKlbE7Iq1ALtlJb-84Qgeql8VCanRFpWUledN9v1nwUobF7A-_xcsWL4Y2lqcfvyeXN1tWVA79tEkA9PTaA1LebIz23QKPRgaEY6qzt2lEACmxB8jYJSltT-uM-B4MxVAAyJtdGsz/s320/20120318yagms+breadWadiQelt.jpg" width="320px" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">One does not live by bread alone--a little peanut butter & nutella, please-</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong>Our destination: <em>St. George's Monastery in Wadi Qelt</em></strong></span> --the valley cutting through the wilderness from Ramallah to Jericho. In the 5th-6th centuries, over one hundred monasteries covered the wilderness landscape around Jerusalem and Bethlehem.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aIM3_U-XuSjVOqPl7u1IIvejNXamj8D8rutrNM7locWOTAc233E5DRl6sHsQ7JrO06SsuZpL42hboUQ_I8pCFBsFVT_vuVjYcvBwzsjl7ipn_ECnRZMRNUYLq7FyXtFrH7xGO7__RoHm/s1600/wadi+qelt+st.+georges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="300px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4aIM3_U-XuSjVOqPl7u1IIvejNXamj8D8rutrNM7locWOTAc233E5DRl6sHsQ7JrO06SsuZpL42hboUQ_I8pCFBsFVT_vuVjYcvBwzsjl7ipn_ECnRZMRNUYLq7FyXtFrH7xGO7__RoHm/s400/wadi+qelt+st.+georges.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsqNSzaMbXLb0EFrEb91solGydTGPu9QVzUcxqvf0zIqNFi90y-ZynfOvKAFtSDrZdH_454k27tWTgwYhiWE2JjVXitLGbLBj6R9DgHRVhJ5jhpBNIEQbkotpBgXUvMugOoefWvKgVD_h/s1600/collage+way+dowb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="247px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsqNSzaMbXLb0EFrEb91solGydTGPu9QVzUcxqvf0zIqNFi90y-ZynfOvKAFtSDrZdH_454k27tWTgwYhiWE2JjVXitLGbLBj6R9DgHRVhJ5jhpBNIEQbkotpBgXUvMugOoefWvKgVD_h/s320/collage+way+dowb.jpg" width="320px" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The hike down</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUejsPkBU5FNp-RSTdl0rg3BWXADrxdjuAVXj80MDtjRCZkxG1S9S_QP3X_HpBUTvzx635dktl9cLMqVNsugYkQ2Dq-c9FhNOrWlb7wZ_VlIb-Myhk6TMmzSR8iBl4_92hV51DUJq0ED1f/s1600/view+of+caves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="308px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUejsPkBU5FNp-RSTdl0rg3BWXADrxdjuAVXj80MDtjRCZkxG1S9S_QP3X_HpBUTvzx635dktl9cLMqVNsugYkQ2Dq-c9FhNOrWlb7wZ_VlIb-Myhk6TMmzSR8iBl4_92hV51DUJq0ED1f/s400/view+of+caves.jpg" width="400px" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The view from below</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beginning with the monk Chariton in 330 ce, Christians began the <span style="font-size: large;">practice of a Lenten pilgrimage</span> to the wilderness, living in caves in the rugged landscape and then joining together each Sunday in the monasteries for their weekly Eucharistic feast. Note the date: When Christianity was legitimized and became main-stream under Constantine, and when persecutions and hardships were less frequent, the faithful felt the need for such Lenten discipline.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZObq4gZED6iWNaIYWAW-BdsDUA4qJmBNow3U49EWY0wb-w3cae_q6JbLTgyyjWP8O-swOuBK1sai09KhOEhLzcoWlOdHemL31NcKRY1rv-pam28v0MJI_v_fPbWAVdRmr9HDbPW7-1ni/s1600/20120318st+george+monasteryWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="265px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZObq4gZED6iWNaIYWAW-BdsDUA4qJmBNow3U49EWY0wb-w3cae_q6JbLTgyyjWP8O-swOuBK1sai09KhOEhLzcoWlOdHemL31NcKRY1rv-pam28v0MJI_v_fPbWAVdRmr9HDbPW7-1ni/s400/20120318st+george+monasteryWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" width="400px" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">Note the caves to right of Mona- stery.</span> Tradition said that Elijah stayed here on way to the Sinai.The monastery was destroyed several times and later rebuilt, most recently in the late 19th century.