Silent Night: A Palestinian Christmas

Last updated on: December 24, 2019 at 9:47 am by Paul Louis Metzger

Silent Night: A Palestinian Christmas 2019-12-24T09:47:15-08:00 Paul Louis Metzger

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Listen to this piece.

Jesus’ birth in Palestine a few thousand years ago was not so silent. As much as I love the Christmas carol, “Silent Night,” I have a hard time imagining Mary didn’t cry in giving birth to Jesus and that newborn baby Jesus didn’t cry that night. The crying over his birth didn’t end with them. After the visit of the Magi, Herod got ready to make mothers in the whole region weep. Scripture tells us that Herod was going to make sure that no king would rise up to take his place, and so he slaughtered all baby boys two years of age or less in Bethlehem and its vicinity. Matthew 2:18 quotes from Jeremiah the prophet in recounting the event:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”

While Jesus came to bring peace, his birth led to further violence in a world drenched in violence. We are all too aware of how violent our world can be at Christmas, whether we are in Portland, Oregon, Newtown, Connecticut, or in Bethlehem in Palestine.

We are days away from celebrating Jesus’ birth. While there are fears that the recent spate of violence in Gaza will keep pilgrims and tourists away from visiting Jesus’ birthplace this Christmas, still the Arab Christians living in Bethlehem will celebrate his birth.

So many of these Arab Christians have fled Bethlehem and the surrounding region over the past several years because of the increasing pressures they face on all sides. They are as a National Geographic article indicated a few years ago “The Forgotten Faithful” (June 2009 issue). Those Palestinian Christians still living there no doubt hope for a silent night in terms of relief from violence, but not in terms of a celebration of Jesus’ birth by people who come from near and far to welcome Jesus the king.

I have been struck by how many Christians in my circles are surprised that there are Palestinian Christians. Indeed, there are. They worship Jesus, who was Jewish, but who lived among the Gentiles, many of whom came to follow him. Just as Jesus’ followers in that region millennia ago placed their hopes in him, so also, these Palestinian Christians do as well. What are their hopes? What are our own? Are they any different from us? I am sure they long for violence to cease and for justice to prevail. But there appears to be no end to the violence and justice is so hard to find for everyone on all sides who have suffered in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

I am sure my Arab Christian brothers and sisters in Palestine know Jesus did not come to destroy Rome or for that matter give Jerusalem back to the Zionists—then and now. While Jesus’ birth then and now is surrounded by violence, he comes again and again to bring his peace. Jesus’ own people lived under foreign rule and oppression for so long. In fact, the reason for Jesus’ parents coming to Bethlehem was a direct consequence of Roman rule, as Caesar Augustus had issued a census to be taken of the whole Roman Empire (Luke 2:1-3). Jesus’ parents could not protest this ruling; Jesus himself grew up under the oppressive force of Roman rule. Jesus also faced the rejection of members of his own people’s ruling class for not siding with them. Jesus knows what it’s like for powerful forces on all sides of a conflict to try and silence him and/or those closest to him.

Christians from the West often visit the holy land but fail to listen to the voices of their Palestinian brothers and sisters in Christ. These Western Christians may visit the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem, but fail to realize that some of Jesus’ cherished brothers and sisters who were born there are being forced to leave. This Christmas, may we listen to our brothers and sisters in Bethlehem share their hopes and fears and longing for Jesus to return and silence the violence and grant them his peace.

Listen to this interview with Rev. Dr. Alex Awad on Palestinian Christianity and a Palestinian Christmas!

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 18, 2012

Gold, Frankincense and an M16

Next Post

December 21, 2012 Consumerism, the Third Martini and the Terrorists

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz