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Prayers and
Wishes
WISHES AND PRAYERS
WORLD WEEK FOR PEACE IN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL
June 4-10, 2009
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ARGENTINA
El Grupo de Ecología y Ecumenismo en su última
reunión del año comparte con la comunidad la celebración litúrgica donde pedimos
por la Paz e invitamos a continuación a participar del encuentro donde
redactamos los mensajes y oraciones para enviar a nuestros hermanos de la ciudad
de Belén.
Creemos que no siempre habrá oscuridad para las
personas que ahora están en angustia y aflicción a causa de la marginación, la
injusticia, la discriminación, la guerra …
Porque Jesús es Luz
Creemos que no siempre las personas vivirán
enemistadas y separadas por odios o rencores, por diferencias ideológicas, por
su condición social o económica, por credos, razas …
Y creemos también que se superará toda forma de
violencia y opresión
Porque Jesús es la Paz
ABRAZAMOS A NUESTROS HERMANOS Y HERMANAS
Y DESEAMOS QUE EL DIOS DEL AMOR Y LA PAZ ESTE
PRESENTE
MUY ESPECIALMENTE CON TODOS EN ESTA NAVIDAD
Y RENUEVE NUESTRA FUERZA PARA TRABAJAR
POR UN MUNDO MEJOR
Jesús, en Ti yo me apoyo
Sin Ti no soy nada
Tú todo lo diste y lo sigues dando
A través de los siglos
Tu amor es interminable
Señor haz qu podamos amarte
Cada día un poco más
Yo te amo Jesús
PARTE DEL AMOR ES LA PAZ
PARTE DE LA PAZ ES LA ALEGRIA
PARTE DE LA ALEGRIA ES LA TERNURA
PARTE DE LA TERNURA ES DESCUBRIR AL HERMANO
DESCUBRIR AL HERMANO ES ENCONTRAR Y VALORAR LA CREACION
ENCONTRAR LA CREACION ES SENTIR A DIOS
SENTIR A DIOS ES COMENZAR A TRANSITAR POR
EL CAMINO, LA VERDAD Y LA VIDA
Que la perseverancia y fortaleza espiritual
los sostenga.
en el camino de la Luz de nuestro Padre, Dios Eterno
Un abrazo en el corazón. Los amo
Que nazca la paz en cada corazón junto con el
Niño Jesús
Dios es nuestro Padre, crreador de todas las cosas, con misericordia por Amor.
Debemos amar la creación, el odio destruye.
Belén vuelve a nacercada día con Jesús el salvador.
Firman los presentes:
Carmina Lizarralde, María Marta – Cristina y Flia. Tellechea, Damián Boichenko,
Marisa Biaggini, María Luisa Miñones, Graciela Consolación Ponce, Candelaria
Ibarrola
Verónica López, Noemí A.Turchi, Eusebio Lizarralde.
Eusebio Lizarralde
AUSTRALIA
Greetings to you from the Uniting Church in
Forrestfield, Perth Western Australia. At this mornings service we were
sharing news and were told of the possibility of sending greetings to people in
Bethlehem. Those present were very pleased to do so. In Christ's
name we greet you and pray with you that this will be time of peace for your
all. That 2009 will see a greater understanding of each other in your
area. We know that God loves us all and that we are to believe that we are
all one. May this blessing be on you as you celebrate this Christmas
Season. God bless.
Betty Matthews, for the congregation.
Dear friends,
It brings me great sadness to know that people in
your land still struggle with violence, and long for peace and freedom. I
have some beautiful friends from Palestine, and your people are always in my
heart.
As Christmas draws near I remember that 'God is
with us'; that God bends down low to be part of our messy suffering world. I
pray that God is with you in all that you face and transforms the hearts of all
people in the Middle East to bring about peace and genuine human flourishing.
I pray that God also transforms me and others in the West, and dedicates us more
deeply to solidarity with your people.
God bless you always
Chantelle Ogilvie
__________________
Dear friends in Bethlehem
I think of you in your 'little town of Bethlehem"
which I visited some years ago.
I pray for you this Christmas time.
I pray for peace in your time between all
peoples.
I pray that our Lord's blessing will rest upon
you and give you peace in your heart.
With my love, thoughts and continual prayers.
Anne Warren, Australia.
__________________
To our brothers and sisters in Bethlehem
May the star of hope and peace shine brightly over your town this
Christmas eve.
May the Christ Child once again be born in Bethlehem as the Prince
of Peace.
May all barriers be removed so that all may freely come to wonder and
to worship.
May love and peace surround you.
Robert and Annette Packett
Torquay
Australia
AUSTRIA
Liebe Christen in Bethlehem!
Ich bin Österreicher und Priester und war schon
einige Male im Heiligen Land, das mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen ist. Es ist eine
meiner drängendsten Erwartungen und meine ganz große Hoffnung, dass im Heiligen
Land endlich Friede wird – für alle, die dort wohnen und leben. Auch ich habe –
ein alter Mann, der ich bin – schwere Kriegszeiten erlebt. Unserem Land geht es
jetzt gut, wir können in Frieden leben. Ich möchte alles dafür tun, dass uns das
nicht fett, faul, träge und abgestumpft macht. Ich bitte alle, die diese Sätze
lesen: Bleibt wachsam und engagiert! Seid solidarisch im Gebet, in Wort und Tat
mit allen, die im Heiligen Land leben und leiden!
Hartwin Schmidtmayr
Gebt nicht auf
Gebt nicht auf, es kommt die Zeit,
da werden die Menschen sich erheben und
einsehen,
dass sie geschaffen sind als Schwestern und
Brüder miteinander zu leben.
Gebt nicht auf, es kommt die Zeit,
da wird jeder Mensch die Würde und den Wert
der menschlichen Person achten und Geschwisterlichkeit wird mehr sein als ein
paar Worte am Ende eines Gebets.
Gebt nicht auf, es kommt die Zeit,
da werden in all unseren Parlamentsgebäuden
Frauen und Männer gewählt, die Gerechtigkeit und Barmherzigkeit üben und demütig
sind vor ihrem Gott.
Gebt nicht auf, es kommt die Zeit,
da werden die Waffenlosen, die Ohnmächtigen,
die Sanftmütigen siegen.
Da werden die Schwerter umgeschmiedet zu
Pflugscharen.
Gebt nicht auf, es kommt die Zeit,
da werden die Trauernden. die Klagenden, die
Weinenden mit einer Freude erfüllt, die niemand mehr von ihnen wegnehmen kann.
Gebt nicht auf, es kommt die Zeit,
da werden die Entwurzelten, die Vertriebenen,
die Heimatlosen Wurzeln schlagen und Wohnungen finden.
Gebt nicht auf, es kommt die Zeit,
da werden die Hunger haben nach Gerechtigkeit,
die dürsten nach Freiheit und Frieden gesättigt und getränkt werden.
Nach Willhelm Willms und Martin Luther King
(und Jesus)
Wir denken an Euch.
Elisabeth Wiesmüller mit Familie (Lans/Tirol/
Austria)
Frohe und gesegnete Weihnachtswünsche aus Tirol,
an alle Menschen, guten
Willens in Betlehem und überall dort, wo heute Nacht, das Licht des
Erlösers aufs neue erstrahlt. Das Licht von Betlehem, das Kinder aus
Österreich, dort in der Krippe geholt haben ist inzwischen bei mir
angelangt und wird heute, in dieser heiligen Nacht, das Licht sein, das
die Krippe mit dem Heiland erleuchtet und mein Herz erfreuen möge.
Christus ist im Stall zur Welt gekommen. Lassen wir es weiterhin zu,
dass er zu uns kommt und unsere Herzen mit Frieden, den die Welt so
dringend braucht, durchdringt.
Stern von Betlehem, zeige uns den Weg.
Für meinen 50. Geburtstag und dem damit verbundenen Tauftag,
beabsichtige ich in Betlehem zu feiern um IHN zu feiern, der in meiner
Taufe alles begonnen hat.
Für das kommende Jahr des Herrn die allerbesten Wünsche, vor allem aber
Friede.
Erich Loidfelder
Weihnachtswunsch an alle, die guten Willens sind
Unser aller Gott, möge unsere Herzen öffnen,
damit wir zu Boten des Friedens werden.
Das Kind von Bethlehem
sei Euch im kommenden Jahr
aller Hoffnung Ausgangspunkt
aller Freude Mittelpunkt
aller Nöte Wendepunkt
aller Liebe Höhepunkt.
In Gedanken mit Euch verbunden
Erich und Josefa Scheiblauer
Gresten , Austria
_______________
Gebet für die Menschen in Gaza
Liebender Gott! Wir beten und bitten
Dich:
Halte Deine schützende Hand über Dein
hart geprüftes Volk von Gaza.
Lass die Menschen nicht in äußerste
Verzweiflung fallen –
sondern lass das winzige Pflänzchen
Hoffnung zu einem grünen und blühenden Baum heranwachsen.
Oh Gott! Du bist der Gott der Rache!
Lass Dein Volk nicht Rache, sondern Versöhnung
denken –
nicht Zerstörung, sondern Wiederaufbau.
Lass das Wunder Wirklichkeit werden,
wie es in Micha (4) geschrieben steht:
„Sie sollen ihre Schwerter in Pflugscharen
umschmieden, und ihre Speere in Sicheln“.
Liebender Gott! Lass uns Hand in Hand
wandern: Juden und Christen und Muslime,
und gewähre uns allen ein Leben in Fülle!
Shalom/Salaam
Amen
Prayer for the people of Gaza
Oh, loving God,
we pray and ask you to hold your caring
hands over your hard tried Gazan folks.
Do not allow them to fall in utterly
despair –
but let the tiny plant of hope grow into
a green and blossoming tree.
Oh God, you are the Lord of Revenge!
Allow your people think reconciliation
instead of revenge –
and reconstruction instead of destruction.
Let the marvel become true, as was written
by Micah, that “they shall beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks”.
Oh, loving God, do allow us to walk hand
in hand, Jews, Christians and Moslems,
And give to all of us a life in fullness,
shalom/salaam.
Amen
Gerhilde Merz
Pax Christi Austria
BELGIUM
Moge de Ster van Bethlehem de kringloop van
geweld breken en U de zolang verwachte vrede brengen.
Een welgemeend Zalig en Heilig Kerstfeest
Frére francis M.Afr.
GOOD WISHES &
BLESSINGS…
Dear friends,
Christmas and the New Year
are the occasion for me to send you
the Lord’s blessings.
May the Lord lean over you.
May his face shine over you.
May the Lord help you
to be carriers of joy and hope.
Take care of our planet.
Take care of all that lives,
respect life at all times.
Be peace makers in your families,
at school and at work,
in all the places that you frequent.
Above all,
may peace dwell in your hearts.
today, tomorrow and always.
Amen!
A Merry Christmas & a
Happy New Year!
FONS VANDEN BOER
AJF Vanden Boer, MAfr.
Econome Provincial Treasurer
European Province Européenne
Dear Palestinian brothers and sisters,
I wish you a Christmas of justice and peace for your land and all of you; always
i want to be with you in those so difficult time.
I want to say to you that in brussel belgium we have the meeting of the
community of Taizi; during this meeting, a young palestinian-belgian women has
accepted to make a testimony about the situation of your land in front of
various centuries of people.
In the peace of Christ.
Didier Leurquin
My most sincere wishes for a blessed Christmas
and a peaceful New Year.
Marie Dennis
Co-President, Pax Christi International
CANADA
Dear people of Palestine and Israel;
We would encourage you to know that you are in our thoughts and
prayers during this Christmas Season. As we at Emmanuel-Howard Park
United Church await the 'Birth of the Prince of Peace' more fully in
our hearts and souls we pray that your conflicted relationships may
also be addressed with justice, peace and security for all parties
concerned. Birthing all vulnerable children often requires painful and
difficult labour. May we all know that the 'God of Love' longs; to
accompany us through the pain, to send comfort and healing, and, to
celebrate with us the birth of fuller and richer peace and security
for one and all. May your and our steps toward this 'birthing of
peace' be strengthened and encouraged by this knowledge and love.
God Bless;
The People of Emmanuel-Howard Park United Church
__________________
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In your sufferings I pray that you experience the
closeness and care and the grace of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, in your
daily lives and struggles. May you also experience the closeness, care and
concern of our Blessed Mother, Mary, who like any loving Mother maintains an
active interest, concern and love for all her children, and no doubt especially
for those who need her help most.
United in love and prayer,
Ann, Calgary, Alberta
__________________
At the suggestion of our moderator, the Right
Rev. David Giuliano, the congregation of St. Andrew’s United Church in Fort
Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada, has written these messages, wishes and prayers
for the people of Bethlehem during our church service last week. I send them
along on their behalf with my own best wishes and prayers for justice, peace and
security for all people.
Sincerely,
Rev. Sharron Bodnaryk,
St. Andrew’s United Church,
Fort Qu’Appelle, Canada
__________________
This prayer is from a Bible Study group at Bridge
Street United Church in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. It is repetitious as it
was combined from several individuals who each contributed a sentence.
We pray for your safety and continued hope for
peace, the peace of our creator who sends blessings upon all of us. May the joys
of the "Holiday Season" fill your hearts with love and peace and civility to all
and may others recipricate. May the God of peace protect you and keep you
and grant you peace and a spirit of thankfulness.
In Jesus name,
Amen
__________________
The organizers of the Abraham Festival , a
co-ordination between the
Masjid Al-Salaam (Peace Mosque), the Beth Israel Synagogue and
several
Christian churches in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada send love and best wishes to
the
people of Israel and Palestine at Christmas, 2008. We send you the
Letter of Peace that we wrote to start our festival in 2002.
