It’s Christmas, and there are people in my faith tradition celebrating the birth of Jesus without acknowledging the fullness of his Palestinian skin. There are Christians silent while genocide takes place in the land of their Savior’s birthplace.
Some justify it in the name of a violent, oppressive and destructive lowercase god.
Little do they know, power hungry leaders follow the very same powers that persecuted baby Jesus and eventually got him nailed on a cross. Evil powers occupying Gaza right now are continuing to commit atrocities towards Palestinian people God calls, “My children.” In this twisted theology, wars are named holy and children are buried.
Some in the Christian faith ask like the Old Testament aggressor Joshua once did, “Whose side are you on? Ours or our enemies?” The messenger of God replied to Joshua in this exchange, “neither” (Joshua 5:13-15). This is no surprise for a God not bent to the will of war waging nations, an anti-military God who would one day send us a child born to release us from the grip of the oppressor.
They say this child would govern as the Prince of Peace. They say the boots of invading troops would be thrown in the fire as he rules with justice and righteousness in a world where so much is taken from marginalized and oppressed people (Isaiah 9).
They say salvation would come in the form of liberation —after all both mean the same thing. To be saved is to be l-i-b-e-r-a-t-e-d, set free from personal and social issues plaguing us, from systems and powers attempting to dehumanize our personhood.
This is the Christmas story I am leaning into this season with a grieving and heavy heart for our Palestinian brothers and sisters facing continual persecution, displacement, and death at the hands of the Israeli government supported by the U.S.
I am holding our communities advocating for the humanity and dignity of Palestinians this Christmas. I hold our Jewish brothers and sisters in the fight for justice, in the fight for freedom from tyranny as they preserve the sanctity of Judaism through their own testimony and advocacy. The world is watching and won’t forget those who fought with endurance for a permanent ceasefire to come, for a restored and return of the land, for life and flourishing for the people of Gaza.
During El Salvador’s brutal civil war fueled by military and dictatorship powers, liberation theologian Archbishop Oscar Romero preached these words that are still relevant today. They invite us as a powerful collective to rebuttal the lies of the powers that be with “the violence of love….not the violence of the sword, [nor] the violence of hatred…[but] the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for work.” The theme of the last Sunday of the Christian tradition of Advent speaks on love, and I can’t help but think of Romero’s calling today.
May this be so this Christmas and on in our advocacy and witness to a Palestinian Jesus, his people, and his land liberated and free.
Also, we repeat the urgent need for a #ceasefirenow in Gaza!
Below are Palestinian voices and Jewish coalitions I encourage you to follow if you have not already on Instagram (there are so many more as well that these account lead you to):
Rev. Munther Isaac @munther_isaac
Writer, Professor Hala Alyan @hala.n.alyan
Organization @jewishvoiceforpeace
Media/News @aljazeeraenglish
Journalist @wizard_bisan1
Journalist @motaz_azaiza