The Israeli West Bank Barrier: Security against Violence, or Apartheid Separation?

A short portion of Israel's still incomplete separation and security barrier
in the West Bank of Palestine 

The Church of Scotland ministers' tour I was part of recently, rightly focused on visiting the sites linked to the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That is the reason why I seek to return to Israel as often as I can, to go to visit the sites connected with Jesus' Story. But what I enjoyed about this tour was that it also granted a small portion of time to visiting Church of Scotland-supported mission projects in the Holy Land and looking into some of the current politically-hot issues that draw the attention of people, organisations, and governments all over the world. Israel's West Bank Barrier is just such an issue that our group looked at in our recent trip to the Holy Land. I'm glad we did. 

We spent one afternoon hearing from a representative of The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. The representative was a young thirty-something British-born Israeli who spoke with passion about the cause of Palestinians and against the State of Israel. She spoke to us of the effects of the Wall and guided us in a tour of Palestinian villages and homes affected by Israeli policies. Many of our group were moved by her sincere and passionate advocacy for the Palestinian people. She referred to Israel as an occupier and the barrier as a Wall of Separation. Our speaker came close to naming the Wall as a tool of state apartheid by Israel. Over the past several years I have heard people from all over the world, including an ex-President of the USA, charge the State of Israel with apartheid when viewing Israel's barrier in the West Bank. 

The Israeli West Bank Barrier is a security and separation barrier that the State of Israel has been constructing for the past ten years within and along the the borders of the West Bank. It will be 430 miles long when it is completed. Just under two-thirds of the barrier has been completed. Ninety percent of the barrier is a fence with trenches and an exclusion area on both sides of the fence. Ten percent of the barrier is a 26' tall concrete wall that is pictured in the photo above.  Israel argues that the barrier is necessary to protect Israeli civilians from Palestinian terrorism, especially the suicide bombings that increased during the Second Intifada over ten years ago. Incidents of terror and the resulting number of deaths and wounded have been significantly reduced. The barrier is a non-violent way for Israel to protect her people. 

The International Community has expressed outrage at Israel's policy of constructing the barrier. The United Nations and the majority of nations stand against Israel. Churches connected to the World Council of Churches generally stand in strong opposition to Israeli security efforts. Such is the case of the Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church (USA), the two churches with which I have significant relationships. It greatly concerns me the hostility that is hurled at Israel by the theological and political left. I identify at least five charges against Israel in regards to the barrier: it deviates from the boundaries established after the 1967 Six Day War; it is seen as an attempt by Israel to annex Palestinian territory under the guise of security; it violates international law, it undermines negotiations, and it severely restricts Palestinians who live near the barrier. The demand is that Israel halt the construction of the barrier and unoccupy Palestinian territory. 

I contend that the barrier has nothing to do with a policy of annexation of Palestinian land or apartheid by Israel. It has everything to do with the security and self-defense of Israel's people. That includes Israeli Jews, Palestinians, and Arabs. Since Israel's monumental victory in the '67 Six Day War, she has sought accommodation with the Palestinians and the Arab states, but she has been repeatedly rebuffed. Israel grants rights to Arab citizens within a liberal democratic system, the only one of its kind in the Middle East. Yet Palestinians and their other Arab compatriots paint Israel as an occupying power and they are committed to Israel's destruction. The barrier is a non-violent way to stymie both destructive infiltration and smuggling. I marvel at what the people of Israel have accomplished since 1948. They have worked hard to make the desert bloom. They care for their people and seek to defend the lives of her people. The barrier has been an effective way to protect life. 

I am saddened by well-meaning, yet badly mislead, Christians who continue to stand on the side of the Palestinian people because their peace and justice commitments demand it. Such people are so fixated on supposed peace and justice issues that they fail to see the larger political and historical context of the current situation. The situation is extremely complicated and messy. What concerns me is that this way of thinking that centres on peace and justice actually promotes the destruction of the state of Israel. They do not see violent forces that seek to throw Israel out of the West Bank and out of all of Israel, that is, to destroy the people of Israel. There are powerful forces that seek a Jew-free Palestine. It is not so much apartheid as it is genocide. I am saddened that if this were to take place, the whole world would celebrate the destruction of the state of Israel and her people. What I heard the representative saying the other day was the subtle demonisation of Israel. Peace and justice were used as weapons to hide forces that seek Israel's destruction. I am greatly disturbed by what I have seen and what I have read that comes from those on the left leaning side of the political spectrum. It concerns me that so many brothers and sisters whom I hold dear and support peace and justice in Palestine, set up a situation that leads to just the opposite. I find myself in a very small minority, especially in the Church of Scotland. 

