Yet in the Dark Streets Shining: A Palestinian Story of Hope and Resilience in Bethlehem

by Bishara Awad

It would be easy to take a dogmatic stance in the face of our pressures, but I felt the Lord leading me to yield softly beneath the winds, to walk lightly. I had nothing to prove. The Lord would prove himself in our midst.

If the body of Christ could not engage in the difficult work of breaking down the walls of division here, in his land, how could we expect reconciliation to happen anywhere else?

A whisper answered me: The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never overcome it.

When we offer a glass of water to a thirsty person, we are in Christmas When we clothe a naked person with a gown of love, we are in Christmas When we wipe the tears from weeping eyes, we are in Christmas When we cushion a hopeless heart with love, we are in Christmas When I kiss a friend without hypocrisy, I am in Christmas When the spirit of revenge dies in me, I am in Christmas When hardness is gone from my heart, I am in Christmas When my soul melts in the Being of God, I am in Christmas

To Christians around the world, we Palestinians do not need your sympathy or charity. We need you to help us work for justice. We need you to rethink your eschatology. We need you to help us end the suffering of the Palestinian people and the suffering of the Israeli people. We ask that when you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that you will remember all the people of this land in your prayers. And please — come visit us in Bethlehem.