I would like to take you to a visit to the Johan Barham Family in Beit Sahour, which is a little town outside of Bethlehem. Johan and his wife, Nadal, both come from a long line of Christians, who have lived in the Bethlehem area for over 800 years. Until 1967, their families lived in relative peace. They were able to come and go as they pleased. As devout Greek Orthodox Christians, they had their freedom to worship as they pleased.
Before 1967, Bethlehem and all of the West Bank of Palestine, was under Jordanian rule. Since most of the people living in the West Bank are Arabs, the Jordanians allowed them to live in freedom. During the Seven Day War of 1967, the whole area was conquered by Israel. The territory has been occupied by Israel ever since. As you know, the enmity between the Jews and the Arabs goes back to the time of Abraham. The Arabs have always felt the have lost out and been disenfranchised by the Hebrew people over this time. The Jews feel the Holy Land is their birth right and their land.
As the tension between the ruling Jews and the conquered Arabs in the West Bank has intensified, the Arabs have become more and more angry with their conquerors, whom they consider oppressors. It just happens that the great celebration for the Arab Christians living near and in Bethlehem is Christmas Eve, when they live out the festival of Christmas. The whole Christmas story is lived out by the Christian community on that night.
Since 1980, the Arab Christians have been forbidden to go to the Manger Square on Christmas Eve. They have been thrust into the role of a conquered people. They feel very much that the rulers in Jerusalem are their oppressors. They are waiting for a liberator to arise from Bethlehem to set them free. The Christmas story is very much a real story in the hearts and minds of the Christians in Beit Sahour and Bethlehem.
A few weeks ago, Jim Hornsby spoke to us about the Christians in Nicaragua. He told how Christian groups are springing up all over Central and South America. He spoke particularly about the Base Group in the Habitat Village, where he was building houses. Before they go to work each morning, they meet in a cell group for Bible study and prayer. For them, the Bible is a living book today. Now at Advent Season, they will be reading the Christmas story. They will be reading it as if it is happening in their time.
I can imagine what it would be like to sit in one of their sessions. They would be reading about Herod’s decree that every male child under two must be killed. So, he sends his soldier throughout Judea to kill these little children. One of the group members lights up and says, “That is just like the Contras coming through our towns and killing our children and our leaders. Last week, one of our church buses struck a mine and many children were injured or killed. Some of their legs were blown off. That is just like the Roman Soldiers going through Judea and killing the little children, when they were trying to kill the Christ child. Today, the Contras are trying to kill the Christ-spirit that has been moving through our land to liberate people from poverty and economic enslavement.” And so, the Christmas story comes alive in Nicaragua.
A few weeks ago, our friend Gary told me how he was at his wits end in his life, when he suddenly came to a point where he decided that he was at the end of his tether, and there was only one way out– to turn his life over to God. He said to God: “God, I have come to the end of my rope. I want to turn my life over to you. From here on out, I want you to call the tune.” On that day at the seashore, his heart became a manger, where the Christ child was born and the Christmas story was enacted all over again.
Today, I would like you to journey with into the skin of some the main actors in the Advent story– a story that begins with Annunciation to Mary. “I am Mary of Nazareth. I was born in the city of Nazareth, which was often called Nazareth of the Gentiles by the Jews of Jerusalem.” Because more than half of the people living in Nazareth where Gentiles, the Jews in Jerusalem thought the Jews of Nazareth were second-class, because they lived amongst the Gentiles. They could not help but be less worthy if they associated with Gentiles.
Mary said, “Being a woman of Nazareth, I was a second-class citizen among second-class citizens. In our world, women were to be seen and not heard. The men were the people of power. It was a lot of hard work to bear children and be at their husband’s beck and call. I was very uneasy for the life that was marked out for me.”
Mary said, “One night, I was lying awake and could not sleep. I was looking at my life and seeing my own enslavement. Suddenly, a light shone to me from Heaven–that startled me. I jumped out of my bed and fell prostate on the floor. I knew this was something from God. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to me and said to me not be be afraid, for I have found favor with God and behold you will conceive a baby in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall call him Jesus.”
I was astounded and I said to the angel, “How can this be since I do not have a husband?”
The angel said, “The Holy Spirit will come to you, the power of the Most High shall overshadow you, therefore your child will be born and called Holy, the son of the most high.”
Mary said, “Suddenly, my emptiness was gone. God had taken me from a nobody, and made me a somebody. No longer would I be Mary of Nazareth, half a citizen and half a person, put down by my people and a slave to my husband. Now I will be Mary of Bethlehem, the Mother of the Messiah.”
It was E. Stanley Jones who referred to Christ as the “Christ of Every Road.”I a real sense Mary can be call the “Mary of Every Road.” Mary stands out for much of the world as a Liberator. She is enshrined in many of the churches throughout the world as a symbol or liberated womanhood. She speaks to the world of women that enslavement is no longer their role. In Christ, women are made free to be human to be made free to God’s wondrous work in the world.
Mary becomes a model for every woman minister–many who have been set free in our generation to accept their high calling to Christ. Mary becomes the role model to every woman in the world who seeks a vocation–whether in the church or politics or business–whether she is to be called to be a mother–knowing the child can be a special person in this world.
Zachariah tells his story, “My name is Zachariah. I was a priest before God all my life. I served God faithfully in the Temple. I married a beautiful woman named Elizabeth. Our lives were rich and full except for one thing. We were childless. To be childless in our country was to be under a curse, because we could not bear children. We were now old and had stopped hoping.”
Zachariah said, “One the day it was my privilege to enter the Temple and light the incense–just as I lit the incense on the altar–the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to me on the right side of the altar. I was deeply troubled and scared to death.”
But the angel said to me, “Do not be afraid for your prayer is answered, and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son and you will call him John. And, he is going to be the one who prepares the way for the Messiah.”
Zachariah said, “I was flabbergasted and I fearfully said to the angel, “How can this be, I am an old man and my wife is an old woman past the age of childbearing. How can we have a child?”
And the angel said, ” I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. And, this will be a sign to you. Behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until these things come to pass.”
Zachariah said, “Sure enough, when I ran from the Temple to tell Elizabeth with the exciting news, some of my friends were waiting at the door of the Temple. I was unable to say a word. I had to get a pencil and write the whole thing down. It was only after our son John was born that I was able to speak. Zachariah and Elizabeth became a wonderful symbol for rebirth in the days of Christmas.
There are many other wonderful stories of Christmas including the shepherds in the fields and the traveling Magi who all brought peace with the good news of the Christ child.
Reverend Arthur Schwabe Blog 