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Expectations
December 3, 2003
Advent greetings from the land of Christ.
As many of you know, our appointment in Zababdeh finishes at the end of 2003, and we are filled with mixed emotions over leaving this beautiful suffering land. Amid our sadness and relief and fear and anticipation, we are mostly filled with a feeling of worry for our friends and neighbors here, that they will face even darker days ahead as the conflict continues to spiral and the Wall continues to expand.
Feeling worried and sad and afraid, we invite you to remember with us that now is the season of Advent, a time when the miraculous hope of incarnation reigns. Let us open our hearts and minds and spirits to the astounding message carried by the Word becoming Flesh. Let us know – really know – that God knows the depths and details of our darkest fears and pains, that God not only knows these feelings, but feels these feelings. Let us remember that the most hopeless, unlikely situation – a humble birth in a lowly stable, for example – can be the context of miracle. And let us pray that the Prince of Peace would bring much-needed succor to this land at this most unlikely time.
In addition to our own greetings, we also want to convey messages from a few Palestinians to Christians in the West, particularly those in the U.S. As part of our documentary (details below), we asked our film subjects if they wanted to say something to their American brothers and sisters in Christ. Here are some of their responses:
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Afaf, retired schoolteacher:
To Christians in America, first of all, go step by step with Jesus,
because everything will vanish and disappear except the Word of God.
America is a very rich and powerful state with many educated people with
good minds. I pray that these work for peace.
Sylvia, sophomore in college:
I want to say to all Christians in America that our lives are hard
and the circumstances of the intifada have become more and more difficult
in terms of our studies, our lives, and being far from our families. I
hope that my generation can explain to older generations and to generations to come that there are Christians in the
Middle East. I hope that all Christians in the world would come to
see Christmas and Easter in Palestine. Come see Christmas in the land of
Christmas.
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Jeries, schoolboy in 9th grade:
I want to tell people we're living amid dangers and in terror and fear.
Pray for us to live in security, free from troubles.
To'mie, priest:
We are the living stones here in the Holy Land. We don’t want dead
stones. You can remove and replace a dead stone. But a living stone – how
can you replace it? You support me in the West and I support you in the
East. But if you don’t support me as a person, then I'm gone - finished.
Christianity is buried.
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Sa'ed, electrician:
The only thing I ask of people in the West is that they speak to their
decision makers and explain the truth to them so that they would have a
just view of this place. I want them to understand what an Arab is, what
a Christian is, what a Palestinian is. Many people seem to think that Arab
means terrorist; on the contrary, many Arabs love peace and are friends
of peace. I want people to know that there is something called an
Arab Christian. We put our faith in Jesus Christ.
Sawsan, secretary:
People in America see everything on TV and they must know the situation
of the Palestinian people. We ask that they pray for us, that they
would pray that God would protect us, and that they help us by making Bush
bring about peace.
Hossam, priest:
One of the things that makes us so special as sisters and brothers
in Christ throughout the world, not only as Americans or Palestinians or
Israelis or wherever we are from, is that we all belong to the same Body
of Christ. All of us have so much to offer each other, so much to
help each other. I would like to extend my greetings here from Nablus,
a Palestinian city, from a Palestinian congregation, Christians who worship
and love the Lord. I want to tell you that we are here and we are going
to stay here and we expect to have your support; not so much material support
as prayers and advocacy and spiritual work. There are living stones in
this area. There are Christians who need your support and who care about
you as Americans, who pray for you and love you. Don’t think that
Americans are hated in a way that you hear about in the media. It's
not the case. We still love each and every one whom God created but especially
we think about our fellow Christians all around the world. We are
here for you and hope that that you are there for us.
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Our documentary, Salt of the Earth: Palestinian Christians in the
Northern West Bank, follows people's lives in places such as Zababdeh,
Jenin, and Nablus. It gives voice to brothers and sisters in Christ
who are rarely heard from but have powerful stories of faith and courage.
We encourage you to visit www.saltfilms.net,
where you can find our 2004 itineration schedule, information about the
film, and downloadable video clips.