We are members of the families of Abraham -
Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Our traditions teach us to have compassion, seek justice, and
pursue
peace for all people. We bear especially deep concern for the region
where Abraham learned and taught, journeyed and flourished.
In the name of the One God whom we all serve and celebrate, we condemn
all forms of violence. To take serious steps toward the peace that all
our traditions demand of us, we commit ourselves to continued learning
and dialogue. We will act to create a multifaith network of Jews,
Christians, and Muslims who will covenant together to:
* grow grass-roots relationships that bind together those who have
been enemies
* listen and learn from each other's traditions
* open our hearts to each other's perspectives
* support each other as extended family members
According to tradition, Abraham kept his tent open in all four
directions, the more easily to share his food and water with travelers
from anywhere. In that spirit, we pray for all.
Shalom/Peace/Salaam
__________________
"Peace cannot be achieved through violence,
it can only be attained through understanding." Albert Einstein
My Prayer: Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will
be called children of God,,, my peace I give unto you, not as the world
gives."
Dear God shall situations in the world dictate my thoughts on peace,
or shall my thoughts on peace instruct the world? Oh, that I might
have such influence for a moment. Amen
Joyce Sinasac, Canada
__________________
Dear Friends:
The congregation of Viking United Church in
Viking, Alberta, Canada took time in worship yesterday to write prayers and well
wishes to the peoples of Bethlehem. We hope they are both timely and
welcome. There are twenty of them.
Our prayers are with you - for peace and
comfort, and continued hope. Don't give up. I am at a loss of what
to even say that may help you. I can't imagine your frustration,
disappointment, despair and anger you must feel at times, but don't give up -
have hope. May it comfort you to know that we are praying for you - use
this for your strength.
We pray for peace on earth, and for all those
who are poor and hungry.
Heavenly Father, We honestly and sincerely
pray for peace in Bethlehem. It is so sad to hear and realize what is
going on there and so many other places in the Middle East. We pray for
peace and justice in Jesus' name. Amen.
__________________
I pray for Bethlehem. Bring peace to its
people and God's love to protect them at this time of strife.
We pray for all homeless and under privileged
people during Christmas holidays and ever after.
My Prayer to Bethlehem, I pray for world peace and the healing of all hearts who
have suffered a dear loss to them. Amen.
May the world learn to live in harmony and those who have been taken from their
homes be rewarded with eternal peace and joy. May we who are all God's
children, grow more loving and peaceful every day. This we ask in Jesus'
name. Amen.
I pray for the less fortunate of this world and I pray for peace and happiness.
I pray too that I myself will find contentment and peace of mind.May the hope,
peace, joy and love of God be with you during this special season. We are
praying for your salvation. May God be with you now and forever.
Amen.
At this time of year, as our thoughts return to the event of the Nativity, we
think of the "little town of Bethlehem" and the realities that it now faces.
As a congregation in the "little town of Viking" (Alberta, Canada), we pray for
the people in Bethlehem. We pray that a time of peace and harmony among
all people can come to your region. We pray that the love of Christ, our
Lord, will fill all hearts and unite the world in everlasting peace.
May you find peace and justice in the new year. May understanding and
forgiveness be part of your life in the future. May you be part of the
solution and resolution of age old conflict. May happiness find you and
your neighbours of all faiths. God bless you all.
We pray that the sanctuary [Church of the Nativity] is restored to its
righteous state and that peace can once again be in the land of Bethlehem.
Let it be a place of prayer and safety.
We pray for peace in the Middle East, and that one day we will treat each other
as brothers and appreciate that Christ died for all of our sins.
Dear Lord, Please bring love and understanding - remove the hate and prejudice
so the peoples of Bethlehem may live in peace and harmony. Amen.
O Little Town of
Bethlehem, we pray for your peace and new
openness to justice and sanctuary. O Holy
Child of Bethlehem, come to the place of your
birth and bring it the gentleness and joy and
resurrection that was the sign of your life
among us.
O God: Protect Bethlehem and the residents of
Bethlehem from harm, now and always, and hasten
the day when all who live in the Holy Land will
live in peace with their neighbours. In
Christ's name, Amen.
I pray today for peace, kindness and mercy -
hopefully for all things that this time of year stands for.
Prayer for Bethlehem - My prayer for you is
that God will give you peace in this troubled time, many other people are also
praying for you.
I pray for world peace. [written in
Japanese characters]
Dear God, Bless the people in Bethlehem.
Bring them peace and understanding. Help them to love one another and find
compassion and live to heal the wounds that divide. Bless them with your
love. Amen.
O God, we pray for all the peoples of
Bethlehem, for the sadness and uncertainty they must endure. May the hopes
they hold in their hearts be born in the world as living opportunities.
May dreams become realities. May sadness be replaced by joy. May all
that is needed for abundant living be found or provided. May the peoples
of Bethlehem become in their move beyond fear and pain, a beacon of hope to
others around the world who are victims of violence. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Accept our prayers for your well being, and
deliverance from the intolerable situation in which you find yourselves.
We offer them in all humility, knowing that we cannot begin to fathom the
reality of your lives from our pleasant comfort. We are emboldened by the
words of Paul in Romans 8: 26, "We do not even know how we ought to pray, but
through our inarticulate groans the Spirit himself is pleading for us, and God
who searches our inmost being knows what the Spirit means..."
Thank you for this opportunity to be with you in
spirit, as we are able. May God bless you and keep you always.
Rev. Carolyn Woodall
Friends,
Here are prayers from your brothers and sisters at Gower Street United Church,
St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada:
~ We, who have found joy and peace through the message and messenger who emerged
from the Holy Land, now pray that His peace will emerge within this troubled
land. May all who yearn for justice and peace throughout the world join our
voices and prayers together, many languages many truths, many paths, but one
goal: peace!
~ May the small droplet of peace which
flows from the ocean of your heart expand into ever-widening circles to
reach the ocean of every heart in our home, your community, your country,
your world. Amen.
~ A prayer for peace in the world and in our
family.... loving and caring towards all humankind.
~My prayer is this: the recognition that
we are all one, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or culture. We are all
brothers and sisters in the world - and I pray for recognition of this fact,
because this is peace.
~ I pray that you have the strength and help you
need to develop peace and harmony, fairness and justice, to rebuild the health
of you and your nation.
~O Lord, we pray that in Thy bounteous
grace, you will enable peoples in conflict to reconcile their differences
and come together in a spirit of cooperation and goodwill to the end of
living together in peace and harmony. We ask that You endow all our leaders
with the wish to give guidance to the peoples in the troubled time in our
world. With all our hearts we pray and beseech Thee to hear our prayers.
Amen.
~Help us love everyone. Amen.
~Loving and eternal God, as we celebrate
the qualities and the symbols of Advent in this holy Season, which are
Peace, Hope, Joy and Love, we pray that you will give us the strength and
commitment to strive for peace and justice for people of the Holy Land; and
also for people the world over who are in great need. With you all things
are possible. May we follow the way of the Prince of Peace, in your abiding
love. Amen.
~ My prayer is for peace and justice for all - in
this community for all who look to the arm of the church for hope and support
and for the people of all the war-torn countries. God and Allah grant them hope
for peace.
(Rev. Dr.) Kate Crawford
To whom it concerns,
Here are a few Christmas prayers for Bethlehem compiled by our congregations in
Alberta, Canada.
O People of Bethlehem,
People where Jesus was chosen to be born;
Always keep God's love and peace within your hearts
and hopeful peace will be yours. Amen.
To the people in a far away land,
May the peace and love of that day in Bethlehem,
so many years ago come to our world today.
May we find peace on earth, the strength to love each other
and the courage to stand for an end to the fighting.
May Jesus find a home inside each of us this day
that calls us to be restored in God's truth and way.
This is the prayer of many who cannot understand the
turmoil lived by you in this holy city on such a holy day,
but desire to show that you are on our hearts and minds,
for we are One in God. Amen.
Bethlehem,
You have long held favor with God,
trust that God will always sustain you,
even though it may not be in the old familiar ways you and we have known.
God's blessings upon you always. Amen.
Deanna Cox
As I write it is the feast of the Holy Family and
I have been thinking
of all the families in the Holy Land who are suffering from insecurity
and conflict and I am sad. My prayers are with you and I pray that
there may be hope in the coming days and then a lasting peace.
Maureen Terhune
New Brunswick, Canada
FINLAND
I was volunteering as an EA in Bethlehem last
spring and was very happy to participate in your workshops. I was also happy to
see how you can still keep up hope together and develop your ideas. That is
surely making us all stronger to try to work for peace together.
I wish you all the best and merry Christmas.
You will be in my thoughts and heart.
Greetings from Finland!
yours,
Marja
FRANCE
I send you my best wishes during these days with
my prayer for the peace in the Justice. Sigismond , vicar in France !
NOEL...
Notre coeur , nos pensées , nos regards
sont tournés vers , AMIS DE BETHLEEM..
A vous, tous nos voeux les plus chaleureux
:ESPERRACE , PAIX
Il y a quelques années, nous avons eu le bonheur
d'être accuellis chezz vous à l'INSTITUTE : grand souvenir...
Que l'ENFANT de BETHLEEM , JESUS que nous
fétons prions ,, dans notre petit village de France ,, vous accorde FORCE
CONFIANCE pour un demain HEUREUX , parce que plein de JUSTICE et de Paix..
OUI! son message est toujours là: l'AMOUR
GAGNERA...
La JUSTICE VIENDRA
la PAIX SERA...
Bien à vous
Georgette Joseph Coutand
Eulmont
___________
Bonjour!
La prière que je propose est la suivante:
Seigneur Jésus, donne-nous le don de comprendre que Dieu nous a créé
différemment, mais que nous tous sommes appelés à nous aimer les uns les autres,
comme Dieu nous a aimé en nous donnant son Fils unique Jésus, mort sur la croix
afin que nous vivions pour l'éternité.
Oh! Dieu très bon, protège et donne la paix à tes
enfants qui sont encore sur la terre. Amen.
J’aimerais revenir il y a deux mille ans, dans la
simplicité et la «l’inconfort» de l’étable de Bethléem, nom qui veut dire « maison
du pain ». Mais je souhaiterais voir aussi plus de générosité et d’amour dans
notre monde et surtout dans certaines parties de celui-ci, principalement dans
vos régions.
Que le message du nouveau-né soit vraiment un
exemple pour nous tous et que les armes se taisent, pas seulement pour quelques
heures mais pour toujours, pour que les hommes qui sont des frères vivent
véritablement en frères en imitant François d’Assise.
Particulièrement en ces journées, ma prière ira
vers vous.
__________
I would like to return there is two thousand
years, in the simplicity and " the discomfort " of the cowshed of Bethlehem,
name which wants to say(means) " house of the bread ". But I would like to see
also more generosity and love in our world and especially in certain
parts(parties) of this one, mainly in your regions.
That the message of the newborn child is really
an example for us all and that weapons keep silent, not only for some hours but
for ever, so that the men(people) who are brothers really live in brothers by
imitating François d' Assise.
Particularly in these days, my prayer will go
towards you.
Jean Luc BRELOT
__________
A little light, from Bethleem, for Christmas
everywhere...
The little light shining from the town of
Bethlehem has reached us safely. It is as tiny and frail as the child born more
than 200 years ago, but it still shines and calls up people of all
cultures and condition, who , all together, will make it travel through space
and time… Let the symbol of Peace and Love last thanks to this very light
in order to tighten the bonds of brotherhood between men .
Pax Christi – Nancy
___________
Avec PAX CHRISTI FRANCE et des Chrétiens de
France, nous avons prié pour vous, pour la PAIX particulièrement dans
cette région du monde qui est tellement symbolique de ce que DIEU veut faire
avec l'humanité.
Que NOEL '' passe '' malgré tout dans nos coeurs !
Marc ROUX
____________
AUJOURD'HUI C'EST NOEL ET J'ADRESSE CETTE PRIERE
A JESUS !
SEIGNEUR JESUS, POUVEZ-VOUS M'AIDER POUR MON
DEMENAGEMENT ET MA SANTE DEFAILLANTE, DEPRESSION, ARTHROSE, INSOMMIE. JE VOUS
DEMANDE PARDON POUR LE MAL QUE JE FAIS AVEC MES DEPENSES EXAGEREES PARFOIS ALORS
QUE D'AUTRES ONT FAIM ET QUE MOI AUSSI JE SUIS EN SITUATION FINANCIERE DELICATE.
SOUTENEZ LES PAUVRES ET LES MALADES, LES
PRISONNIERS POLITIQUES ET DONNEZ LA PAIX AU MONDE ENTIER;
Serge Bonnin
_____________
...Every year,
as for the last year,
we wish again...
Certainly it is the human nature to hope, to wish, to celebrate and to believe
that the future can be
better....
WISHING YOU A GOOD 2009
..with respect for the "other" ...
Margalit BERRIET
____________
A toute la communauté chrétienne de Bethléem :
Recevez les voeux et les prières fraternelles de plusieurs communautés
et des prêtres de la paroisse de la Chapelle St Luc, à coté de Troyes, en
France.
Pères Gérard,Félix et René.
____________
A vous tous, amis lointains, mais proche par le
cœur, je souhaite un
très bon Noël, que le Seigneur vous inonde de sa Paix et de sa Joie!
