Christmas Story as a Message of Hope amid Israeli Oppression

"Glory belongs to God and not to the emperor nor to the powers. Once that is genuinely acknowledged, peace is not far away."

In response to the UN report on Bethlehem, which portrayed a dark picture for the future of the warring land, the Director of the Jerusalem-based Palestinian Christian group Sabeel, Rev. Canon Naim Ateek, gives hope to the Palestinian people in his Christmas message.

Sabeel is a Palestinian Christian organisation based in Jerusalem and has support groups in the US, Canada, the UK and other European countries.

Under the Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, the political and social situation is very unstable in the region, particularly in Bethlehem and the Holy Land.

The Palestinian Christian community are living under great oppression of human rights. Bethlehem is surrounded by many physical obstructions, checkpoints and dirt mounds, and as a result the city is isolated from Jerusalem. This has affected the number of pilgrimages coming at Christmas, and Christians have been greatly restricted in where they are able to travel around.

However, Rev. Canon Naim Ateek is able to see the similarity between the birth of Jesus Christ under Roman occupation and the situation of Palestinian Christians nowadays.

"It is in the midst of the Roman occupation that the Incarnation took place. It is in spite of the occupation that Mary and Joseph found joy and love in the birth of Jesus. It is in spite of the occupation and in the midst of economic hardships that the shepherds came to visit a family of modest means and discovered great joy and peace; it is in spite of the occupation that the Magi came to offer their gifts to the child," he said in his Christmas message.

There are many persecution and restriction on God’s people throughout the history. Even the son of God, Jesus Christ first came to this world, he was being chased by the King of that age. Rev. Ateek reflected, "The Christmas story is a story of a liberating God who comes to join an oppressed people in the work of liberation."

The history of God progresses under the absolute providence of God despite of any other humanistic distraction. Rev Atteek continued, "God’s message through the angels is a message of defiance. In spite of the presence of empire, human arrogance, and oppression, God is announcing peace and goodwill. This is God’s agenda."

The message comes to be very powerful to enlighten the sorrow heart of Palestinian Christians. Rev Atteek concluded that as Christians can understand this secret in the history, a light of hope emerges.

"Glory belongs to God and not to the emperor nor to the powers. Once that is genuinely acknowledged, peace is not far away."

Rev Atteek declared powerfully, "They can build high walls, but they cannot take away our hope; they can put us in jail, but they cannot take away our joy, they can prevent us from visiting family, but they cannot take away our love; they can stop us at checkpoints and impose all kinds of restrictions, but they cannot take away our pursuit of freedom and liberation; they can prevent us from going to Bethlehem, but they cannot prevent the spirit of Bethlehem from reaching us."

Rev Atteek said finally, "The Incarnation took place when God took on our humanity, when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This happened in Palestine under Roman occupation. Then as now and in spite of all the hardships, we celebrate Christ’s birth, Emmanuel, God with us, giving us hope, joy, peace, and love."

"We are defiant. We are full of hope. We will continue to work for peace through justice."