People, Look East!
Advent and Christmas Reflections on the Middle East
Opening Editorial for an Advent and Christmas Issue on Middle East Struggles Former President Jimmy Carter has recently made public that stage four melanoma is no longer present in his 91-year-old body. Thus he maintains as strong a pace as he can, a prescient productivity which by any measure has brought significant international benefit, and
MoreIs There Shalom in the Land? This article was originally published in the Advent 2015 issue of the Presbyterian Hunger Program’s PHP Post, available at http://www.pcusa.org/resource/phppostadvent2015/. “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” – Jeremiah 8:11 “And suddenly there was
MoreArticle Originally Published by the Office of Public Witness Grace and peace to you this Advent season. During this time when we turn our attention and our hope toward Bethlehem and the Holy Land where the Prince of Peace was born, we cannot ignore the continuing and escalating violence in Palestine and Israel. We know
More“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” -Isaiah 11:1 My 81-year-old mother worries every time I go because “It’s just not safe over there.” “Ma,” I respond, “according to the statistics it is more dangerous for me to ride my bike 30 miles
More“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ … When they saw that
MoreIn those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered…All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.
More“A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”…The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman Samaria?” – John 4:7-8 The Golan Heights tower above the northern region of the Galilee and of the State of
More“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” – Matthew 13:33 “In spite of the overwhelming situation and the decline of hope, the church can’t but be a light, comforter, and a catalyst for hope to the
MoreAn Excerpt from Walter Brueggemann’s 2015 Book Excerpted with Permission from Westminster John Knox Press. pp. xiii-xvii, 57 Read Rev. Laura Mariko Cheifetz’s Conversation with Chosen? here! Introduction The seemingly insolvable conflict between the state of Israel and the Palestinian people requires our best thinking, our steadfast courage, and a deep honesty about the politically
MoreAn Advent Conversation with Chosen? As Walter Brueggemann says on the very first page of his recent book Chosen?, “Reading the Bible with reference to any contemporary issue is at best tricky and hazardous.” Reading the Bible in Advent in light of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is both natural and dangerous. Chosen? is not an Advent
MoreMy mother loves Christmas. I came home to find her big traditional decoration for the Christmas tree. Our house is full of red colors today. Some pictures of Santa Claus here and there. I wanted to be happy and do like every kid: jump and shout out loud that Christmas is one of my favorite
MoreSo many experiences come to mind when I think about my trip to Israel/Palestine. It’s been almost 18 months since I had the privilege of traveling to Israel/Palestine with the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program as part of the Mosaic of Peace Conference (2014). It was a remarkable trip. I was blessed with wonderful travel companions and
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