Que l'année 2009 réunisse enfin les conditions pour que vous viviez en
paix et en fraternité, comme vous le souhaitez tant...
Avec toute mon amitié.
____________
Bernadette
Sivardière
Merci à vous , et par vous à vos aïeux : à
leur suite, vous témoignez fidèlement de votre attachement au Christ, sur le
petit coin de notre planète où IL s'est fait homme . Ce midi , des images de
chez vous , aux alentours de la basilique de la Nativité , nous sont arrivées
par la télé. Nous savons que vous portez quelquefois douloureusement votre
attachement au PRINCE DE LA PAIX .
Amicales pensées aux Sœurs de la "crèche de
Bethléem avec lesquelles, de Brienne le Château, nous étions en lien , il y a
quelques trois années.
Notre prière vous rejoindra dans cette nuit de
Noël, au cours de l'Eucharistie
Régine et Jean-Claude
Jean-Claude Crespin
____________
Ceci est mon 3ème envoi avec une autre adresse en
espérant qu'elle sera la bonne (mais, vu les évènements, avez-vous encore la
possibilité de le lire? )
Mille pensées et mille prières à vous tous qui
êtes dans l'épreuve. Vous n'êtes pas oubliés, vous êtes dans nos coeurs tous les
jours.
Laurence quiquere
Ma voisine, Anne
Forestier, vous a préparé un message.
Mon cœur se bat pour la paix
La guerre des cœurs me happait,
Amers bonheurs déjà désuets.
Mon prochain est mon calvaire
Et je suis parfois son enfer.
Je prie dans un temps de répit
La paix que je souhaite en esprit :
Elle seule parle en vérité
A ma vie encore en vie de mes ennemis
Soudain capturés par la Bonté
Qu’ils me rendent de les aimer.
L’Amour est né en chacun de nous
Lui qui tend à la Paix porteuse de vérités
Dénouées et avouées…
…Haine camouflée, alors pardonnée
Afin de laisser place dans les cœurs
Dont la glace fond loin des heurts,
A cette Paix tant désirée et priée.
Dieu ! Que tu es grand !
Et que Ta Paix fait de moi Ton Enfant !
Et mon coeur soudain s’ouvre
A mes ennemis et inconnus,
Toi qui m’ouvre aux autres
Comme ta porte pour seul Bonheur
Que cette paix donnée du cœur.
A tous
Ce soir nous serons en communion avec vous
,que cette paix tant désirée , tant attendue ne soit pas qu' un rêve .
Qu'elle se répande sur tout ceux qui vivent
sur cette terre où Jésus est né ,que chacun tende la main et fasse une
chaîne de solidarité .Nous prierons pour que nos coeurs s' ouvrent à l' amour
apporté par cet enfant Dieu.
Que la Paix , l' amour soient réalité en ce
soir de la Nativité
Elisabeth et René Darles
_______________
je prie pour la paix à Israel et en
Palestine,
Que la grâce de Dieu par L'Esprit Saint
répend dans le coeur de chacun. et que chacun essaie de progresser
des gestes de la paix pour l'autre.
Marie Do
GERMANY
Dear Fuad,
many greetings for a blessed Christmas.
A year ago I was in Bethlehem as an EA.
I remember the Christmas-event in the Peace Center with the forming of the
big star afterwards at the gate of Rachel's Tomb,...
Please give my greetings to everybody I know: Anton, the women of the
women's group,...
You are always in my thoughts and prayers.
I hope with you that the next year will bring the end of occupation nearer.
Yours
Rosemarie
____________
Dear brothers and sisters,
we have celebrated Christmas and in our evening
service have prayed for you conscious of your plight your suffering and your
hope.Praying we wanted to commit ourselves to encouraging our politicians to
work in earnest for a just peace in your country.
Yours sincerely,
Wilhelm Wille
(In charge of the evening service
24th December 2008)
____________
Die herzlichsten Grüße zum Weihnachtsfest senden
Euch Anna Maria und Familie aus Naumburg.
____________
Vor einem Jahr habe ich in Bethlehem
(Geburtskirche mit Pfarrer M. Raheb) das Sylvesterfest gefeiert. Aber vor allem
mir Eure Lebensbedingungen angesehen.
Dies will ich jetzt in vielen kirchengemeinden
berichten.
In diesem Jahr erwartet Ihr wieder viel mehr
Touristen als im letzten Jahr.
Aber nicht die Sensation ist es, sondern die
Verbundenheit zu Euch.
Bei allem werden Ihr von dem HERRN getragen.
____________
In Bethlehem today
people are fenced in behind an 8 meter (26+ feet) high concrete wall that was
built illegally
by the state of Israel. It cuts across fields and olive groves, separating
people from their families, their schools, their hospitals and their work
places.
In Bethlehem today
Mary might have to give birth at a military checkpoint, the shepherds could not
reach the stable, the three wise men, gifts in hands, would stand helplessly in
front of the wall.
In Bethlehem today
the star is mourning, because on the very spot where angels sang „Peace on
Earth“ peace and justice seem farther away than ever.
Yet while we search the darkness for that guiding
star of Christmas, perhaps we can still hear the angels singing „Peace on
Earth.“ So let us listen, stand up, and act for a just peace in Palestine and
Israel.
Is the Christmas Star still shining Or is it
mourning over the little town of Bethlehem, December 2008 a
symbol of Christmas around the world?
Ulrike Vestring, Bonn Heide Schütz,
Frauennetzwerk für Frieden e.V.,
Wünsche zu Weihnachten
Ein bisschen mehr Frieden und weniger Streit.
Ein bisschen mehr Güte und weniger Neid.
Ein bisschen mehr Liebe und weniger Hass.
Ein bisschen mehr Wahrheit, das wäre was.
Statt so viel Unrast ein bisschen mehr Ruh.
Statt immer nur Ich ein bisschen mehr Du.
Statt Angst und Hemmung ein bisschen mehr Mut.
Und Kraft zum Handeln, das wäre gut.
In Trübsal und Dunkel ein bisschen mehr Licht.
Kein quälend Verlangen, ein bisschen Verzicht.
Und viel mehr Blumen, solange es geht.
Nicht erst an Gräbern, da blüh’n sie zu spät.
Peter Rosegger
____________
Dear friends,
Thanks for your Christmas message!
I, too, wish all of you a blessed Christmas and
hope and sumud for the next year!
As you may remember, our pax christi group
visited Bethlehem in Oct. and we were very sad on the political and social
situation. But we were touched on your friendship and hospitality.
All of us are going to tell our friends,
collegues and neighbours what we experienced.
Good wishes to you and best regards to AEI-staff,
particularly to Elias, Fuad, Toine and Anton!
Yours
Rosemarie Wechsler
____________
In der Anlage schicke ich Ihnen die
Weihnachtsgrüße nach Bethlehem von der evangelischen Friedensgemeinde Freiburg.
Mit herzlichem Gruß ! Andreas
Kautzsch
____________
Hello to you, Christians in Bethlehem,
I´ve got your address from friends (Schelberts)
who visited you in October. I myself had to work in Tel Aviv for a week in
November and made a short visit to Bethlehem. It is a sad feeling to see the
wall, to pass the controls. It is not fair, that you must live at the other side
of a wall. Our country has been divided by a wall, and I will never forget the
days, when our wall fell – without blood. I hope so much, that your wall will
disappear, too, as soon as possible – and without blood.
For the moment I want only to send you Chrismas
greetings and tell you, that someone far away in Munich is thinking of you.
Dear Friends in Palestine,
we wish You a peaceful Christmas! May peace come to all people in Palestine and
Israel. Our best wishes and prayers shall accompany You and Your country.
Rudolf Oswald, Chairman of Pax Christi (International Catholic Peace Mouvement)
Diocesis of Speyer, Germany
____________
Dear sisters and brothers, dear friends!
The local Council of Churches in Cologne sends
you this e-mail. We pray for hope and strength to live as Christians in
this very difficult situation and bad living conditions. We pray together with
you the Lord-prayer:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen
God bless you all
The churches in Cologne / Germany
Msgr. Rainer Fischer
(Chairman of the local Council of Churches in
Cologne)
Rainer Will
____________
The night will not be everlasting.
It will not remain dark.
The days of which we think,
That we do not like them,
Will not be the final days.
Through them
We see a light beyond,
To which we do belong already
And which will never abandon us.
Helmut Gollwitzer
(Translation: E. von der Heyde)
May the Peace and the Light of
Christmas enlighten Your Hearts and Lifes
this Night and all the Days of the
Coming New Year!
We wish You and Your Families a
Blessed and Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year!
Rev. Hanna Lehming
Northelbian Missioncenter
Middle East Desk
____________
Liebe Christen in Bethlehem!
Ich bin Österreicher und Priester und war schon
einige Male im Heiligen Land, das mir sehr ans Herz gewachsen ist. Es ist eine
meiner drängendsten Erwartungen und meine ganz große Hoffnung, dass im Heiligen
Land endlich Friede wird – für alle, die dort wohnen und leben. Auch ich habe –
ein alter Mann, der ich bin – schwere Kriegszeiten erlebt. Unserem Land geht es
jetzt gut, wir können in Frieden leben. Ich möchte alles dafür tun, dass uns das
nicht fett, faul, träge und abgestumpft macht. Ich bitte alle, die diese Sätze
lesen: Bleibt wachsam und engagiert! Seid solidarisch im Gebet, in Wort und Tat
mit allen, die im Heiligen Land leben und leiden!
Hartwin Schmidtmayr
____________
On this very Christmas Eve we pray that you may
keep safe and protected
from all Herodian designs.
In solidarity from Germany: Elisabeth and Paul Loeffler
____________
Wir beten für den Frieden im Heiligen Land!
Weihnachtsggrüße und zum Neujahr Gottes Segen
aus BERLIN
M. Jutta SSND
____________
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren!
Über die Internetseite unserer Landeskirche haben
wir von Ihrer Aktion zu Weihnachten erfahren. So haben wir - auch weil eine
Gruppe aus unserer St. Thomas - Gemeinde im kommenden Jahr ins Heilige Land
fährt - die Anregung gerne aufgenommen. Sie finden im Anhang einen kurzen Brief
mit Gebetswünschen unserer Gottesdienstgemeinde vom Gottesdienst in der
Christnacht um 23 Uhr.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen - Friede sei auch mit
Ihnen allen!
Andrea Wauer-Höflich, Pastorin
Evangelisch-lutherische St. Thomas-Kirchengemeinde,
Hannover-Oberricklingen
____________
An die Christinnen und Christen in Bethlehem und
im ganzen Heiligen Land!
Aus der Christmette nachts um 23 Uhr in der
evangelisch-lutherischen St. Thomas-Kirchengemeinde in Hannover - Oberricklingen
grüßen wir Sie alle in Bethlehem und im ganzen Heiligen Land zum Weihnachtsfest
2008 und wünschen Gottes Geleit und Segen für das Neue Jahr.
Besonders bitten wir um Frieden für Ihr Land: Frieden unter den Menschen,
Frieden unter den Religionen und Geistesgegenwart für die entsprechenden
politischen Gespräche und Verhandlungen!
Möge der Weihnachtsfrieden wachsen.
Ihre Geschwister: s. unten!
____________
To all Christians in Bethlehem and in the holy
land!
Greetings from the Christmas Mass at 11pm in the
evangelical-lutheran congregation St. Thomas in Hannover-Oberricklingen to all
Christians in Bethlehem and th holy land.
May God escort and bless you this Christmas and
in future. We eminently pray for peace in your country: peace between your
peoples; peace between the religions. We also pray for the people who are
in charge: may they be aware of their responsibility and negotiate cautiously.
May the peace of Christmas grow.
Your brothers and sisters:
Gisela Rohmeier, Karin Bode, Michaela Winkler,
Stephanie Thielebörger, Angela Thielebörger, Hartmut Bendis, Martina
Bultmann-Stiller, Günter Logemann, K. Hagleitner, Christa Busse, Dietrich
Robeck, Kurt Pages, Daniel Höflich, Anna-Clara Höflich, and many other
worshippers!
Bernd St. Prigge, Pastor and
Andrea Wauer-Höflich, Pastorin
____________
To all friends at A.E.I. In Bethlehem:
May these days, when over a billion Christians throughout the world remember
and celebrate the day when Jesus was born in your town, give you the feeling
that you are not alone. We are with you and pray that the peace of Christ
(Pax Christi) will come to you, first into your hearts, then into your
lives. We pray that the occupation will come to an end and that you will be
able to live peacefully with and alongside Jews and Muslims, Palestinians
and Israelis. We pray that a fair and just agreement can be reached about
all the open questions. We also pray for the Jews in Israel and around the
world that our common heavenly Father will open their hearts to accept and
support a fair peace agreement with justice to all.
Yes this is a lot to pray for, but already the Psalmist in the Old Testament
said: With my God I can jump over walls.
And while we pray we must also act and get involved. This is my pledge to
you on this Christmas day and for the New Year. After having been your guest
this year in October with Rosemarie's group from Munich I will never forget
your hospitality, your kindness, your warmth, your cordiality, your
inspiration and hope for peace. Since we said good-buy I talked and wrote to
several dozens of friends in Israel and Germany about my wonderful
experience with you and the guest families.
May the Lord bless your work.
Best regards
Ralph M. Deja
____________
In allem ein innerer Friede,
ungetrübte Freude.
Der Heilige Geist hat unsere
Vergangenheit im Herzen Christi versenkt.
Und er nimmt sich unserer Zukunft
an.