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEZGyxEiiW_S-EGEjiMvifjdo2hlIi0JHIFtxCYa9LFXGzm3Qx-UrEH_XRaUwSeT4fvZbZWIfd6QD2T9dpNQuymwkfotbpWA57ZfzmGj4Rb90zMnPIlJeVy-8qHrXUSOA5YxhDwe1-KAF/s1600/20120318green+wad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEZGyxEiiW_S-EGEjiMvifjdo2hlIi0JHIFtxCYa9LFXGzm3Qx-UrEH_XRaUwSeT4fvZbZWIfd6QD2T9dpNQuymwkfotbpWA57ZfzmGj4Rb90zMnPIlJeVy-8qHrXUSOA5YxhDwe1-KAF/s320/20120318green+wad.jpg" width="320px" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">The winter rains in Jerusalem and water from a spring transform the Wadi into an oasis.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiKNUC1I56jXig_ycvLLmaWCO6Z5z2slmbyZqe7z0fN5srCt7vxfPcgR-_4dXHqCUw_UAjaYf9iTsBGzEZWR1AqKp0tFXqelPHxM1EtQRY0e0AV4ib7_Yo566-ZPkbaWTIm543e5bU7eB/s1600/monastery+iconostasis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiKNUC1I56jXig_ycvLLmaWCO6Z5z2slmbyZqe7z0fN5srCt7vxfPcgR-_4dXHqCUw_UAjaYf9iTsBGzEZWR1AqKp0tFXqelPHxM1EtQRY0e0AV4ib7_Yo566-ZPkbaWTIm543e5bU7eB/s320/monastery+iconostasis.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">Inside the monastery chapel: Iconostasis with traditional Greek Orthodox icons.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnc4g4JJD7onWsv-3zLqnG-72oSQSlg1DEaOt4vHGDqP0IxZFe2anKhKb_fV4fZCdltfX-9MuUOj624wlhXcljOmmqDxGAYh9Q4Z-Dv6tSHjho8Nb1DnjyrXcew5l6B85jLfocH9joRq_v/s1600/St.+george+icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnc4g4JJD7onWsv-3zLqnG-72oSQSlg1DEaOt4vHGDqP0IxZFe2anKhKb_fV4fZCdltfX-9MuUOj624wlhXcljOmmqDxGAYh9Q4Z-Dv6tSHjho8Nb1DnjyrXcew5l6B85jLfocH9joRq_v/s320/St.+george+icon.jpg" width="240px" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">Icon of St. George of Koziba</span> and his relic box (skeleton)- the monastery's leader in the late sixth century. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZZGCLUkzt3IrcFsQPFP0ur9PRe8O1NiRaW_H2wdKygbKUgCRvJB4L4HvI6R81skXL6O6-2iN372PZ7bYX5WT_ps7JtMmt9S_YXKVEIwR4T-W_voVzG8n_NnVnRJR1LSvffnTVaVGNXDO/s1600/20120318mon+pet+dogWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZZGCLUkzt3IrcFsQPFP0ur9PRe8O1NiRaW_H2wdKygbKUgCRvJB4L4HvI6R81skXL6O6-2iN372PZ7bYX5WT_ps7JtMmt9S_YXKVEIwR4T-W_voVzG8n_NnVnRJR1LSvffnTVaVGNXDO/s320/20120318mon+pet+dogWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">Playing with the monks' pet dog.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSSqgcEGw4s79ZTtxbqnzjzvMd2STNch2192juzHNLpCG4rKh4rNGY3QNAofYJV4ic87GWTa5NjFfE7Angvon3Gm9YtqclZa53rMJ_Ol1jlGnBCh09YX_P2Yp5vs7Kv6Lq83GRUQ2mVd5/s1600/20120318sara+michelleWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSSqgcEGw4s79ZTtxbqnzjzvMd2STNch2192juzHNLpCG4rKh4rNGY3QNAofYJV4ic87GWTa5NjFfE7Angvon3Gm9YtqclZa53rMJ_Ol1jlGnBCh09YX_P2Yp5vs7Kv6Lq83GRUQ2mVd5/s320/20120318sara+michelleWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">Women are welcome to visit St. George's</span>, unlike many other Orthodox monasteries. Tradition says that Joachim, the father of Mary of Nazareth, had retreated nearby when he learned that his wife Anna was pregnant with Mary. Later in the 6th century, a Christian noblewoman following a vision of the Virgin Mary came here and was healed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPgjToIySmmdwRRXQgcKihB3bW7b0qB2DrvN-bGlSNMjXu3RQBU4N685oMFJWPA582VMgMZT3joRRbvoDVQepg3cgRCfM8M56cpHRFz41QPbj2bUOoZyCpot8yitSbsllXh05Vkmq_BZ9/s1600/20120318ingrid+looking+outWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPgjToIySmmdwRRXQgcKihB3bW7b0qB2DrvN-bGlSNMjXu3RQBU4N685oMFJWPA582VMgMZT3joRRbvoDVQepg3cgRCfM8M56cpHRFz41QPbj2bUOoZyCpot8yitSbsllXh05Vkmq_BZ9/s320/20120318ingrid+looking+outWadiQeltEnglishCongreg-S.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">The view below </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTjCrRl0prhOZQthMs9ft1lI7HNi2Xg_246YMD9sfjIV9LLS3d4wveXbfFSpE0AG1mVhZ6PiwtEaVaudSdQGfDLcGh5uWMaFNf5xx5u_Jt5P8TuQNWV7LweC-zri8YLn6-n9gyld7zZM-/s1600/20120318donkeys+above+WadiQelt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfTjCrRl0prhOZQthMs9ft1lI7HNi2Xg_246YMD9sfjIV9LLS3d4wveXbfFSpE0AG1mVhZ6PiwtEaVaudSdQGfDLcGh5uWMaFNf5xx5u_Jt5P8TuQNWV7LweC-zri8YLn6-n9gyld7zZM-/s320/20120318donkeys+above+WadiQelt.