Let us all pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Blessings to you and yours,   

Bethlehem: The Al-Shurooq School for the Blind

A student reads a book in braille. Braille is a form
of written language for blind people. Readers use
their fingertips to read patterns of raised dots.
 

Three young students at the Al-Shurooq School for the Blind.
Students live at the school and are not only educated, but
are taught life skills for living in their home communities. 
At the school, boys and girls learn the basic subjects that are 
offered in primary schools in the area. They also learn how 
to take a shower, cook, wash dishes, and other basic life 
skills. At this time each student is given a portable braille     
typewriter, but plans are being made for each student 
to receive an iPad.

I am now back home in St Fergus. It is good to be home, but it is the cold and rainy weather that I could do without. While in Israel I experienced dry and warm weather during the seven days I was there. Now that I am back, I realise that I am back in the Blue Toon of North-East Scotland. I enjoyed Israel, but it is great to back home in St Fergus. 

I still have more to write about my recent trip to Israel. Today I want to share about a project that is supported by McCabe Tours, the tour company that planned our trip to Israel. McCabe supports three projects in the West Bank zone controlled by the Palestinian Authority.  Our tour visited the Al-Shurooq School for the Blind in Bethlehem. The school cares for and educates blind Palestinian children.

It was founded in 1981 by Helen Shehadeh, a Palestinian Christian who has been blind since the age of two. She continues to serve as a long term elder in St Andrews Kirk in Jerusalem. Helen founded the school to enable and equip blind Palestinian people to become productive and self-sufficient in their communities. Thus the emphasis is on education, rehabilitation, and integration into one's community. The school takes in children from two years of age  until their early teens when they return to their home communities for further secondary schooling. When a student leaves the school and returns to his or her home, social workers visit the student to provide support and resources to live as productively as possible. 

Too many of the children come out of dysfunctional family situations. Parents can be ashamed that their child is blind and hide their child from public view. Other children are abused or neglected. Some of children are abandoned by their parents. Teachers and social workers not only work with the blind children, but also with their families. It is quite a challenge to deal with all the issues that come up in a blind child's life and in the lives of his or her family members. 

Most of the children and many of the teachers and staff are Palestinian Muslims. Yet this much needed service survives because of the charitable giving of Christians in Britain,Scandinavia, and the USA. This is one aspect of Christian mission. Among other ministries, Jesus Christ came to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and restore families. This is where the Church should be, serving the poor, needy, and marginalised. I am grateful that the tour included a visit to the school. May our Lord bless the service of this school and its staff and students. 

Blessings to you and yours, 

                                    

Merry Christmas from Israel!

Glory to God in the highest! 
Christmas greetings from Israel 

Sunday, the 19th of January, 2014, was the Armenian Christmas. So merry Christmas! The ancient Armenian Church's Primarchate of Jerusalem made a visit to the Basilica and Grotto of the Nativity in Manger Square in Bethlehem. He was leading the service of celebration of the birth of Jesus when we seventeen Church of Scotland ministers and their spouses entered the basilica to visit the grotto. We waited in line for over an hour as the Primarchate led the chanting of the Christmas service in a nearby chapel in the Basilica. Outside the basilica was a tall and well decorated Christmas tree. People were eager, even aggressive, to visit the shrine that marks the birthplace of the Christ child. People were pushy to get downstairs to enter the grotto. I have been told that there are many times that people wait two or three hours in line. I went ahead with it even though I don't really give much attention to finding the actual sites where important events took place.

Then we visited one of the four Shepherds' Fields that commemorate where an angel announced to the shepherds that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Nobody knows on what field the angel choirs actually sang gloria in excelsis deo, but it is important to remember that this wonderful story is an important part of the Christmas Story. The next day, Monday, we went to the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. It remembers where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus the Messiah, saviour of the world. The Incarnation (God took appeared in human form) took place in Nazareth; Jesus' Nativity (the birth of Jesus) took place in Bethlehem. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is truly human and truly divine.  It is essential to biblical faith and gives us life.