Frère Roger Taizé
Mit den Worten von
Frère Roger und dem festen Glauben, dass Frieden
auf Erden möglich wird schicke ich
weihnachtliche Grüße von München nach Bethlehem.
Von ganzem Herzen
Margit Ayay de la Cruz
_________________
Liebe
Leserinnen und Leser!
In dieser
Aktionswoche des Ökumenischen Rates der
Kirchen bin ich in besonderer Weise mit Euch in
Eurer Not verbunden!
Ich weiß um
die vielfache Unterdrückung und Entrechtung, die
Euch die israelische Besatzungsmacht antut.
Ich verbreite
diese Informationen laufend in meinem Umfeld,
damit die Menschen bei uns informiert sind und
Euch nicht vergessen.
Mein Gebet
für Euch:
Möge Gott Euch
seine Nähe spüren lassen und Euch so die nötige
Kraft schenken, nicht zu verzweifeln.
Möge er alle
die Menschen stärken, die für einen gerechten
Frieden im hl. Land arbeiten!
Ich grüße Euch
in herzlicher Verbundenheit
Winfried Belz
Mitglied von Pax
Christi
Wilhelmsfeld
HUNGARY
Szívem egész melegével gondolok Betlehemben élő
testvéreimre, hiszen ott született meg szívem Királya. 60 évnyi keresztyén
életvitel után tavaly éltem át megdöbbenten, hogy az Úr éppen értem jött a
világra.Adja Isten ezt az örömet mindenkinek születése helyén is! Áldott
KARÁCSONYT!
Peter fiakatalin
INDIA
Greetings!
Wishing you every happiness this
Christmas
Season and
prosperity in the New Year 2009,
Thank you for your prayers,
All the best to you and your family.
REV RAJENDRA MEKALA,
IRELAND
Prayers, sympathy and solidarity with the people
of Gaza in face of ongoing atrocities. May the God of peace give you strength
and restrain your oppressors.
Beannacht De oraibh go leir
Una Heffernan
____________
Greetings from the Green Wicklow mountains in
Ireland.
We are aware of
your difficulties and hardships you are
experiencing, and also of your companionship and
closeness to God and each other. Please also
know that you are not forgotten about, nor left
alone, as many people throughout the whole world
are with you both in thought and prayer.
May the love and hope of your God live fully in
your heart this Christmas time.
John Cleere.
____________
My wife Mary and I - a Canadian and an Irishman -
send you our prayers for peace in the
Middle-East.
We hope that God's message - regardless of whom you worship - may be heard.
In love
Mary and Michael
____________
I ask the Good Lord to help with all his power of
intersession to bring about a lasting peace to all Palestine and Israel and that
all acts of inhumanity to fellow humans will cease.
Pat Devine Derry CITY Ireland
____________
Greetings and prayer from Dublin in Ireland.
You are important to us.
Ted Ardis
St Mary's Rectory
____________
Síocháin,(Irish word for peace), Our prayers are
with you again at this sad & difficult time in your homeland, and yet YOU
have hope born from the birth of a small child in your home town of
Bethlehem...you give us courage by your steadfastness and endurance.
Now may we all draw new hope from Jesus and may
we like him, grow each day into people of enduring hope and courage to continue
to work for justice & peace in every corner of our world. Sylvia Thompson,
Kerry Diocesan Justice, Peace & Creation Committee
(Kerry is in the south west of Ireland)
ISRAEL
Haifa, Dezember 2008
Liebe Freundinnen und Freunde,
Shalom Chaverim,
Die juedische Weisheit lehrt uns:
“Ein wenig Licht verdraengt viel
Dunkelheit!”
… Alle Jahre wieder…
Auch in diesem Jahr faellt Weihnachten mit
unserem Chanukka Fest (das Lichterfest) zusammen…
Moegen wir die Kraft haben die Dunkelheit in
allen Bereichen verdraengen zu koennen.
In diese Sinne wuenschen wir Euch und Euren
Familien ein gesegnetes Weihnachtsfestund ein gesundes, glueckliches Jahr 2009.
חג שמח ושנה טובה !
Eure
Silvi, Friederike und das Rutenberg Team
____________
To all of our Christian friends, family and
colleagues
We wish you a very Merry Christmas!
To all of the friends, family and colleagues of
IPCRI
We wish a very Happy and Healthy New Year Filled
with our wishes for peace, tranquility, and hope
Gershon Baskin, Ph.D. and Hanna Siniora,
Co-CEOs, IPCRI
ITALY
L'attesa del Cristo che si fa carne è anche
l'attesa pregata della Giustizia e
della Pace nella sua e vostra terra.
Adriano Raffaella
____________
To Bethlehem's friends best wishes of peace to be
without fear and troubles. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Giordano Trincherini - 28885 Piedimulera (VB) Italy
____________
Be the One God with the One Humanity. May we see
clearer peace signales in 2009.
Giannarosa Marino - Venice
____________
A te Betlemme, terra del Dio... bambino, un
Natale di...pace.
Pia Guagliano
____________
BAMBINO GESÙ
Preghiera di Natale e dell'Avvento
Asciuga, Bambino Gesù, le lacrime dei fanciulli!
accarezza il malato e l'anziano!
Spingi gli uomini a deporre le armi
e a stringersi in un
universale abbraccio di pace!
Invita i popoli, misericordioso Gesù,
ad abbattere i muri creati
dalla miseria e dalla disoccupazione,
dall'ignoranza e dall'indifferenza,
dalla discriminazione e dall'intolleranza.
Sei Tu, Divino Bambino di Betlemme,
che ci salvi liberandoci dal peccato.
Sei Tu il vero e unico Salvatore,
che l'umanità spesso cerca a tentoni.
Dio della Pace, dono di pace all'intera umanità,
vieni a vivere nel cuore di ogni uomo
e di ogni famiglia.
Sii Tu la nostra pace e la nostra gioia! Amen.
(Preghiera di Giovanni Paolo II)
____________
Carissimi, il Natale occidentale è già passato.
Tuttavia, il momento è talmente trafico che desidero inviarvi comunque il mio
più sentito ricordo e una fervente preghiera per la pace.
Che il desiderio di pace possa vincere nel cuore
degli uomini, soprattutto in quelli che, dall'una e dall'altra parte, ora
impugnano le armi.
Che gesti di pace possano essere posti, dall'una
e dall'altra parte, come testimonianza e come primi tasselli di un mondo nuovo.
Che il signore ispiri la pace e che gli uomini la
accolgano e la facciano loro metodo e obiettivo.
Con grande vicinanza
Alessandra Mambelli, Pax Christi, Italia
MALAYSIA
To my dear brothers and sisters in Bethlehem, my
heart and my prayers are with you all especially during this Christmas season.
May the Prince of Peace find peace in the land to which He was born long time
ago when He shall come again as our Judge. May the search for justice, peace and
security prevail for the people in Palestine and Israel.
Almighty God,
from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed:
kindly, we pray, in the hearts of all men and women
the true love of peace;
and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom
those who take counsel for the nations of the earth;
that in tranquility your Kingdom may go forward,
till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sincerely,
Jeremiah
Malaysia.
MEXICO
Jesus Christ himself is our peace!
He has made our peace with God by suffering the punishment for our
sins,
so that we might be free to live and die and live forever in communion with our
Maker!
And He has called us to be peacemakers, blessing those who persecute us,
overcoming evil with good,
reflecting Jesus' love and light to the world!
I pray that this Christmas you are sustained and encouraged by God's
unconditional love for you!
Emily Edmunds
Chetumal, Quintana Roo, MEXICO
THE NETHERLANDS
Dear people,
We wish you a good 2009 and that there will be
peace in following year.
Your sincerely Johan Schuuring.
____________
Hi,
this summer I've read The scar of David, the book
written by Susan Abulhawa.... everybody has to read it! It brings so much deep
feelings with the Palestinian people at grassroot-level! They lost so many
things, their villages, their hope to be able to co-operate with the new Jewish
inhabitants. It's also a complaint to teh PLO and other organisations, that
'forget' the same people....
So my Christmas greetings are especially for that
grassroot-peolple at both sides.
Justice and peace foor you!
Rien Wattel
1989 – 2009…
Laten we verlangen naar een jaar,
waarin alle muren omvallen en deuren open gaan!
Voor iedereen.
Let’s long for a year,
when all the walls will fall down and the doors
will open!
For everybody.
Gied ten Berge en Wantje
Fritschy
____________
Wij wensen u U en alle mensen om U heen van harte
een Zalig Kerstfeest wensen en een met voorspoed gezegend gelukkig 2009.
Marinus en Tonnie van Nistelrooij
____________
Dear brothers and sisters in Bethlehem,
I want to express my feelings of brother and sisterhood and concern to
all the people in Bethlehem and surrounding. We are aware of the extreme
difficult situation you are living in. Just this morning I red in the
news paper the new tensions in the Gaza strip.
In our church we will pray at Christmas for peace and justice for all
the people in Israël and the Palestinian areas. We pray for the victims
of violence and injustice. We pray for the children of Abraham that they
will recognize themselves as brothers and sisters. We pray that the city
of Jerusalem will be a real city of peace.
Rev. Wim de Jong
Protestantse Gemeente Halle, Netherlands
____________
Dear people of Bethlehem,
Bethlehem is an important city for me because of
the Bible story about the birth of Jesus.
And you all are living there in such an important
town.
I wish for all of you PEACE and that there
are oppertunities for you to live a good live with a normal way to have a job,
without struggle and possibilities for education for your children.
I will pray for this. All the best wishes for
2009
Sincerely, Ans van der Schors
living in the Netherlands
____________
Dear friends of AEI,
Thank you very much indeed for the good wishes
you have sent. I think it’s a wonder that the message of the gospel still can
inspire you to stay full of hope under the very difficult circumstances in
Palestine, that are not improving yet.
I hope that you can sustain in that
staedfastness, and that the belief that change is possible will not leave you.
In that light my best wishes go back to you, for
a hopefull Christmas and a less bitter but better New Year!
Guus Koelman, Rotterdam
____________
Beste,
In Kerk in Actie Express , 9 december
2008, stond een oproep van de Wereldraad van Kerken
om gedurende Advent en Kerst onze gebeden om
recht en vrede tussen Israel en de Palestijnen op te sturen naar Betlehem.
Op deze oproep willen we graag ingaan.
Op de vierde adventszondag – 21 december 2008,
werd onderstaande gebed uitgesproken als onderdeel van de voorbeden
in de Andreaskerk, te Hilvarenbeek, Nederland.
De Andreasgemeente is een kleine protestantse
gemeente in het zuiden van Nederland.
Dezelfde zondag zou een groep van 20 mensen met
een solidariteispelgrimage van Pax Christi/IKV naar Betlehem afreizen.
Voor hen is ook een voorbede opgenomen.
Zij zullen met Kerst de viering in de
Geboortekerk in Betlehem meemaken.
Met de beste wensen voor een vredevol Kerstfeest
en een nieuw jaar , waarin de “Sjalom”/” Salaam” werkelijkheid mogen worden.
Met hartelijke groeten,
Ds. Greet Heslinga
____________
Gebed om vrede voor Bethlehem
(...)
We bidden voor leiders
op deze kwetsbare aarde;
dat zij zich laten leiden door de zorg
om de kinderen van de rekening;
Dat zij met recht gezag uitoefenen.
We bidden om vrede voor Betlehem-
om vrede in het Midden Oosten;
om een rechtvaardige verdeling van het land;
waar Joden en Palestijnen
in vrede met elkaar kunnen leven
Win ons in de vrede voor zachte krachten,
Die onverzettelijk zijn.
Geef hen en ons allen de moed
Om van een rampzalige oorlog en bezetting,
Een zalige vrede te maken;
Van een hartverscheurend onrecht
Hartverwarmend beleid;
Van uitzichtloos geweld
Naar vredelievend bestaan.
We bidden voor de solidariteispelgrimage naar
Betlehem,
voor degenen, die vandaag vertrekken.
God, ga met hen mee;
Zegen hen;
In het bijzonder bidden we voor één van onze
gemeente, die meegaat: Dick Lemcke,
Zegen hem;
dat hij, dat zij allen,
als verspieders
in naam van velen hier,
“kijken op er ergens al een wereld daagt
waar mensen waardig leven mogen.”
____________
Dear brothers and sisters at Arab Educational
Institute,
Today, in all the churches in the Netherlands, people will recall the birth of
Jesus Christ, ´long ago in Bethlehem´. More and more Christians (and others!) in
our country realize, however, that also the present situation in Bethlehem,
Jerusalem, and all of the Holy Land ´between the Mediterranean Sea and the
Jordan River´, should be of serious concern for us.
In view of this, I am really glad that Kerk in Actie has put the call to send
you Christmas wishes and prayers on its website.
It is my sincere prayer, not only for Christmas, but for the years to come, that
we all may witness peace-with-justice in Palestine and Israel. May there come an
end to houses being demolished, to the checkpoints, to children in prison, to
the standstill of the economy.
Possibly, the facts on the ground will tempt us to forget about this better
future. But as Christians we may receive hope from our belief in the Almighty
God for whom nothing is impossible.
Keep courage from the fact that you are not forgotten.
With Christian Greetings,
Karel Jungheim, Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands
____________
Dear friends,
Last year has been very special to me, because we were able to organize the
visit to the Netherlands, something we had been talking about and preparing
since 2006, when we visited you in Palestine. I was so great that we had the
chance to meet again, and to experience your friendship!
I would like to thank you for the energy and inspiration that you have given us
last year. I would like to wish you all a wonderful Christmas, and a happy,
inspiring and peaceful new year!
