Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.?~Psalm 123:3 Graffiti covers the walls and boarded-up windows of a refugee camp just outside Bethlehem called Dheisheh. It is called a ?camp,? but it is not temporary. It has been home to generations of … [Read more...] about #19 Lent Pilgrimage, Home
#18 Lent Pilgrimage, Keffiyeh
Your children will be like olive shoots around your table.?~Psalm 128:3 Just outside the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, a Palestinian street vendor approaches me with an armful of the Arab headdresses known as keffiyeh. I would like to drape the red-and-white cloth over a communion table as a … [Read more...] about #18 Lent Pilgrimage, Keffiyeh
#17 Lent Pilgrimage, Nativity
This will be a sign for you. ~Luke 2:12 The history of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is a microcosm of the region?s conflicts, which span a millennium. In the 11th-century the church entrance was reconfigured so marauders couldn?t ride in on horseback. In 2002 the church was at the … [Read more...] about #17 Lent Pilgrimage, Nativity
Lent Pilgrimage, Shepherds Cave
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ~Luke 2:8 The field is long and sloping, with scraggly grass and plentiful rocks. We descend into a cave, using steps carved out of rock. Inside, the rock roof is low. A Palestinian Christian named … [Read more...] about Lent Pilgrimage, Shepherds Cave
A Bethlehem Prayer Service at Christmastime: Washington, DC simulcast with Bethlehem, Palestine
One reason music is powerful is that it exists in context -- in place and time. A song plays on the radio and we hurtle back in our memory to the sweetheart we danced with once upon a time. A musical theme announces a favorite movie or series and the pleasure of watching it comes flooding back. … [Read more...] about A Bethlehem Prayer Service at Christmastime: Washington, DC simulcast with Bethlehem, Palestine