May there be Peace 
by Gerard Dykstra

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
 
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth
peace among those whom he favors!

~ Luke 2:13-14 (NRSV)

When these words were sung above the fields of Bethlehem, the city was not longer under the rule of David, but under oppressive thumb of Roman control and occupation. Yet the angels sang of peace on earth.

Today, this place where angels proclaimed good news of great joy is a site of hopeless despair for many. Palestinians who call Bethlehem home live in a world of political fear. Refugee camps are packed with people whose lands and livelihoods have been torn apart. Anger fills their hearts and minds. Everywhere, soldiers with automatic weapons roam the streets.

Yet, even in this place of pain, there are glimmers of God’s hope. Even among the hurting and desperate are those who turn their hopelessness into powerful works of transformation. People like Mitri Raheb, the pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran "Christmas Tree" Church in the heart of Bethlehem. He lives to demonstrate what the Word made flesh might be today. In addition to being a pastor he leads the Diyar Consortium, an amazing outreach of education, training, and economic empowerment efforts that has become the third-largest private employer in Bethlehem.

A Palestinian Christian family opened their home to my wife, Linda, and me as we journeyed though the West Bank. They have lived under occupation their entire lives. They share with extended family a small plot of land that has been theirs for more than 100 years, yet they live in fear that war will again erupt and their home will be taken from them. Still, they work and worship, praying for the day that they, too, will experience peace and freedom.

These are our brothers and sisters in Christ. On this Christmas Day, God is with them and God is with us. They ask for our prayers and our solidarity. They ask that we be, with them, the body of Christ.

Paul reminded us that, as much as it depends on us, we are called to live in peace with everyone. This Christmas, as you celebrate the Christ child, as you exchange gifts and words of good will, I ask that you will join me in a prayer for peace – peace in Bethlehem, peace in Jerusalem, peace around the world.

Prayer
To a land that knows violence, among a people that know hate, in the midst of lives that know sorrow – come, Lord Jesus. We welcome you to our world on this Christmas morning. Amen.

Pursue Peace
This is the last of the advent devotions on peacemaking. Share your thoughts, reflections, and new commitments to making peace by joining our online community, justiceseekers.ning.com. Let’s join together in celebrating what the CRC is doing to build peace, and then let’s strive to make peace all the more evident in our congregations, in our communities, and in our lives.

Rev. Gerard Dykstra is executive director of the Christian Reformed Church in North America