Irna
____________
I send you my prayer for Christmas:
Lord,
who's power is weakness,
who's majesty to be humble,
we pray for those who don't have the choice
to be mighty or weak,
for the children of Palestine
without rights, without a future.
Give them the power not to despair,
but to believe in the peace
of the little child of Bethlehem,
our strength and our future.
rev. Sjoerd Zwaan, Leiderdorp, The Netherlands
_________________
I wish that
all people involved in this conflict, especially
the ones who take the decisions, would be able
to realise that every human being has the right
to live in freedom and wants to live his/her
life like they want to. Everybody needs a place
to live and should be able to live there in
peace and in freedom. They earn respect and
space for themselves.
Please, treat
other people like you want to be treated
yourself.
Sharing and
giving feels much better than hate and keeping
everything to yourself.
You can keep
hating and fighting and bombing, but it will
never solve anything. Please, be the first one
to make the difference yourself by talking to
other people.
Try to solve the
problems with words and not with weapons.
In the end, words
are the strongest weapon that a human being
has.
Please WAKE UP
everybody! How will you be able to ever look
yourself right into the eyes if you let it all
happen?!
Wish you lots of
strength to solve this terrible problem in
Israël. Why live like this, when you can live a
good live when the responsible persons will
finally leave people alone and start to let
their hearts speak instead of their guns and
boms.
Why is it so
difficult to LIVE AND LET LIVE?!
_________________
Bethlehem 2009.
Oh Bethlehem, you
shame of Christianity..
Did we learn nothing?!
Where once was the Way full of Truth, faithful
Life,
it all went astray, all is brute, filled with
lies..
Where are the
fruits of our Christian ways?
Is two thousand nine not enough to say; hey..
is it so sure, we did learn from Crusades?..
Or are we supporting those, every day?
What is it you
dream of at Christmas, lets say;
Three kings in the night, that all came a long
way?
Well sorry I don’t, something else here’s to
stay;
The Wall and expulsion, and suffering each
day..
We say we love
peace, and that is what we aim,
but the Westbank is conquered, and too in
Christ’s name.
We say we don’t want that, but keep up the
trade,
thus helping the wipeout, the slow torturing
way.
Where is our
Faith, if at the heart of it’s start,
we tolerate this violence, even adding our
part?
We’re shouting, Islam should be liberal and
mild,
while our Bible tells Joshua; kill all men,
every child..
My faith sees a
challenge, a new good against bad.
A cleanout by Christians, with sense in their
head.
And if we succeed, we’ll unite in good faith,
but until then, it’s just tears in Christ’s
face..
Serge van
Erkelens,
Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
NEW
ZEALAND
I wish you all the Joy, Hope, and Peace that is
Christmas.
You are in my daily prayers
Patricia Hick
Whangarei
New Zealand
NORWAY
„Holy Mary with her heart
child, freedom.“
„And Herodes sent them to Bethlehem, and said:
‘Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring
me word again, that I may come and worship him also.’”
Matt. 2, 8
Dear Fouad and Anton, dear
sisters and brothers at AEI!
I send warm greetings to you this
Christmas.
What I experienced in Bethlehem, Palestine and
Israel
is marking me very deeply this Christmas
and I will always have it with me:
Jesus is born in Bethlehem under occupation
and as a refugee.
Herodes is a hypocrite, who wants to kill the
newborn,
like the mighty always are playing games.
I can see his fear in the world’s ignorance
about the oppressed,
also today.
God is The Honest, coming without attack or
defence,
just making himself dependent on human beings
as a small child.
But people don’t want to risk the same.
Therefore Jesus is crucified for bringing
God’s will.
Bethlehem is not a kind of metaphor for me
anymore,
like in hundreds of Christmas hymns around the
world.
People are oppressed today and the Christmas
message
must have relevance in this situation or you
can just forget it.
I thank you for cooperation and fellowship in
2008
and wish an honest and helpful Christmas to
all of us
and a new year with more justice and hope on
our way
to freedom and peace! We shall overcome!
SHALOM, SALAAM & PEACE OF CHRIST!
Dirk
EAPPI
Bethlehem team 28, autumn 2008
_______________________
"Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
We pray for a just peace in Israel and Palestine
that truth and trust can grow from where you sent your spirit of
understanding and fellowship
over the Apostles during the first Pentacost after your resurrection,
that you may comfort the Christians and all suffering people in Israel and
Palestine
and strengthen them with your spirit of power and braveness to bring
understanding and reconciliation. Amen!"
Many, many warm greetings from Northern Norway
for Pentacost to all of you:
Salaam, shalom and peace of Christ!
:-Dirk Torsvik Gieselmann
Ecumenical accompanier
Team 28
Bethlehem autumn 2008
PALESTINE
The Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees
of the Middle East Council of Churches in Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and the
Palestinian Territories of Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank and its
Central Committee and Central Office extend to each and everyone of you our best
wishes for this holiday season. As Christmas coincides with the Muslim Adha
feast and the Jewish Hanukah, we also take this opportunity to extend to each
and every one of you our sincere wishes for a beautiful and happy season of
celebration and for a year of peace and prosperity. May we all learn how to
appreciate our similarities and differences and may we all work in the path of
justice and reconciliation in the spirit of our great religious traditions.
____________
May you all have wonderful celebrations.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and
foremost commandment. And a second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”(
Matthew 22:37-40)
____________
“What actions are most excellent? To gladden the
heart of human beings, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the
sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the sufferings of the injured." (Prophet
Mohammad according to Bukhari)
____________
“It is the law of love that rules mankind.” “Had
violence, i.e. hate, ruled us
we should have become extinct long ago. And yet, the tragedy of it is that
the so-called civilized men and nations conduct themselves as if the basis
of society was violence.” “Where love is, there God is also.”
(Quotes from Mohandas Gandhi )
SCOTLAND
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem,
I pray that you all
have a happy and peaceful Christmas, and justice in 2009.
Paul Rimmer
Scotland
____________
May God be with you now and always and give
you peace.
Love from Caroline in Scotland
But, the Lord had this to say about their message
of "please reprimand your disciples." "But I say to you, if these
people were silent, the stones would shout." The declaration that Jesus
was the true king could not be shut down by any kind of power. The Lord
Jesus was emphasizing through and through that "he is the king who is to come in
the name of the Lord."
Hopefully, in this time of love & peace Judaism , Islam , Protestantism and all
other heresies , schisms in the world will realise that there is only one true
King of Peace " Christ the Messiah " and that all love and peace in the
world only originates from Christ . So with this in mind let us celebrate the
birth of the King of Israel " Christ " the "Messiah " and let us all pray that
all hearts and souls in the world are cleansed by Christ of all heresy beliefs .
Also , let all the world pray that the Holy Eucharist , the true body and
blood of Christ is fully accepted by all of mankind as this is the only way in
which Bethlehem and the whole world can attain an everlasting peace as all other
pathways lead to war , corruption and destruction .
So we pray that Christ will be generous to all in this time of goodwill and
peace and we pray that the infant Jesus will bless the entire world on Christmas
day with his infinite love & mercy . Therefore may the true God of all light
shine always upon Bethlehem and the entire world , we pray so . AMEN
RAYMOND BRUSOKAS , SCOTLAND
____________
Dear Friends,
We continue to pray for peace in the Holy Land. I
was there in Nov. 07 and stayed with Lauris and her family. I think of them
often and offer this prayer:
O Holy God,
May your vision of peace & justice reign in the
ancient land of our ancestors. So many there are suffering. We cry out for
justice and resolution of this terrible tragedy.
You came to us as a child--vulnerable and
beautiful.
Be born in us again that we can see a sign of
your love and peace.
Bring peace to Bethlehem we pray. It is time.
Amen.
Annalee Kerr
SOUTH
AFRICA
We are members of a Home Group (Bible Study) from
St. Thomas' Anglican Church, Durban, South Africa. There are eleven of us
and we meet once a week.
We send greetings to you for a happy and blessed
Christmas and a message of hope for justice, peace and security in Palestine and
Israel in the coming year and thereafter.
May God bless you.
Leslie Martine (Leader)
SPAIN
Al Instituto Árabe Educativo
A todos los habitantes de Palestina
Estas fiestas que se celebran en buena parte del mundo, como un símbolo de la
religiosidad
universal, nos gustaria que llegara a muchos ambientes donde la gente está
ansiosa de recibir
palabras de aliento, cercania y de respeto hacia todos los corazones capaces de
entender el
sentido de una fraternidad mundial,entre todos los que trabajan para que esto
sea una realidad.
La Comunidad Vedruna de Falset, España
____________
A los habitantes de Palestina.
Queridos hermanos que
habitáis la tierra en que nació Jesús:
El nacimiento de Dios entre
nosotros que la Navidad celebra, es una semilla de Esperanza plantada en el
corazón de la historia de la humanidad.
Tanto nos ama Dios que ha querido
poner su tienda para siempre con nosotros.
Así nos invita a soñar con un
mundo diferente, sin violencia, sin guerras, sin hambrientos, sin
excluidos.
Dios nace entre nosotros con los
dones magníficos de la justicia, la paz y la fraternidad entre todos porque el
Niño que nace nos habla del Padre de todos.
Hay demasiada violencia, guerra y
muerte en nuestro mundo, realidades que necesitan salvación.
Se trata por eso, de creer y esperar
el nacimiento de un mundo más humano donde la vida quede asegurada para todos.
Este es el Don de Dios que Jesús nos trae,
y es tarea humana para todos, hasta que veamos aparecer “la ternura de Dios en
un mundo nuevo”.
Con esperanza, os deseamos.
¡Feliz Navidad!
Comunidad de
Ceuta España
SRI LANKA
May peace prevail on earth!
Please receive my warmest greetings to you from Sri Lanka, where I
have now found a home. Last summer I had an unforgettable three months
in Bethlehem as an EA and in my thoughts I often return to Bethlehem.
Let me take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the women
and men of Bethlehem and my profoundest wishes for peace and justice
for all. I hope the song of the angels, that was first heard by
shepherds in Beit Sahour, will be the melody that everyone will sing,
on earth as in heaven.
Warm regards,
Anna
UNITED KINGDOM
We will be praying for Bethlehem at our service
of Lessons and Carols in the evening of Sunday 21st December at Hall Gate United
Reformed Church in Doncaster, when I will be leading the service.
I will also be leading the Christmas Day service
and preaching at Kimberworth Road United Reformed Church in Rotherham on 25th
December, and will be praying for Bethlehem then also.
The prayers I will be using are given below.
____________
PRAYERS FOR BETHLEHEM at LESSONS AND CAROLS on
21st December
Christmas is coming. Keep watch with the people
of Bethlehem.
Already they are fearful. Once again this
year, Christmas celebrations will take place in a difficult climate for them
and for Christians throughout the Holy Land.
Even in these trying times, many individuals
and groups living in Palestine and Israel refuse to give up hope.
They continue to search for non-violent ways
to voice their rights and work for a peaceful and just future for both
Palestinians and Israelis,
Pray for justice, peace and security for the
people of Palestine and Israel.
Pray for them …silence.
____________
PRAYERS FOR BETHLEHEM on CHRISTMAS DAY
God of hope, who was born in the Bethlehem, the
city of David,
where once again this year, Christmas
celebrations will take place
in a difficult climate for the people in that
city and throughout the Holy Land, we to pray for peace.
We pray for justice, peace and security for
Palestine and Israel.
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas
in the security of our own homes and communities,
we pray for all those many individuals and groups
living in Palestine and Israel who, even in these trying times, refuse to give
up hope.
As they continue to search for non-violent ways
to voice their rights and work for a peaceful and
just future
for both Palestinians and Israelis,
we pray that you will lead them,
and that in you they will find strength, comfort
and hope this Christmas.
Amen
____________
I wish you all at the Arab Educational Institute
God's blessing and peace this Christmas and in the year to come.
Rod Morrison
Church Secretary
Hall Gate United Reformed Church, Doncaster, UK
____________
Dear friends,
As we approach the celebrations of the Birth of
Jesus Christ at Christmas - we will be thinking and praying for you in the land
of his birth.
Our Church, Trinity-Henleaze United Reformed
Church, in Bristol, UK, will speak of your struggle for peace with justice, as
we celebrate Christmas. On all of the Sunday of Advent we have remembered and
prayed for you.
May there be peace in the Holy Land.
May the separation wall be removed and the people
be set free.
May new bridges of hope be built and new
beginnings made.
We pray in hope, with you, for peaceful change.
May God bless you,
Revd. Tracey Lewis
(Minister at Trinity-Henleaze United Reformed
Church, Bristol.)
____________
Ann Farr has encouraged us to send greetings to
the people of
Bethlehem. I showed today some slides of Bethlehem (some of Ann's and
most from 'Bethlehem today' from the Open Bethlehem site, alongside
Garth Hewitt's song 'They've cancelled Christmas in Bethlehem'.
People were very moved, and were asked to write greetings to people
in Bethlehem as one way of responding. The attached is the prayers
and messages that were written be people in the congregation.
We would be grateful if these could be passed on to folk in
Bethlehem, assuring them that their story has been told in our church
this Advent.
Kind regards
Jo Rathbone
from St Barbara's Church, Earlsdon, Coventry UK.
Messages and prayers from the congregation of St
Barbara’s Church in Earlsdon, Coventry, UK to the people of Bethlehem at this
time of Christmas, 2008.
These messages were written by members of the
congregation after a showing of pictures of life in Bethlehem, and the Wall.
