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Christmas Message
December 2004
“Are you the one who is
to come, or are we to wait for another?”
Many people, in many
places, are waiting for the one who is to come. This was the case in
the USA elections last November and in the Ukraine elections in
December. Now, the world is looking to Palestine to see if and with
what margin will Abu Mazen be elected. According to all polls Abu
Mazen seems to be the one to come and the one whom everyone is waiting
for. The many expectations that the majority have from this poor man
remind me of the tremendous expectations that people had from the late
President Arafat during the first presidential elections of 1996. Yet,
less than 6 years after, the world turned President Arafat from the
one to come to the one to be rid of.
While kings come and go,
presidents rise and fall and generals appear and disappear, people
still anxiously wait for the one to come. For us Christians during
this Christmas season, we have to remind ourselves that our Messiah
had already come 2000 years ago. We do not need to wait for anyone any
longer. We have to remember that all others are politicians, to whom
we only owe that which is due to “Caesar”.
Not expecting any of the
politicians to be the Messiah does not mean that we at the ICB abandon
our duty as a civil society organization. For this reason we are busy
these days preparing for the upcoming elections: the production unit
is busy recording debate shows with the candidates, to be later
broadcasted on all 12 local televisions stations; members of our staff
are getting trained to be trainers of observers representing the civil
society, to ensure that the elections will be fair and transparent;
and all of us will make sure on January 9th to go to the
polling stations to cast our votes for the one who is best from among
the candidates. This is what is due to Caesar.
But what is due to us
from Caesar? When we look around us here in the Holy Land we see
settlements growing like mushrooms, racist bypass road system
strangling our towns and villages, and an 8 meter-high wall
surrounding our cities. The USA, Europe, Israel and the Palestinian
Authority know what is due to us. So why wait for anyone to come to
give us our due?
On our part, we are also
determined to give God what God is due: namely, to continue the
ministry of preaching, teaching and healing, which Jesus himself
started here 2000 years ago. There is no waiting in vain for anyone at
our Center. Today is the day of salvation, today shall be the day of
liberation. In His name we continue to offer healing for the deaf and
the sick at our Health and Wellness Center. Through His grace we see
how children, who are at risk, are transformed to Bright Stars.
Through proclaiming the good news, we witness how spectators become
actors, and how the oppressed are empowered. We hope and pray that the
year 2005 will not be another year of wasteful waiting, but one of
action, compassion and liberation.
Merry Christmas and a
Joyful New Year
From Rev. Dr.
Mitri Raheb
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