November 19, 2014
We've been home for 16 days now--and in the midst of winter. A remarkable shift of life for us, but the journey still continues in many ways. Our perspective how people of opposite sides of an issue understand each other (or fail to do so) applies to just about all of life. The recent news of violence in Jerusalem helps us see how it has happened, and saddens us to see the opposite sides growing more polarized because of it (and the violence and oppression that preceded it). We continue to pray for peace and reconciliation--the only real hope for resolution of this strife.
One of the agents for that kind of resolution that we had mentioned in earlier blogs is Daoud Nasser, founder of the "Tent of Nations" (http://www.tentofnations.org/) an "educational and environmental farm." Our one regret on the trip was that we had not connected with him and his ministry--based on their family farm of over a century that is currently being pressured to close by the Israeli settlements that surround it. His family has responded by digging their own well and setting up solar panels after the Israeli settlers cut off their water and power. They have continued to make their farm into a kind of retreat center--truly lighting a candle in the darkness. We heard about this in our last few days in Bethlehem and weren't able to make a visit, but resolved to learn more about it and support it in the future.
On the weekend of November 8-9, David was privileged to be one of six guest conductors for the "Singers in Accord" Twin Cities choir. It was once again a marvelous experience. Before the Saturday night concert, David mentioned to one of the other conductors, Nancy Grundahl, that we had been in Bethlehem recently. She said, "Oh, we have a guest speaker coming from Bethlehem to our church tomorrow--he has this farm where people can come to work for peace." Yes, it was Daoud Nasser, and he was speaking on November 9 in the morning at Mayflower Congregational UCC in Minneapolis--a 1/2 mile from where I would be on Sunday morning at Bethlehem (!) Lutheran Church.
David was able to go to Mayflower at noon when he was done on Sunday at Bethlehem, and there was pleased to see this bulletin cover by a Dar al-Kalima grade school student (scroll down to the "Scan to Me" file in this drive:
https://drive.google.com/a/csp.edu/?tab=mo#my-drive
Daoud and David visited for a bit after the service was done at Mayflower. He actually had seen and heard us at the October 19 service at Christmas Lutheran Church. David appreciated hearing about Daoud's work, and the two agreed to keep in touch. It was a great gift to get to connect, and we hope to stay connected. Somehow all of the remarkable happenstances of this adventure--we believe them to be the hand of God in our midst--make us believe that we will stay connected, spiritually, emotionally, and maybe even in physical presence. The journey has shown us that our faith is truly incarnational--that God appears to us in the people of the Body of Christ throughout the world. We are blessed to be part of that Body, and desire to be "hearts and hands and voices" in that Body (from "Now Thank We All Our God"--which we sang at church choir at Bethlehem (!) tonight.
Soli Deo Gloria! Amen!
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