Perhaps the climax of the Israel trip for me was having communion at the Shepherds' Field on Armenian Christmas. That day the Incarnation was coupled with Atonement. Behind the Manger of Jesus is the life-giving Cross of Christ.  Jesus was born not only to live His life in complete and total obedience to God the Father, but also to die. On the Cross Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins. His death is atonement for the sins of those who put their trust in what God has done through the atoning work of Jesus His Son. There would have been no atonement if there had not been the Incarnation. It was the third Christmas that the Church of the Nativity had observed, yet we were none the less remembering the Incarnation. By following the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem on the previous Thursday, we remembered the beautiful story of Jesus' last week and His death on the Cross. By means of Communion on Armenian Christmas Day, we not only remembered the Incarnation and Jesus' birth, but we looked to His atoning death on our behalf.

And since it was Sunday, we remembered Jesus' resurrection from death to life. It was a biblically and theologically rich day. The Incarnation, the Nativity of Jesus, the Cross of Christ, and the Resurrection, these were the great acts that God has done for us and our salvation. We are saved by what God has done through Jesus the Messiah; it has nothing to do with how good we are or anything we have done. It is all God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. And the minister serving us Communion reminded us of Jesus' promise to come again and finish His work of redemption on our behalf. My you be eternally blessed by trusting in what God has done through Jesus Christ on our behalf and for our salvation.
   
Blessings to you and yours,

The First Full Day in Jerusalem

The Garden Tomb, the less likely site of Jesus' burial and resurrection,
but profoundly meaningful and moving none the less.

Thursday was our first full day of touring Jerusalem. It was nice not having to wrestle with jet lag. When I visited Israel the four previous times, I flew from the east coast of the United States. There is six hours difference between the US and Israel, but from Scotland there is only a two hours difference. In previous times it took one or two days to get back in sync with the local time; but the difference between  Scotland and Tel Aviv wasn't that bad. I had a great sleep at night and was ready to go by sun up.

There was a lot packed into the our first full day of touring.  We began at the top of the Mount of Olives with its fine view view of the mosque on the Temple Mount. The picture of this is the photo in the previous posting to this. We visited a church on the supposed site where Jesus first taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer. Then we made our descent down the Mount of Olives, visiting several churches that commemorate Jesus' actions as He also descended the mount. On the western slope there is an immense Jewish necropolis, a Jewish cemetery.  It is a pricey and prestigious place to be buried. Jewish people expect that hose buried there will be the first to be raised when the Messiah comes. 

We continued to descend to the ancient grove of olive trees that is the Garden of Gethsemane. The beautiful and majestic  Church of All Nations remembers that Jesus prayed there before He was arrested and sentenced to crucification. We found ourselves in the Kidron Valley, at the base of the Mount of Olives. Then we ascended the slope of the Temple Mount. We entered one of the Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem and then entered the peaceful grounds of the Pool of Bethesda to sing hymns in the Church of St Anne.  

After singing hymns in the Church of St Anne, we walked the Via Dolorosa, the route Jesus walked on his way to be cruci-fied. We stopped at the Stations of the Cross to read Scripture about Jesus' passion. I was struck by the river of humanity flowing through the narrow walk ways of the Old City. The Old City of Jerusalem is a microcosm of the whole world.  I heard a multitude of languages being spoken as we walked along. There were pilgrims from Romania, Russia, South Korea, and the Philippines. I am sure there were people from other nations passing through to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the primary site of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Via Dolorosa is not the place for anyone who has issues with personal space. 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a zoo of people pushing into the church to view the place of Jesus' Crucifixion and His resurrection. I have been there several times before, but chose to rely on my memories of times before. The lines to the the holy places were much too long. Soon we found our way to the nearby Garden Tomb. The Garden Tomb was the high-point of my day, especially after the Holy Sepulchre. A volunteer guide, a pastor from Calgary. Alberta, talked to us about the Resurrection of Jesus. Where Jesus was killed and resurrected  is unimportant; what is important and critical is that Jesus died for the forgiveness of sins, and three days later was raised from death to life. The tomb is empty. I was physi-cally worn out, but spiritually enlivened by visiting the Garden Tomb. 