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a><span style="font-size: large;">The trek back up, by donkey.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNA0yOFAMXIpJY1hAKKV0BjPanaZiIvacUYWDm0UVj2CwmglwFQ-Hq9pQzLr2dqMcT63NqGtYXC-ycy2kFQEcGMN5hKI1Sq67Veymd7xNj_xs2HJQAYNpedhfzJaF-P4_uvE3EFGVhrF5/s1600/20120318nabi+musa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNA0yOFAMXIpJY1hAKKV0BjPanaZiIvacUYWDm0UVj2CwmglwFQ-Hq9pQzLr2dqMcT63NqGtYXC-ycy2kFQEcGMN5hKI1Sq67Veymd7xNj_xs2HJQAYNpedhfzJaF-P4_uvE3EFGVhrF5/s320/20120318nabi+musa.jpg" width="320px" /></a>Our wilderness trip was capped off by a visit to <span style="font-size: large;">Nabi Musa</span>, a Pilgrimage site of Palestinian Muslims in honor of the Prophet Moses.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XoLHZIX-fP5SpFODWVTJIpWQjADp3HzFmaOC9PNuipCRuUkyyoZq931Ks47-X-W89TLZNnkvLtlCn_7ZyPU1COcnZEbO-89_ypdnI8BTPmcXpCqOtTQzgJH5G7ngqEFs2uAMNBVaxctw/s1600/20120318fredgloria+nabi+musa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XoLHZIX-fP5SpFODWVTJIpWQjADp3HzFmaOC9PNuipCRuUkyyoZq931Ks47-X-W89TLZNnkvLtlCn_7ZyPU1COcnZEbO-89_ypdnI8BTPmcXpCqOtTQzgJH5G7ngqEFs2uAMNBVaxctw/s320/20120318fredgloria+nabi+musa.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">Greetings from the Wilderness</span>, with the Dead Sea in the background and Mount Nebo beyond the Jordan.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Photo credits: Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath & Anna Johnson</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1604681951155091247.post-56059262730022769632012-03-10T18:05:00.043+02:002012-03-11T06:07:44.338+02:00Women's Day<a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><em><strong>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</strong></em></span><br />
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Thursday was International Women’s Day.<br />
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In the Palestinian community, this is a day off of school and in many cases women are given the day off work for special women’s gatherings and forums. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Among Israelis, Women’s Day was overshadowed by the holiday Purim which focuses on a biblical role model Esther who saved her people from annihilation. </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk3qGXLl0iGf-i3MFTUI3cZsjRUmeUuZy37C3oqV6Gcg6S3HHi4UITW3mc9zXJHZW-vLDTb7ouVRd4Wz-17rL_PPL9GG1ts93Lo-H-GiXIfM9imeTisGn_XNGx3u6j3PlHJ7v6O6mK2bi/s1600/rachel+weeping+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk3qGXLl0iGf-i3MFTUI3cZsjRUmeUuZy37C3oqV6Gcg6S3HHi4UITW3mc9zXJHZW-vLDTb7ouVRd4Wz-17rL_PPL9GG1ts93Lo-H-GiXIfM9imeTisGn_XNGx3u6j3PlHJ7v6O6mK2bi/s1600/rachel+weeping+book.jpg" yda="true" /></a></div>It was my weekly afternoon to teach my Old Testament class at Dar Alkalima College and appropriately our topic was the Genesis matriarch Rachel, an exemplary woman of faith, patience, and hope; the mother who gave her life in childbirth; the caring figure who continues to weep for her children displaced from family and home. With Rachel’s Tomb recognized as a Bethlehem landmark for two millennia, and as once accessible to expectant mothers of all three monotheistic religions, one might have expected the kind of familiarity of an oft mentioned favorite daughter. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ3lyWK7-IGsquOGclbB3yoPPWCjocp_4_dX-Hx00ivglK-zIfxl6VSi7O7137JBi-YbP8_GYGzBkFPTMiKWRepQ1gEeqvavk8xOMwVex2itZvFUVjuwy-6HShUdnAhSs6aT2LSyg4c6O/s1600/Rachel%252527s%252520tomb%252520map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ3lyWK7-IGsquOGclbB3yoPPWCjocp_4_dX-Hx00ivglK-zIfxl6VSi7O7137JBi-YbP8_GYGzBkFPTMiKWRepQ1gEeqvavk8xOMwVex2itZvFUVjuwy-6HShUdnAhSs6aT2LSyg4c6O/s320/Rachel%252527s%252520tomb%252520map.jpg" width="271px" yda="true" /></a></div>Yet politics does strange things. The surgical amputation of this historic site from Bethlehem by the separation wall has left most of my class members without any visual memory of the quaint little shrine that stood open to all. So they were attentive as I shared historical photos and drawings and reports from visitors of all three faiths.<br />
