December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas from Jaffa, Israel


The photo of stenciled graffiti in South Tel Aviv appears to me an image of one kind of dove of peace. May it inspire thought, action, and leadership toward effecting social justice and human rights locally and globally.

Christmas morning, I attended the service at Immanuel Church in Jaffa — the best balm for sorely missing dear Christian friends in the USA with whom I have attended services on their holiday the past decades!

The Jaffa crowd was international, with soloists from each nationality singing "Silent Night" in their native languages at the service end. With the words shown onscreen at the front of the sanctuary, one by one, they sang in Russian, Ghanian, Gaelic, Afrikaans, Spanish (from Uruguay), Finnish, Dutch, Chinese, and so on. Terrific.

To my Christian friends in Israel, the USA, Canada, Germany, and Norway, warm wishes for a holiday season filled with love, grace, and community! And continuing through 2014 and beyond.

Related posts