wfn.org | SABEEL’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2004 JERUSALEM

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SABEELS CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2004

The Defiant Spirit of Christmas

On behalf of Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center Board and Staff 
 I would like to send to all of our friends, local and international, our 
sincere Christmas greetings.  I would also like to express our heartfelt 
gratitude for all the support that our friends give us.

May the Joy, Peace, and Love of Christmas
Remain with You
Throughout the New Year

Some of our people ask how can we celebrate Christmas
with all the closures and checkpoints,
with all the injustice and oppression,
with all the violations of human rights,
with the presence of a wall that separates families and friends,
and a multitude of hardships that the occupation imposes to make peoples 
lives miserable,
how can we speak of love, peace and joy when most of our people and 
millions of others around the world do not experience liberty and peace?

The questions are legitimate.  Yet Christmas and New Year must be a time of 
renewal, of hope and anticipation, of determination and zeal to work for a 
better world where people can experience these essential qualities of 
life.  Therefore, wherever empire exists and the powers that be are in 
control through domination, there is a greater responsibility for all of us 
to take a stand against all that dehumanizes people and to work for their 
liberation.

The Christmas story is a story of a liberating God who comes to join an 
oppressed people in the work of liberation.  Gods message through the 
angels is a message of defiance.  In spite of the presence of empire, human 
arrogance, and oppression, God is announcing peace and goodwill.  This is 
Gods agenda.  Glory belongs to God and not to the emperor nor to the 
powers.  Once that is genuinely acknowledged, peace is not far away.

It is in the midst of the Roman occupation that the Incarnation took place.
It is in spite of the occupation that Mary and Joseph found joy and love in 
the birth of Jesus,
It is in spite of the occupation and in the midst of economic hardships 
that the shepherds came to visit a family of modest means and discovered 
great joy and peace;
It is in spite of the occupation that the Magi came to offer their gifts to 
the child.

We celebrate in the midst of the occupation and in spite of it.  Through 
our celebration we defy the occupation;
we defy the injustice;
we defy the oppressors;
we defy the powers;
They do not possess the last word,
they can build high walls, but they cannot take away our hope,
they can put us in jail, but they cannot take away our joy,
they can prevent us from visiting family, but they cannot take away our love,
they can stop us at checkpoints and impose all kinds of restrictions, but 
they cannot take away our pursuit of freedom and liberation,
they can prevent us from going to Bethlehem, but they cannot prevent the 
spirit of Bethlehem from reaching us,
they can treat us as nonhumans, but they cannot crush our spirit nor can 
they take away our God-given human worth and dignity,
they can act with hate and disgust but, by the grace of God, we can always 
refuse to stoop to the level of hate and maintain our love of God and 
neighbor that includes them.

Therefore Christmas makes us defiant.
We defy the evildoers because we believe in the goodness which they are 
capable of doing,
we defy hate because we believe in the power of love and forgiveness,
we defy despair because we believe in life and hope,
we defy violence and terror - both state and individual - because we 
believe in the power of peace and nonviolence,
we defy war and the occupation of other peoples lands because we believe 
in the power of  peaceful methods based on international law and legitimacy,
we defy and challenge those who humiliate and degrade others because we 
believe in the dignity of every human being.

The Incarnation took place when God took on our humanity, when the Word 
became flesh and dwelt among us.  This happened in Palestine under Roman 
occupation.  Then as now and in spite of all the hardships, we celebrate 
Christs birth, Emmanuel, God with us, giving us hope, joy, peace, and love.

We are defiant.  We are full of hope.  We will continue to work for peace 
through justice.

Glory to God in the Highest and on Earth Peace

Naim Ateek
Sabeel, Jerusalem
December 14, 2004

www.sabeel.org