Many did not know about the conditions of people living in Bethlehem, and the
wider West Bank, and were ignorant about the existence of the Wall, but some
were in tears as they watched the pictures, and were glad to be informed.
- My prayers are offered to our Lord for you,
suffering as you are in such a divided Bethlehem. God Bless you all.
- God be with you.
- I pray that the Spirit of the Lord be upon and
encourage the men and women of peace of all races and creeds. Let God’s love
be lived in all.
- We pray that the people who live in the
birthplace of the Prince of Peace may enjoy the peace, love and fellowship
proclaimed by God made flesh. With blessings this Christmas. From your
friends at St Barbara’s.
- You are in our thoughts and prayers always,
but especially at Christmas time.
- May you find strength in your faith and may
your faith help you to find peace in your heart. May God live in you and
through you. God Bless you.
- Wishing you strength, peace, love, hope and
joy this Christmas and always.
- Keep faith. We are praying for you. Please try
and have hope that soon there will be peace soon.
- Peace be with you.
- Hold fast to your faith. Be comforted by the
knowledge that the Lord will never abandon you. Have hope for the future.
- Here we had ‘HOPE 2008’ – our prayers will
carry on in 2009 for hope for you. May God be with you.
- Lord Jesus, born in Bethlehem, we pray for all
people of the Middle East, especially the children at this time of year, who
look up at night to see the same stars on which you gazed with hope and
wonder. May all who share the same sky learn to share the same land, making
peace and seeking justice. Fill our hearts with compassion this Christmas
and make us people who bring good tidings to those all around us, in the
lands of your birth and in every place where children play under the mercy
of heaven. To everyone all over the world, may they have enough food and
drink to sustain them and the warmth and rest they need at night. May the
peace of the Lord be with you all this Christmas.
- We have our own troubles in Earlsdon Coventry,
but they are nothing compared to yours. We pray that hope prevails and the
Lord will hear our prayers. Greetings for Christmas.
- To our sister and brother Christians in Israel
and Palestine, greetings from Coventry, England, where your sisters and
brothers in Christ are thinking of you and hold you in prayer.
- Although at this time we are reminded of the
wonder of the Christmas story, we know the reality of life now in Bethlehem.
In Christian fellowship, we pray for justice and peace for you, our brothers
and sisters in your land.
- May peace and hope be with you this Christmas
and always. From St Barbara’s.
- You must think and feel that you cannot see
past the Wall, however today, God has given us, thousands of miles away, a
tunnel, an opportunity for us to see, via photographs the circumstances in
which you live. If we can see you, as we have today, then as Christians, we
can pray for you, and you can be comforted that whilst you cannot see
outside to the world, we, and God know your plight and we continue to be
hopeful for you.
- I offer this prayer for you, that God in his
might will smite the wall down and pass justice on all who would try to
separate the people of the world. Always remember that love can scale any
wall and knows no colour. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
- Dear Lord, we pray for all those who live
under the same sky and look up to the same stars, that the peace of the lord
will prevail. Have strength and courage to face the challenges ahead. Bless
those suffering at this Christmastide. That we may all live in peace and
freedom. Amen.
- I send you greetings from you brothers and
sisters at St Barbara’s Earlsdon. We pray for peace for you all and a change
in your situation, that the Wall will come down quickly and safely.
- Father God, Bring your wisdom to oppressed and
oppressor. Help us all forward on the long journey to freedom. Help us to
understand ourselves and to do all you ask to bring us all into the light of
your kingdom.
- Lord of all life, help us to work together
when your kingdom comes and justice and mercy well be seen in all the earth.
May the Wall – the symbol of division – be removed so that all the people in
the Holy Land may be at peace with one another. I shall be thinking and
praying for you, especially at this time of year.
A prayer by Walter Brueggemann (from
Awed to Heaven, Rooted in Earth)
When the world spins crazy
When
the world spins crazy,
spins wild and out of
control
spins toward rage and
hate and violence,
spins beyond our wisdom
and nearly
beyond our faith,
When the world spins to chaos as it
does now among us…
We are glad for sobering roots that
provide ballast in the storm.
So we thank you for our rootage in
communities of faith,
for many fathers and
mothers
who have believed
and trusted
as firm witnesses
to us,
for their many stories of
wonder, awe, and healing.
We are glad this night in this
company
for the rootage of the
text,
for its daring testimony,
for its deep commands,
for its exuberant tales.
Because we know that as we probe deep
into this text…
clear to its bottom,
we will find you hiding
there,
we will find you showing
yourself there,
speaking
as you do,
governing,
healing,
judging.
And when we meet you hiddenly,
we find the spin not so
unnerving,
because from you the world
again has a chance
for life and sense and
wholeness.
We pray midst the spinning, not yet
unnerved,
but waiting and watching and
listening,
for you are the truth that
contains all our spin. Amen.
Written for a lay school on the
Pentatuech, after the World Trade Center bombing – Sept 17 2001.
____________
Dear Friend in Bethlehem,
As you walk, we walk with you,
As you kneel, we kneel with you,
As you pray, we pray with you,
May the Lord bless you and those you hold dear -
We ask the Lord to give you the gift of peace in
His Divine Mercy - to fill your heart with wonder
and joys that never cease at Christmas time
and throughout the New Year.
Much love,
Lorna and Bernard Troop
Westminster Diocese, London, England
____________
The Sisters and
Alongisders of the Anglican Community of St.
John the Divine in Birmingham, U.K., wish to
send Christmas greetings to you all.
We shall be praying for you all especially at
this time of the coming of the Prince of Peace. We pray regularly for
peace, justice and reconciliation
for all the peoples of your country.
May the Incarnate Lord give you the blessing of
joy and peace this Christmas time.
____________
Dear Friends
Our thoughts and prayers are with you as we
remember the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. May 2009 bring us nearer to
peace. Ann Kelly, Pax Christi Birmingham
____________
We are remembering you very specially this
Christmas. May Jesus, Mary and Joseph be your strength and comfort.
Sr Marie Howley, Our Lady of the Caribbean Chaplaincy, Birmingham.
____________
Dear People of Bethlehem, our thoughts and
prayers are with you at this time. Jesus loves you, and we pray for a peaceful
Christmas in your homes. Andrea, Our Lady of the Caribbean Chaplaincy,
Birmingham.
____________
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we pray for
peace in your lives. My God bless you abundantly during the Christmas
season and in this forthcoming year. Antoinette, Our Lady of the Caribbean
Chaplaincy, Birmingham.
____________
To all in
Bethlehem, Many blessings, thoughts and prayers.
Meena, Manresa 1 Christian Life Community,
Birmingham
____________
Happy Christmas - you are all in our thoughts and
prayers. Marion, Manresa 1 Christian Life Community, Birmingham
____________
Yuletide greetings from the City of Peace &
Reconciliation - Coventry, England.
____________
Our thoughts are with you, hoping for a truly new
truly peaceful new year
Love & Light
Pete Duckworth - Coventry, UK.
____________
May Jesus be All and in All for you this
Christmas and always.
Peace & Joy to you from The Coventry and Nuneaton
Circuit of the Methodist Church,UK.
____________
Loving Greetings from Yealand Quaker Meeting, UK,
to all in Bethlehem and beyond, who are living under the current difficult
climate in the Holy Land.
We pray that you will find hope, joy and peace
during this season of celebration.
____________
For Christians all over the world Bethlehem is
seen as the birthplace of the message of love and peace. As we have recently
celebrated the anniversary of the signing of the UN Declaration of Human Rights
( the right to shelter, the right of freedom of movement, the right to be
respected…) we are keenly aware of the deprivations of those rights that you
suffer day after day. We send our love and prayers to all of you struggling to
lead good lives under extraordinary circumstances in the ‘Little Town of
Bethlehem’ of the Christmas carol.
We celebrate your courage and faithfulness as
true evidence of the power of the human spirit to overcome evil.
We join with you to pray for, and work to bring
about, a change of heart amongst those who hold power nationally and
internationally, and who contribute to the difficulties of this situation.
____________
We join with you to pray for, and work to bring
about, a peaceful, just and lasting solution for all.
In peace, light and with friendship
Catherine King Ambler, clerk
on behalf of Yealand Quaker Meeting, UK
____________
My Christmas message to the
people of Bethlehem and Palestine: 'do not lose hope - change will come'. May
God be with you now and in 2009. John Collins, London
____________
Wonderful and holy people,
You are in this time what Mary, Elizabeth, and
Joseph were about a whole lot of years ago. They stood strong in the face
of great oppression. Bethlehem is now under great siege. I pray for
you daily that your courage and nonviolence will bring about the change that is
needed to bring a new freedom to you.
Thank you for who you are.
I have been to your little town of Bethlehem –
and to Jerusalem, Gaza, Nablus, Ramalla to work with the olive harvest with the
Michigan Peace Team. I love you and have learned much from you.
You are blessed among women and men.
With gratitude, love and peace,
Mary Ellen
____________
Greetings to the people of
Bethlehem
from members of Wantage Methodist
Church in England
During Advent we have been made aware, each
Sunday, at our church of the troubles and injustices being suffered by the
people of your besieged city. We have lit an Advent Candle and said
prayers each week in succession for Justice, Forgiveness & Reconciliation,
Healing and Hope in Bethlehem and wherever in the world there is conflict and
where barriers divide people. We have learned about the signs of hope that
live on in Bethlehem despite the difficulties through such organisations as the
Wi’am Conflict Resolution Centre, the Parents’ Circle, the Bethlehem
Arab Rehabilitation Society, the Hope Flowers School and Bethlehem University.
Some of us wish to send you our personal
greetings
In 1993 we made a visit to the Holy land with our
Minister Michael Chester and we remember a much different place from that seen
on the recent view showing the enclosure wall.
On our visit we were able visit at dusk just
before closing and were able to sing Away in a Manger over the place of our
Lord’s birth .
During the trip we stayed in an Arab Hotel and a Jewish one and we had a
Christian coach driver with a Muslim guide - a visit I shall always treasure.
I was very moved by the changes that have
occurred since our visit and my thoughts go to the following prayer that our
Minister gave as a gift of our visit:
‘ Pray not for Arab or Jew for Palestinian or Israeli but pray rather for
ourselves that we might not divide them in our prayers but keep them both
together in our hearts.’
The above is based on a prayer of a Palestinian
Christian.
Our thoughts are with you this Christmas time and
we pray that people understand that The Holy Land is for everyone.
Peter Preston
At this time when as Christians we celebrate the
birth of Jesus in Palestine, we think of you and pray for you in your now
troubled land and divided country.
May God grant you peace and justice!
Reg Chaplin
____________
Supporting you in your struggle against injustice
Sheila Penney
____________
In 2006, I was part of a group who visited
Bethlehem for a few days and was deeply shocked by what I saw of the separation
wall, the security terminal and the encroaching settlements. I was moved
by the stories I heard from people at the Wi’am Centre, at Badil, in the
Deheishe refugee camp, from students at Bethlehem University and from your
Deputy Mayor George Sa’adeh who told us of the personal tragedy in his own
family. Since my return, I have shared those stories whenever I have had
opportunity.
I remember, with gratitude, the kindness and
hospitality shown us by the Palestinian people. I remember, with humility, the
repeated thanks for simply coming to see what life is like in Bethlehem today.
I welcome the opportunity this Christmas time to
send my greetings to whomever this may reach in Bethlehem and to assure you of
my continuing thoughts and prayers, and hopes for a just and lasting peace
throughout the Holy Land.
Pam Martin
____________
My prayers are with those in Bethlehem whose
lives have been torn apart by the injustices that have been inflicted on them.
My prayers are also with those who have it within their power to right the
wrongs. May all in power take the message of Micah 6:8
seriously.
Helen Carter
____________
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this
special Holy time of Jesus' birth. We pray that you will be able to celebrate
Christmas in Peace.
We look forward to the day when you all enjoy the
same freedoms in all of Palestine, as we enjoy here in UK.
You will remain in our prayers
Monica David & family
____________
REMEMBERING
The women in the genealogy of Jesus
We remember the daughters of Tamar:
women pushed away and denied their rights,
who use their bodies and their sexuality,
who deceive and manipulate
to survive and give birth to the future.
WE REMEMBER THEIR PAIN AND STRUGGLE.
WE CELEBRATE THEIR PART IN GOD’S STORY.
We remember the daughters of Rahab:
women despised and held in contempt, who put
aside established loyalties
to give harbour and refuge to the stranger,
struggling to ensure a future for their families.
WE REMEMBER THEIR PAIN AND STRUGGLE.
WE CELEBRATE THEIR PART IN GOD’S STORY.
We remember the daughters of Bathsheba:
women taken by force for lust or profit,
separated and torn from those they love,
facing loss and heartache,
rebuilding life in the midst of grief.
WE REMEMBER THEIR PAIN AND STRUGGLE.
WE CELEBRATE THEIR PART IN GOD’S STORY.
We remember the daughters of Mary:
women facing scandal and disrespect,
saying Yes to an unknown future
and the mystery of God’s promise,
bearing in their bodies the saving of the world.
WE REMEMBER THEIR PAIN AND STRUGGLE.
WE CELEBRATE THEIR PART IN GOD’S STORY
(Jan Berry)
____________
DEAR WOMEN OF BETHLEHEM, THIS ADVENT WE
REMEMBER YOUR PAIN AND YOUR STRUGGLE, AND WE CELEBRATE YOUR PART IN GOD’S STORY.
Women Word Spirit/Catholic Women’s Network, UK.
