Newsletter:
Vol. 5. Iss. 3
10 August 2004
Holy Sites
The Rev. Robert W. Hannum
Recently I spoke with a friend who had just come back from
Israel/Palestine. One of her experiences there was a boat ride on the Sea
of Galilee. "I felt the presence of Christ there. I just know he was
there!" she exclaimed. "Did you visit a refugee camp?" I asked.
"No, we didn't have time," she answered. "You might have felt
his presence there, too," I said.
When God said to Moses, according to Exodus 3, "Take off your shoes,
for the place where you are standing is holy ground," Moses was standing
before a burning bush in the desert. He could have been standing in front
of a burning car, hit by an Israeli missile, in a Palestinian refugee camp.
Or, a burning Israeli bus, blown up by a Palestinian homicide bomber.
We need a broader definition for "holy site." Is it not true, that
Calvary Hill, now covered by remnants of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
where a terrible act took place, is a place we call "holy" which
millions of tourists visit each year? A "holy site" can be a place
where something miraculous and wonderful has happened. It can also be a place
where something terrible has happened, which brings us to our knees and through
which we humbly seek the presence of God, the redemptive power of God in the
very midst of that terrible happening. It can be a place where something strikes
us, perhaps the Holy Spirit, nudging us to become more involved for peace
and justice. I don't believe that God has anything to do with terrible events
like car bombings, (although Christians believe the crucifixion of Jesus was
God's plan), but I am saying that, out of the chaos, the horror, the death
and the tears, can come the Jesus of resurrection, of new life and hope. As
on Easter Day, we can discover redemption!
On a trip six years ago to Israel/Palestine, our group visited a home which
had been hastily built after an Israeli bulldozer had demolished this family's
original house. The pile of rubble was hidden by a small hill beside the new
house they and relatives had built. There were no windows or shutters of any
kind against the sun or inclement weather. There were no doors. This second
home has also received a demolition order from the Israeli Government.
One of our people, an eighth grader, found a young, handicapped, Palestinian
boy in that house and began trying to communicate with him. They found they
could make contact through gestures and the few words of English the Palestinian
boy knew. That experience, amid real trouble and sorrow, made such an impression
on that group member, that, today, he has studied Arabic in Cairo and is preparing
to join a camp for the rebuilding of Palestinian homes with the Israeli Coalition
for Home Demolitions, in the West Bank. He is also active with a Middle Eastern
group at the University he attends. For him, this place was a holy site.
I am always awed by the Women in Black. This group of Israeli women has stood
in the middle of the busiest intersection in West Jerusalem each Friday from
1-2 PM, for 17 years. They hold signs which read, "The occupation is
killing us all." "End the occupation in West Bank and Gaza."
"Peace and justice for Palestinians and Israelis." When we take
groups, we usually stand with them. Some who pass in cars or buses give us
a thumbs up. Others shake their fists and shout from windows. I once asked
an Israeli friend what one shouter was saying. "You wouldn't want to
know," she replied. This too is a holy site and one which should not
be missed in our checklist of holy sites. It is our hope, with theirs, for
redemption.
