An excerpt from a message from Mark Braverman, executive director of Kairos USA. Download the Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert pdf here. If you are looking for a compelling alternative to Christian Zionism, this is definitely one of them.

WE TEACH LIFE TO THE REST OF THE WORLD

This is what meets your eyes as you enter the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, in place of the traditional Christmas tree. No explanation is needed, beyond what is articulated by the church’s pastor Rev. Munther Isaac in this year’s Kairos Palestine Christmas Alert:

“Christmas celebrations are cancelled this year in Bethlehem. There will be no tree lighting, no street parades, and no festivals.

“We watch in horror and agony as one child after another is pulled out of the rubble in the genocide in Gaza, reminding us of the ruthless massacre of the children of Bethlehem at the hand of the Empire—yet another reminder of the relevancy of the Christmas narrative. We will not celebrate. It is hard to rejoice. We are afraid. We are broken. We are shaken.

But the Christmas narrative brings God closer to us in our state of brokenness and despair. Christmas is God’s solidarity with us. Jesus is born with the occupied and oppressed. Christmas is God’s solidarity with the oppressed and dehumanized. Jesus became human among the dehumanized to reclaim our humanity, dignity and worth.” 

Download the Christmas Alert. In the face of the genocidal devastation of Gaza, the tightening of the noose of restrictions and escalation of violence in the West Bank, of the intention, for all the world to see, to do away with their presence in their homeland, the Palestinians have created this document of faith — truly, in the words of the Kairos Palestine document, “resistance with love as its logic.” “Love must win,” my Palestinian pastor friend wrote to me. The alternative, he said, is paralysis.

“Now is the time,” writes Palestinian Christian Mays Nassar in the Christmas Alert, “for us to open our eyes to some overlooked sources of hope. Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah and other medical staff smiling as they operate on an injured girl in Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza, with the caption “Still going strong.” The villagers of Musafer Yatta refusing to abandon their lands and homes despite ongoing settler violence, restrictive measures, and demolition orders.

For me as a Palestinian, these instances echo the call “Do not be afraid” spoken by the angel to the shepherds announcing the birth of Jesus Christ. Amidst the numerous challenges, these scenes serve as my wellsprings of hope, patience, and faith that this injustice will not remain. And through our resilience, we indeed teach life to the rest of the world.’