Máirín
____________
Dear friends in Bethlehem
You are in my prayers and thoughts. I wrote
the hymn that follows, based on 'O little town of Behtlehem', but with your
situation very much in mind...... I long for a just peace for
you and all the people of Palestine and Israel and will continue to do whatever
I can to help to bring it about.....
O sad and troubled Bethlehem,
We hear your longing cry
For peace and justice to be born
And cruel oppression die.
How deep your need for that great gift
Of love in human form.
Let Christ in you be seen again
And hearts by hope made warm.
While morning stars and evening stars
Shine out in your dark sky ,
Despair now stalks your troubled streets
Where innocents still die.
And Jesus, child of Mary,
Whose love will never cease,
Feels even now your pain and fear,
Longs with you for your peace.
Amazingly and lovingly
Jesus, the child, has come
And, brought to birth through human pain,
Makes broken hearts his home.
He comes to comfort all who weep,
To challenge every wrong
And, living with the weak and poor,
Becomes their hope, their song.
Wendy Ross-Barker
(Friends of Sabeel U. K., North West England)
____________
Dear friends,
You are neither alone nor forgotten at this holy
time of year. We, the members of Coventry
Deanery Justice and Peace Group join in
solidarity with you through our thoughts and
prayers and we look forward in hope to the
coming time of your liberation. God bless each
one of you,
Paschal Somers
The people of Bethlehem have constantly been in
my thoughts and prayers after spending a very emotional day in Bethlehem and
Beit Sehour last August. Those of us who have seen your suffering cannot help
but speak out against injustice. Throughout the Sundays of advent my church has
been focusing on the need for peace and reconciliation for the Holy Land, for
all people of every race and faith in Israel and Palestine. This Sunday, we held
a special candle lit service, where prayers were offered for Bethlehem, around
an olive wood nativity showing the separation wall that divides your lives.
May you, as Christian 'living stones', continue
to keep faith and hope in your hearts and know that your voices are being heard
in the world.
God bless you and grant you peace this Christmas.
With much love from
Marian Gardener
Bristol
UK
____________
Dear Friends,
We wish to send you Christmas greetings and our
heartfelt hope for real peace in Bethlehem SOON.
Your work for peace is invaluable.
From Coventry Quaker Meeting UK
____________
Ah Salaam Alecum/Shalom to Bethlehem from an
English Christian.
Peace to Bethlehem at this season
Helen
John Hillman
____________
Our thoughts and
prayers are with you for a joyful and peaceful
Christmas. May God be in the hearts of
those who can move the initiatives for peace and
reconciliation ahead for a breakthrough in 2009.
Best wishes and love from all at St Luke's
Church in Rhydyfelin, Pontypridd, South Wales,
UK.
Miranda Westlake
____________
O Little Town of Bethlehem
2008
Verbum caro factum est
Some two millennia ago, Bethlehem witnessed the
miraculous birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ when the Word became flesh
and made His dwelling amongst us for the salvation of humankind. This new faith
we know as Christianity started in a lowly manger, in a small, deprived and
unassuming town under Roman occupation, and led some three decades later to the
glorious chapter of the Resurrection in nearby Jerusalem.
Today, Bethlehem with its Nativity Basilica, its
Manger Square and falafel
stalls, still marks this history. However, has the situation improved, and is
Bethlehem, celebrated in so many Christmas carols, any more peaceful and merry
today?
Throughout the past year, Palestinians across the
West Bank and Gaza have suffered in varying degrees as a result of the political
realignments of our global world. Whether in terms of a painful economy,
degrading political circumstances, snaking separation walls, bellicose
internecine feuds or merely discrimination by one group against another, or one
faith against the other, 2008 has at times been another year of fading hope and
escalating suffering.
However, our Christian faith teaches us to be
resolute and hopeful, and to look for those signs of hope that inject optimism
into our moments of justifiable pessimism. A very tall order, I must admit, when
many Palestinians are worried about their daily food and movement, but I
personally can never abandon the promise that the gloom of Good Friday only
leads to the glory of Easter. After all, Bethlehem heralded a saviour, and led
us to the empty tomb.
This is why I join today with all Palestinians -
whether Christian or Muslim - in Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahur as much as in
the rest of the Holy Land in wishing them the joyful peace that is an ultimate
reward for their steadfastness and resourcefulness. Yes, it has to be a joy,
even if it feels untrue and ephemeral, despite the sacrifices and hardships, or
the dark clouds hovering above their families, despite Israeli settlements and
expropriations, or Palestinian feuds and tensions. The joy that comes from
within cannot be vanquished, it cannot be suffocated and quashed, and remains a
formidable tool not only for self-edification but also as a challenge against
all aggressors. As the Christmas carol O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
reminds us, the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not
understood it!
On my own behalf, as well as on behalf of those
Christian constituencies I am privileged to work with, I recognise with humility
and admiration the courage of Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem. I wish them,
and all those tourists visiting them during this holy season, ‘eid milad
majeed, sa’eed wa moubarak
in the faith-centred hope that the Mystery of the Incarnation will help lift up
their spirits and lead them toward better harmony and an eventual peace with
justice. This is a tough wish, almost an impossible one some would add, but who
said that our faith should be an easy one?
Dr Harry Hagopian, KSG
Ecumenical, Legal & Political Consultant,
Armenian Church, London
Middle East Adviser, Catholic Bishops’
Conference in England & Wales (CBCEW), London
Middle East Consultant, Christians in
Political Action (ACEP), Paris
www.epektasis.net
____________
To all our friends at AEI – wishing you a Happy
Christmas
With peace and justice in the new year.
Thinking of you all especially at this time and
remembering our time with you at Christmas in 2004
Ann Farr
Pax Christi UK
Coventry
____________
May the message of peace of Christmas bring
understanding and reconciliation and mutual respect to the people of Bethlehem
and through that may Bethlehem shine ever brighter as a beacon of hope to all
the world. May the world do all it can to help peace in Bethlehem.
Frankie & Ronald Smith
Woking, UK
____________
Christmas Prayers, Hopes, Thoughts and Wishes for
Bethlehem. December 2009.
With love from the church ‘SoulSpace’ Bradford,
Yorkshire, U.K.
____________
“Let’s take this time, at Christmas, to remember
and assess the important things in life, family, love, hope and caring. Let’s
recognise these in everyone and everywhere. Let us believe that they will
triumph and peace will be found once again.”
“Stay peaceful and prayerful through the hardest
of time. Let your hearts be filled with hope.”
“People all around the world are praying for
peace in Palestine at Christmas.”
“I will never forget lying in a stranger’s house
in shepherds fields one Christmas, listening to the choirs singing float through
the window.
I pray the songs of the angels will be heard
today and everyday.
Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our
universe. Amen.”
“We hope and pray for wisdom, tolerance and mercy
to be demonstrated by people in authority on all sides and in all groups,
particularly on the West Bank. We pray for safety and security of families
living in the region.”
“I pray for the people in the world to have peace
especially the warring countries, like Palestine, Congo, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan.
Countries with many tribes experiencing tribal clashes.
- All those seeking peace in other countries,
refugees.
- Those seeking asylum for protection.
- Peace for the departed souls.
- Pray for the poor materially and spiritually.”
“Dear God, I pray for the people in Palestine to
be happy to have a better life. Amen! Merry Christmas.”
“I ask God that His peace shall reign at this
time we are remembering the gift of his son, the Prince of Peace in the world.
Especially in your land.
May God fill you all with the hope and joy of
this season.”
“At Christmas time as much as always, we are
thinking of you, praying for you, and working for you. The people and
individuals of Israel and Palestine. May God be with you.”
“This is a prayer that the true peace of Jesus,
that came to Earth with his birth, will be known across the world and in
people’s hearts. Particularly in situations of conflict in Israel and Palestine,
our thoughts, love and hope for peace are with you.”
“From a mother and daughters to mothers and
daughters in Palestine:
It is hard enough bringing up a family in a
peaceful environment. I cannot even imagine the hardship you go through, daily
keeping your family fed and clothed.
I admire your resilience and honour you.
May peace be with you soon. Amen.”
“Let’s stop killing people. With love from
Yorkshire, U.K.”
____________
“I pray for Peace in the Holy Land of Israel and
Palestine. The place where Jesus, the King of Peace had been born. Peace of God
be always with you, all those who make peace in this land. Please Israeli and
Palestinian leaders lead the country into peace. Let the Israeli’s and
Palestinian’s live together in Peace. Call for love, hope and peace.
Peace of God be with you all.”
“For the people in Palestine: That God in His
infinite goodness and mercy would touch the hearts of those causing trouble. And
for those that have been affected God would heal their hearts, soul and mind. We
ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
“Today, nearing the Christmas time, it is my
prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ will be born in all the hearts of the people
in Bethlehem, and that there will be peace there and indeed the whole world.
Amen.”
“May Jesus, our hope and our peace, bring you
hope and peace.”
Nina Carter-Brown (on behalf of SoulSpace)
____________
From Mandy Stevens, Nailsea, England.
May all the residents of Bethlehem know peace and
hope this Christmas time.
"It it better to light one candle than to curse
the darkness."
____________
To our friends in Bethlehem
We prayed for you all tonight in our church in a
little town called Winslow, Buckinghamshire, England.
Please believe us that we have not forgotten your
suffering and that we pray for you especially at this time.
May God bless you and bring you a peaceful
Christmas
Liz and Paul Mostyn
St. Alban's Chapel, Winslow
____________
Dear people of Bethlehem,
At this time when we remember the birth of Jesus
in Bethlehem, our hearts go out especially to the people of Bethlehem in your
current situation. Be assured that you are not forgotten and that people of
good-will all over the world are praying for you.
Brid Fitzpatrick
Newcastle upon Tyne
England
____________
To whoever receives this message, may I send you
my wishes and prayers
for a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.
Ian M. Potts, Ealing, England.
____________
As I set up the crib in our home I think of
Bethlehem. The figures of Joseph, Mary and the baby were carved in Bethlehem
from local olive wood by a Palestinian.
May God be with you all in Bethelehem this Christmas.
Maureen E Frost
Dorset, England.
____________
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this
time of the year. With Gods help may you find peace and understanding in all you
undertake in the coming year.
God Bless you all from Collycroft Methodist
Church in Bedworth, Warwickshire, England
____________
As a company we
have decided not to send printed Christmas cards
this year and instead we're giving money to
local charities in the regions where we work.
We'd like to wish you a very Happy Christmas and
all the best for the New Year.
From a Christian family in England we send to
whoever is reading this our sincere and heartfelt prayers for peace,
reconciliation and justice at this Christmas season.
With our love and Peace for all, Christopher and
Mary
____________
As the Minister of Lonsdale Road Methodist Church
in Gloucester, England, we all send our thoughts and prayers for you. We prayed
in Church yesterday that 2009 will bring Peace and an end to the restrictions
placed on your everyday lives.
With every Blessing
Carrie Seaton
____________
To the people of Bethlehem I send my best wishes
for Christmas and the New
Year to come
May the peace and joy of Christ be with you and your families, and the
love
brought by
the new born child remain with you and sustain you all.
with love and prayers
from
Maureen Mayers
England
____________
To the people of Bethlehem
I have visited your lovely town and seen how isolated it is. As the celebration
of our Lord's birth rapidly approaches, I am thinking of you all at this time
and praying for justice and peace to prevail.
May I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a hopeful New Year.
Yours in Christ
Joy Vollmer
(England)
____________
More greetings to Bethlehem from members of
Wantage Methodist Church in England
I was very moved by the film we saw*. I
don't think I will ever sing "O Little Town" again without remembering those 8m
walls which surround today's town.
Would you be kind enough to pass on a message
that our thoughts and prayers are with the people there?
*[Bethlehem: Hidden from view – by the Amos
Trust showing the plight of the people behind the wall – shown at our church on
14th Dec]
Margaret and Francis McAlpin
____________
None of my words can help you practically, but I
wish you to know that you are not forgotten. You are prayed for.
Esther Kemball,
England
____________
I send you good wishes for Christmas and the New
year. Our Women Word
Spirit liturgy group will remember and pray for you when we meet on
January 9th.
May peace come to you.
in sisterhood
Veronica Seddon
This is to assure the people of Bethlehem that
they are in my daily thoughts and prayers. You are not forgotten.
2009 must be the year of your deliverance.
Jo Langley
____________
Sending you this message for peace and hope for a
brighter future. You are not forgotten, at this time especially you are deeply
in my prayers. Wishing you the blessings of Christmas and a new year filled with
hope and justice.
God bless
Clare. clareborgeat
____________
May the almighty pour out his peace to you, and
that it may flow like a bountiful river and touch many, and run and run through
your land.
peace
Neville Louden
____________
To the People of Bethlehem
We give our whole hearted support to the people of Bethlehem especially at this
time
of the year, the birth of Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.
And we hope and Pray that the Israeli illegal occupation of your land will end
in Peace and Justice for the Palestinians in their own state and Jerusalem as
your capital.
With every best wish for Christmas and 2009
Yours in friendship
Alex Mosson
Maureen Mosson
Brian Mosson
Kirtseen Mosson
Alexis Mosson
Sean Mosson
Kerry Mosson
Caoimhe Mosson
____________
Dear Unknown Friends,
I send you greetings in your ghetto in Bethlehem
this Christmastide. I and my friends at Lea Road United Reformed Church will be
praying for you that Israel may see the irony of their setting checkpoints
preventing your access to hospital care and food --just as the Nazis did to
their parents and grandparents and give you freedom of movement.
