MAKING A DIFFERENCE mae elise cannon
Besieged by Hope
preaching the gospel while situated in the bull’s-eye of a war zone. Dozens of bullet holes punctuate the wall and ceiling of Raheb’s office. In 2002, during the second intifada, Israeli soldiers used the church’s facilities as their headquarters for three days, causing over In 1967, shortly after the outbreak of the half a million dollars in damages. Despite Six-Day War between Israel and its neigh- the destruction inflicted by the army, the boring states, a 5-year-old Palestinian ministry of the church has continued to boy named Mitri Raheb was carried by grow and to flourish, for Pastor Raheb’s his mother to the Church of the Nativity message is one of great hope. Raheb sees his pastoral role in the in Bethlehem in search of refuge from the bombardments. Built on a 4th-century community as encouraging Palestinians foundation, the Church of the Nativity to move from the perspective of being marks the traditionally recognized birth- a victim to that of being active participlace of Jesus. For centuries worshipers pants in pursuing hope for the future. from around the world have been trav- He invites people to be a part of the vision eling to that very place to celebrate the and to nurture, challenge, and educate birth of the Prince of Peace. However, themselves through leadership training through much of the 20th century and and development. The opportunity for into the new millennium, Bethlehem has transformation comes through a relationbeen a place of conflict, poverty, and ship with Christ and the opportunity to oppression — the consequences of living become actively engaged in shaping the under occupation. Bethlehem has known future of their community. Creative opportunities to develop and little peace. A descendent of generations of uplift people in the community are found Christians, little Mitri Raheb would grow in the church’s Diyar Consortium, a up to become a pastor and shepherd to compilation of ministries that includes his community in Bethlehem. He stud- the International Center of Bethlehem ied in Germany, earning his doctorate (ICB), committed to “serving the whole in theology from the Philipps University of the community from the ‘womb to in Marburg. After returning to his home- the tomb’ with an emphasis on women, land, Raheb became the pastor of the children, youth, and the elderly”; the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, Bethlehem Media Center, which prowhere he discovered that the theological vides programming in Arabic that seeks framework he learned from his univer- to support the elderly and empower sity training failed to relate to the ques- women as well as to report the good news tions being asked by his community in coming out of Palestine; and the DarBethlehem. He began a process of help- Al Kalima College, which teaches over ing his congregation wrestle with con- 100 students skills for sustainable living, textual theology while living with the including training in the arts, teaching, stress of occupation. Six months after tourism, and various other academic his return from Germany, the first inti- programs. Other ministries of the church fada started. Raheb recounts the difficulty include a restaurant and guesthouse, of preaching a sermon while artillery children’s programs, a community cenfire barked in the distance. He talks about ter, a 350-seat theater, and dozens of the challenges of worshiping God, shep- activities to encourage life and bring herding the community of faith, and hope to those living in Bethlehem.
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Just as Christ’s incarnation took place in a particular cultural context, theology must be relevant to the context of the Palestinian people. Raheb says, “It is only Jesus who is able to transform people in this country from spectators into actors.”The partition wall that surrounds the city of Bethlehem is covered with scrawled cries for freedom. The despair of living with restricted movement, with limited economic opportunities, and with other realities of occupation can feel overwhelming to Palestinians living in Bethlehem. But Raheb describes the genius of the gospel in this way: Jesus could have viewed himself as a victim of the Roman Empire — that would have been a natural, understandable response. Instead, he was victorious over death, and his followers went forth proclaiming, “He is risen!” They professed a hope that was beyond human understanding. Christians were no longer victims but victors in the message of Christ. Of his community in Bethlehem, Raheb says, “If hope can be experienced in this context, it can be experienced anywhere in the world.”The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church is doing all it can to embody the promise implicit in Christmas, here in the birthplace of hope — for the people of Bethlehem and beyond. n Visit BethlehemChristmasLutheran.org. Mitri Raheb’s books include I Am a Palestinian Christian (1995), Bethlehem 2000: Past and Present (1998), and Bethlehem Besieged (2004). Mae Cannon is executive pastor of Hillside Covenant Church in Walnut Creek, Calif.
Nominate a holistic church at kristyn@esa-online.org.