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One of the difficulties teaching this class of mainly West Bank students is that they aren’t allowed to see with their own eyes Jerusalem sites just a few miles away. <br />
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There is one exception. Salma, a mother of four including one a high school senior, is from East Jerusalem and drives each day for class, now in her upper thirties and wanting to get a college education—a good example of what Women’s Day is all about. At first I had assumed that she was Christian –my class is divided evenly between Christians and Muslims. After all, she did not wear the traditional Hejab (headscarf), and I had to pry her away from her King-James-Version Bible in favor of our NRSV study Bible textbook. Then she explained how as a little girl she got in the habit of reading the Qur’an for hour upon hour during the annual Ramadan fast. And later she added Bible reading to increase her understanding. So now she’s taking a class in Old Testament and running circles around both Christian and Muslim students in her knowledge of both holy books. <br />
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Yet there is one thing that stumped her. “Can you tell us about Purim?” she asked after our mid-afternoon break. <br />
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“It’s about Esther,” I started.<br />
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“. . . And how she saved the Jewish people from annihilation,” Salma interrupted. <br />
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Some of the others nodded their heads familiar with the story.<br />
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“But how can a woman like that demand the killing of all the Persians?” She asked.<br />
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“Really? Is that in the Bible?” one of the Christian students responded.<br />
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Yes. I’m afraid so. 75,000 persons slaughtered in revenge for one crazy power-hungry man named Haman. There’s a reason I skipped over this book in my 24 years of college teaching. Isn’t the Bible supposed to be about love and forgiveness?<br />
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“They were enemies,” one of the male students explained.<br />
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“But Esther was a woman,” Salma answered in disbelief. “She wouldn’t kill all those children.”<br />
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The Palestinian women’s committees called on people to remember women who have made an impression, teachers, women in government, business women, mothers. <br />
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So which matriarch should we admire this Women’s Day? Rachel weeping for her children? or Esther rescuing her children and then rendering vengeance upon her enemy?<br />
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That evening we pulled up to the Bethlehem check point about 7:30. The queue was backed up about a quarter of a mile with tour buses heading back to their Jerusalem hotels and Jerusalem residents heading back home after a day in Bethlehem for school, for work, for a visit to mothers on women’s day. The queue was moving faster than unusual and within 45 minutes we would make it to the front of the line. We were the lucky ones. Those from Bethlehem fortunate to get a travel permit had to walk through the maze on foot.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfLaXaLOwW0rXViv0sEX955GLWGfK2S0WggmqNInv9Jl_wb3GVjpM_uw7-LwIp0jjWR8NS5lhhpMiIQSQnxUa3w_pinmzwuMYxZIZeSz8KJTOdBWhkiVCc1LCgVoqnbgQcLUzznQ0sz3n/s1600/checkpoint+cars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfLaXaLOwW0rXViv0sEX955GLWGfK2S0WggmqNInv9Jl_wb3GVjpM_uw7-LwIp0jjWR8NS5lhhpMiIQSQnxUa3w_pinmzwuMYxZIZeSz8KJTOdBWhkiVCc1LCgVoqnbgQcLUzznQ0sz3n/s320/checkpoint+cars.jpg" width="320px" yda="true" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