I don't give much value walking where Jesus walked and seeing what He saw. It does not mean much to me. But I needed to hear the Story of Jesus and His journey to the Cross and the Empty Tomb. As we walked from the Mount of Olives to the place of the Cross and the Empty Tomb, I remembered the Story and paid particular attention to the Scipture readings of his life, death, and resurrection. In that sense, it was a really rewarding day for me. 

Blessings to you and yours,   

From Jerusalem

 Looking from the Mount of Olives upon the Golden-domed mosque on the theTemple Mount in Jerusalem. 
In the background is the growing city of modern day Jerusalem. 

It seems like a long time ago that I was back in Scotland, but it has only been four days since the group I am with flew out of Edinburgh Airport. I am in Jeru-salem with a trip I started   planning last summer. The program that cap-tured my attention so strongly is the  'Clergy Introductory Pilgrimage' to the Holy Land. It seemed to take such a long time to reach  the departure date of Wednesday, the 15th of January, 2014. But time has rushed by and here I am now, sitting in Jerusalem, Israel.  

 We are seventeen Church of Scotland clergy and their spouses who come from all over Scotland. I think that my travel companions seem to be OK having a wild and crazy American among them. The trip/pilgrimage is financially subsidised by the Church of Scotland to give ministers an opportunity to tour the Holy Land, see Church of Scotland mission projects in the Holy Land, and to consider leading a tour to Israel in the future. For years I have dreamed about doing just that. So I jumped at the opportunity to see how I might be able to lead a tour to Israel. This is my fifth trip to the Holy Land. I did one six-week trip back in the 70s and then three trips of several weeks each in the 1990s. It is so good to be back here after an absence of fifteen years.

I especially love Jerusalem. There is no city like it in the entire world. Some see it as the center of the world. In many ways it is. When David founded Jerusalem over three thousand years ago, I doubt he had any idea the the City of David would become one of the greatest cities in all the world. The people and beliefs of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all find prominent expression through this city. I am not aware of any city in the world or throughout all time that has had so many people and nations fighting over it as Jerusalem has had. I can't help but see the city of Jerusalem as the center of the world.

Both Israel and Jerusalem seem to be 'thin places' where heaven and earth come close together. I have sensed that Iona and Holy Island, Lindisfarne, are such places that are also thin places where heaven and earth come close to each other. But I have never experienced it as strongly as I have here in Jerusalem. In the three days that I have been here, I have reflected on the tour and journaled far more than I have at any time in my life. Each night I have spent several hours writing from my notes I take during the day, reflecting on them, and then writing what I have reflected into my journal. Jesus' spirit is so strong here in Jerusalem that I can hardly keep it in.

I have taken three days to finally get my act together to do this blog posting. I hope I can do a second posting soon, and more in the days ahead.

Blessings to you and yours, 

Advent: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

Three Advent candles and the Christ candle in an Advent wreath 
Image courtesy of Gualberto107 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Christmas Season has become a rich time for me theologically over the past two decades, and this is due to my increasing awareness of the significance of the Season of Advent in my life and in the life of congregations in which I have ministered. Advent is theologically rich. It sets the table for the festive Christmas banquet. I have experienced how following the course of Advent prepares my heart for the joy of celebrating Jesus' birth at Christmas. The reading of Advent Scripture texts and the singing of Advent hymns have made me more aware of the strong connection between Jesus' birth and His death on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins. I often point out to the people that behind the Manger is the Cross of Christ. 

My favourite Advent hymn is O come, O come, Emmanuel. In the first verse we sing of 'captive Israel' crying out to the Lord God to ransom her from 'lonely exile.' In verse three God's people yearn that the 'rod of Jesse' would come and save them from 'Satan's tyranny' and the 'depths of hell.' They call upon God to 'give them victory o'er the grave.' In the fourth verse God's people look to God to 'disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death's dark shadows put to flight.' In contrast to the dreadful smack of reality that these verses convey, there sounds the hopeful and resounding chorus: 'rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.' We at St Fergus Parish Church sang this for the four Sundays of Advent, preparing our hearts for the birth of Emmanuel, God with us.

The lighting of the Advent candles Sunday by Sunday is a visual way to enrich our worship service at the church. Different children were excited to have an opportunity to light a candle. There was only one candle on the first Sunday of Advent, but then we lit one more candle each of the following three Sundays of Advent. I sense that it meant a lot to the adults, too, to see the different candles lit and hear what each meant. The first candle is the Candle of Hope, or the Candle of Prophecy. Before Jesus was born, God's people looked to God and God's Promise that God would send the Messiah. Jesus is that long-promised Messiah. The second candle is the Candle of Preparation. God promised that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Then there is the third candle, the Candle of Joy. At that first Christmas long ago, choirs of angels sang joyfully to the shepherds and to the world that Jesus, the Messiah, was born. On the fourth Sunday of Advent, the Candle of Love proclaims that in love, God sent God's only begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins. We started the Christmas Eve service with a young couple with two children lighting the four Advent candles. At the end of the service, a couple with a baby lit the fifth candle, the Christ Candle. It proclaims that Jesus is the Light of the World. 

I enjoyed preaching through the Advent Season. As I mentioned above, the season is theologically rich. The gospel readings for the new Christian year (Year A began the first Sunday in Advent) are selected from the Gospel of Matthew. Advent is a wonderful time to be nurtured by the great themes of biblical faith. During the course of Advent we considered the Second Coming of Christ as well as His First Coming. We looked at John the Baptist and God's call to us to repent from our sins. We reviewed the Old Testament prophecies that looked forward to Jesus the Messiah. These Scripture readings shape our faith and our lives. Even though I follow the Gospel readings of the lectionary Sunday by Sunday, I often tweak them in order to give the people of St Fergus Parish Church a nourishing meal of reflection on God's Word. I had fun leading worship and preaching during this past season of Advent. Hopefully I was able to provide nutritious home-cooked meals from ancient redeeming recipes from the Scriptures. Nearly three weeks after Christmas, I am still feasting on the leftovers from Advent and Christmas, 2013. May it be so for you, too. 

Blessings to you and yours, 

 

Jesus Is the Reason for the Season: Advent

Thee Advent candles and the Christ candle in an Advent wreath 
Image courtesy of Gualberto107 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It has been over a month since I last posted. Christmas was still two weeks away. Since then I have been busy, very busy, and even worn out by all the busyness that comes with the festive season, especially for church pastors. Here I am going into mid-January, and still I am recuperating; yet at the same time I am still savouring this special season of the Christian calendar that covers Advent, Christmas and the Twelve Days of Christmas, and Epiphany. The season refreshes and vitalises my soul even though my body is tired from all the Christmas activities and obligations in which I was involved.  

Last Christmas was my first Christmas at St Fergus Parish Church. Last year I gently introduced Advent into our Sunday worship services. Advent is the first season of a new Christian year. It includes the four Sundays immediately preceding Christmas Day. For Christians, it is a time of preparation for the celebration of Jesus' birth. The four Sundays of Advent are significant times to consider who Jesus is and the purpose of his birth. On each Sunday a different Advent candle (like the ones pictured above) is lit. We hear Scripture that points to significant issues and people connected with Advent: repentance, preparation, John the Baptist, the Second Coming of Christ, God's love, and Jesus as the Light of the World. Rather than singing all Christmas carols, we sing Advent carols such as O come, O come, Emmanuel. I sense that people in the congregation have grown in their understanding of the meaning of Jesus and Christmas. I sought to show through Scripture, preaching, singing, and visuals that Jesus is truly the reason for the season!

The Friday before Christmas was the last day of school before Christmas Break for the 109 or so students at St Fergus Primary School. This was the second year that the school had its closing Christmas assembly at the church. Mums and dads, grannies and grandas heard the children sing, recite, and play musical instruments along Christmas themes. I gave a very short talk on Jesus being the reason for the season. All those present enjoyed hearing the children perform. They exhibited considerable energy and had a lot of fun expressing it. I find that it is far more work to construct a five to seven minute talk than it is a longer sermon. It takes time and thought to identify what is used in the message and what is to be thrown out.

The ground floor of the church was packed with students and their families. All indications point to the school growing in attendance during the next few years. Each year more and more families are moving into the small village of St Fergus. At the end of the assembly, the Head Mistress surveyed the sanctuary full of people and commented that next year some family members may have to sit in the balcony. It was good to hear that the school wants to keep coming to the church several times a year. She had noted that until the past two years, some of the children at the school had never been in a church. Now here they are coming into the village church several times a year with their families. My prayer is that St Fergus Parish Church would be a congregation that welcomes families of the village into her worship and life.

If you are the praying type of person, please pray for us in this regard.

Blessings to you and yours,