In the car ahead of us, we noticed a head bobbing up and down—a child being entertained trying to make the time pass more quickly. Been there, done that. Today we had our Kindles, and slowly, slowly, we inched forward toward the security guards. They didn’t appear to be checking very carefully tonight. Occasionally they would ask a driver to open the trunk for a quick glance and wave them through. </div><br />
Now we were one car back, and it would be just a matter of minutes. <br />
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Wrong!<br />
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Tonight there was a woman soldier doing the inspection. And second male guard stood back a distance and watched with gun in hand. The woman soldier put her head part way in the open window and seemed to signal the driver to get out of the car where he handed her his documents for inspection. The license plates showed that they were Jerusalem residents. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then the soldier walked to the back of this small SUV motioning for him to open the door. He did. Right before our eyes we could see there was no reason for concern. She pointed at a yellow plastic bag. He held it upside down. Empty. Then another. Then she rolled up the floor mat. Then a walk to the front to inspect under the hood. Then opening the front passenger door, the young woman soldier climbed in with her rifle dangling from her shoulder, apparently searching under the seats and above the vizers. Back outside she signaled the young man to open the back door. He reached in and lifted his one-year old child out of the car seat while his wife crawled over it to get outside. Again with rifle dangling, the woman soldier climbed in to search apparently under the car seat and in the diaper bag. Nothing. All the while the young couple stood patiently waiting, looking much like the students in my class, wearing jeans and nice tailored shirts. And the young mother wearing her hejab. In the states we’d call that “probable cause.” We’ve seen it often enough. Racial profiling. Religious profiling. Car after car passing quickly through with hardly a passing glance. No security threat here. But the woman wearing the hejab was cause enough for concern. Even with her one-year old child. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4TOoUZ6TFqeHK7ZcQATFJr_7n97FHzzMUQ8GhW4rYAxqKJ0wL-drWori7_yycK19TvdNveVX9dQh1zS4ED5iTiFn-u9sw1fXzxMP2cR6NOslvEVyufPj6BLxo0uSSpabCCRz0nsSbUCV/s1600/Muslim+woman+walking+through+check+point+with+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4TOoUZ6TFqeHK7ZcQATFJr_7n97FHzzMUQ8GhW4rYAxqKJ0wL-drWori7_yycK19TvdNveVX9dQh1zS4ED5iTiFn-u9sw1fXzxMP2cR6NOslvEVyufPj6BLxo0uSSpabCCRz0nsSbUCV/s1600/Muslim+woman+walking+through+check+point+with+baby.jpg" yda="true" /></a>Photo illustrative of the Palestinian mothers who walk through the checkpoint each day.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>So for International Women’s Day 2012, if there is one woman who stands out in our minds to remember, it’s this nameless mother—like the hundreds of women going through security each day--dressed in her hejab, patient and quietly waiting while on the way, at the checkpoint by Rachel’s Tomb.<br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><strong><em>by Fred & Gloria Strickert</em></strong></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/">http://walkinjerusalem.blogspot.com/</a>Fred & Gloria Strickerthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08471908604656671002noreply@blogger.com