May the Lord God of us all, whatever our Faith,
Bless you and Keep you and Let the Light of His Coutenance Shine upon you.
From Margaret Polack
____________
Our thoughts and prayers are with you this
Christmas,
God bless,
Ian & Anne Maynard
____________
At this holy
Christmas season we pray for peace, justice and
security for Palestine and Israel and especially
we pray for the people of Bethlehem.
John & Lorraine Elliott
_____________
God of justice
and peace
I give you
thanks for the courage and dedication of the
members of the many peace groups - Israeli,
Palestinian and international - who demonstrate
nonviolently, offer support unconditionally and
publicise human tights abuses fearlessly. Give
them the strength to continue their work.
But may the
day come soon when they will no longer be
needed.
Liz Burroughs
Former Ecumenical Accompanier
in Bethlehem and Jerusalem
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
We send you our heartfelt wishes for a blessed
Christmas, a Christmas of peace for the land and peace in the hearts of all of
you who struggle to live together in peace. We rejoice together in God's
continuing mercies in all circumstances.
Blessings, Joan K. Harman, Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania
____________
Greetings from Ursuline High School, Youngstown,
Ohio, USA
____________
Have a Merry Christmas and my God watch over you
all the days of your life. John Monroe
____________
May your New Year be continually blessed.
Justin Myers
____________
I pray that you have a blessed and peace filled
New Year. Patrick Krieger
____________
Merry Christmas! I hope you have a blessed
year. Trent Kerpsack
____________
Have a safe, Merry Christmas, and have a year of
peace and blessings. Marie Adams
____________
Have a happy holiday with many blessing sent to
you. Nina Zinni
____________
Hope you have a happy and safe Christmas this
year. Andrew Hanzenstab
____________
Have a happy holiday, and may G-d be with you.
Ariel Grant
____________
We pray that you have a good and safe holiday.
Sean Coffey
____________
I hope that God is with you and your family this
holiday season. May his grace and love protect and keep you safe!
Matthew Metzinger
____________
May God look upon your family, friends, and
community during this holiday season. That your Lord protect you and bless
you with His grace. Jeff Podolsky
____________
I hope that you have a safe and happy holiday
season. We pray that God is with you always. Gabrielle Weitzel
____________
Have a happy and safe holiday season. May
God always watch over you, your friends and family. Happy Holidays.
Sarah Warburton
____________
May the God bless you anytime you feel sad.
Be happy. Everything will be overcome with God's help. Dong Tian Yu
____________
God Bless us Everyone. Pete Wearsch
____________
Peace, ho! Mike Vanes
____________
Following are notes from students at Ursuline
High School in Youngstown, Ohio, USA.
May your family know safety and peace in our own
times. We pray for a resolution to conflicts in Israel and Palestine.
Linda Lucarell Miller
May peace be with you. We are praying here
for your safety and that peace will come one day. Maggie McIntire
May peace come to you. We are praying for
your peace and your safety. Doug Woodford
May your family be safe and have a Merry
Christmas and have peace. Lavell Turnage
I hope you have a great Christmas. Manuel
Esparra
May you have a Merry Christmas and be safe during
the holidays. I will be praying for you and for peace. Dominic
Eusanio
May you have a wonderful Christmas and may
your families be safe. We are praying for you. Patrice Henderson
I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and I pray
that your loved ones stay safe. Philip Monrean
I hope you have very merry and safe
Christmas . You and your families will be in our prayers. Jen
Stevens
I wish you all peace in your troubled times for
X-Mas. Alex Myers
I hope you and your families and friends have a
peaceful holiday. Lauren Martauz
Have a Merry Christmas. I will pray for
your safety and peace. Frank George
Have a Merry Christmas. My family and I
will be praying for peace this Christmas season. William Wainio
Hope you have a wonderful Christmas. I will
be praying for you and your family. Stay safe and wonderful.
Angalisia Johnson
I hope you and all the people who you love have a
Merry Christmas. :) Maria Leonelli
I pray that you find peace and love this holiday
season. Merry Christmas Zach Conlin
will be continued... Linda Miller, teacher
(I have a few hundred notes)
Greetings from Ursuline High School Youngstown
Ohio USA
God Bless Us.
Everyone. Merria Brink
I hope you can enjoy the coming year with your
family and friends. Mike Zappa
I hope you have a safe, healthy and happy
holiday. Patsy Maxim
Have a safe new year and good holidays. You
are in our prayers. Erik Beeler
You are in our prayers. Peter Garthwaite
God Bless and have a Merry Christmas!
Shantel Boss
I pray you have a peaceful and joyous holiday
season and new year. Lindsey Durina
I pray that you have a wonderful holiday and
peace in the new year. Cathi George
I prayer that you and your family celebrate a
joyous Christmas. Angelo Maxim
May you and your
family have a blessed holiday. Evan Sander
May grace fall on you. James Toliver
I pray that you have a blessed holiday season and
that God may be with you. Marshall Finelli
Best wishes taht everyone have an enjoyable
holiday and be careful as the new year approaches. Beth Clowes
We pray for you every day that Peace will always
be instilled in your lives. May your holiday season be wonderful and full
of graceful happiness. Natalia Lepore Hagan
Have a great
Holiday Season! Katie Young
I hope you have an enjoyable holiday season.
May the Lord guide and protect you. Joshua Bermann
May your community know peace. Kristin Kay
Merry Christmas. I am keeping you in my prayers
and your families during these hard times. Jacquelyn Tondo-Steele
Merry Christmas :) Jacob Dragovich
May the peace and hope of Jesus be with your
family and friends always and especially in this Christmas season. Katie
Proch
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May
peace be with you and your family. You are in my prayers. Cara Mia
Gatti
Have a Merry Christmas. I hope you and your
family have a safe and happy holiday. Mark Brooks
I am praying for you and your family to be safe
and may peace be with you. Alexis Xenakis
I hope you all have a great Christmas.
Anita Smith
I hope your Christmas is a peaceful one.
Mike Viglio
May peace be with you. Nina Ballone
I hope you are well. Jordyn Balas
Hope you have a Happy Christmas. Brian
Trinckes
Praying for you. Casey Kelly
I hope and pray that you and your family have a
prosperous year. Tom Minnick
I hope that you enjoy your family. Liam
Boquet
I am praying for your safety and peace. I
pray that you have a fun-filled holiday. Brandon Oaks
In this upcoming holy season, sincere wishes are
sent to you your family. May peace be with you and may have a safe and
very blessed holiday. Let God be in your heart and help you to overcome
any hurt or violence. Heather Hiner
We pray that during this most holy celebration of
the birth of our Saviour that the peace of God might overcome the violence and
destruction. Caleb Coulter
Have a merry Christmas and know that you are in
our thoughts and prayers this holiday season. Brittany Boerio
Have a Merry Christmas and know that we are
praying for you and your families to have a safe and peaceful Christmas.
Brittny Frazzini
Shalom and Peace to you now and forever.
Father Ken Miller
I hope you have a good New Years and Christmas.
Shanee'Hayden
I hope you have a great Christmas. I hope
for peace for you and your family. Alyssa Cannell
Have a Merry Christmas and my thoughts and
prayers go to you and your family. DeVonte Jenkins
The students of Ursuline High School offered
prayers for our brothers and sisters in Israel, particularly in Bethlehem.
We signed notes in our religion classes and then stationed them in our worship
environment at our closing Advent prayer service yesterday, Dec. 19th 2008.
The following students sent individual messages, but I, their teacher and
Liturgy Coordinator, am going to combine some. You may also be happy to
know that I was in Israel (Akko) in November making plans with an Arab
Palestinian teacher and a Jewish teacher to unite with our teens in Youngstown
Ohio.
____________
Here are the names of kids who are praying for
all of you:
Jovan Robinson, Taylor Walczak, Veronica
Christoff, DanGleydura, Teresa Carkido, Kyla Kachelries, Dom Villone, Tom
Pulice, Paul Kempe, Taylor Hartman, Amani Noble, Kelli Kolenich, Katie Pee,
Ciara Clarke, Paige Larney, Kathryn Scudier, Julia Kirchner, Tyler Stimpert,
T.J. Vaccaro, Bence Tamas, Rakia Levesque, Nick Santamas, J.D. Brittany Curd,
Erika Klempay, Ja'Niece Whitehead, Frank Dundee, Brandon Kays, Louie Joseph,
Hailey Sturtz, Katie Woodford.
Wishes for peace, health, joy, security.
(we do not allow the kids to email out of our
school, so I am summarizing and sending them myself. Linda Miller,
teacher)
____________
We are five women gathered by candlelight amidst
many trees of light on a very cold winter evening in the middle of the United
States. We pray to the one God of all nations and all people for unity in peace
and love, beginning in Bethlehem and moving throughout Israel, the Midle East
and to all parts of the the world. We applaud your efforts to reach for mutual
respect and understanding and offer you our support and prayer.
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Peace X Peace Group
____________
Dear friends in
Bethlehem - last year at this time we were
preparing to visit you with great anticipation.
The time we spent with you after Christmas is
forever planted in our hearts and minds. We were
amazed by your hope and courage under the daily
struggles with which you live, including the
humiliation of the wall and check points.
Certainly our Lord Jesus joins us in weeping for
you. We pray daily for your peace and freedom.
You shall overcome! Blessings for Christmas and
a peaceful New Year. From Barrington, Illinois -
Bob and Mary Anderson
____________
To quote Joan Chittister:
Christmas is about
the long quiet journey
to confirm the hope
of the world.
May we realize our hopes for peace in Israel and
Palestine.
Ann Jones
____________
"Every gun that is made, every warship
launched,
every rocket fired, signifies, in the final
sense, a theft from those
who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold
and are not clothed."
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower
____________
Dear ones,
I send prayers that you may very soon experience
a genuine and lasting peace in your world. I will encourage our new USA
leadership to work hard to help you make this a reality.
May God’s blessing be upon you!
Doska Ross
____________
My prayer is that
as we celebrate the birth of Christ, our rulers
will recognize the elements of peace anew.
We ask that our eyes be opened to see that
occupation, walls and injustices do not bring
peace. Love and respect for all peoples
will result in lasting peace with justice.
May God's peace be with us during this time of
celebration and into the New Year.
Mary Smarr
USA
____________
Greetings, Brothers and Sisters,
I wish you peace at this special time of year, when we ought to
acknowledge our connection with one another. I will offer prayers
that we all learn to respect and support one another in this tense
world.
Best of all,
Joan Goodman
New Jersey, USA
____________
My wish for the world--and especially for Israel
and Palestine-- is
A place where
Christ can find a home,
hearts that love each other,
Lives embraced by heaven's joy,
helping one another.
An end to terror, war and want,
forgiveness of the past,
Children safe from every harm...
and peace on earth at last.
May hope for the future,
the promise of peace,
and love to last for all ages
reign in our hearts and world
this Christmas . . .
and forevermore. (latter 2 words, my addition)
copied from Christmas card from Abbey
Press 1999, text by Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Malissa Haslam
Santa Fe, New Mexico USA
Dear residents of Bethlehem - May the peace of
Jesus Christ come to you this Christmas season.
I was part of a Presbyterian peacemaking mission to Israel and Palestine in the
fall of 2006 and have poignant memories of my stay with a Christian family in
Bethlehem. We maintain contacts with peacemakers in the area and support
the work of peace and understanding there.
You are ever in my thoughts and prayers.
Barbara Hallows
New Jersey
____________
Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Holy Land,
My hopes and prayers are with you at this sacred
time of the year. I was privileged to visit the Holy Land in October of
this year. My heart will always be with you in solidarity as I recall the
wonder of being in the land of Christ's birth, Bethlehem. Our fervent prayers,
joined with yours, is for peace to come to the Holy Land.
Janice Johnson, Sand Diego, CA
____________
To the people of Bethlehem especially the
children
It is now some years since I used to bring groups
of church people to Palestine but their concern for you remains and they have
asked me to send Christmas greetings to you assuring you of their concern and
love in you difficulties.Those who especially asked to be remembered to you:
Olive McCahan, Rowena Wakefield, Judy and Jeff Savige, Fiona and Stuart Ensor,
Lesley and Brian Harbick, Joan Macdermid
Blessings Alan Reid
PS Many others have sent their separate messages
____________
Hello, friends:
I am a local church pastor in California at the
Tehachapi Community Congregational United Church
of Christ. We are praying for your
country, for our country, for an end to
violence, and for peace throughout the world.
This is our prayer:
Dear God,
We pray for this world. We ask that you
remove the walls that separate us.
Use us to create a new world on earth, one that
reflects Your will and Your peace.
Enlighten us so we can be a part of your mighty
plan for the healing of this world.
Amen.
May God be with you at this special time of year
and always.
Rev. Diane Gallo Ryder
____________
At this blessed Christmas time, the thoughts of
millions of people turn to Bethlehem. We think of the one born there to be our
Savior, so long ago, and we think of all of you who live there now. I had the
privilege of visiting there in 2000.
We pray for peace in Bethlehem, and all Palestine
and Israel. May the angels’ message come true for you this year. “Peace on
Earth, Good will among men and women.”
Doris Farnsworth,
Carolina, Puerto Rico, USA
____________
We want to join
the thousands and millions who will pray
especially for
Bethlehem this Christmas. You will be in
our prayers in Lawrence,
Kansas and among our friends. The ugly
barrier walls cannot stop this
or us.
God's blessings! May Peace be the word of
this season.
Janice and Don Conrad
____________
Dear Friends in Bethlehem,
These messages and prayers of peace have been
written to you by our congregation, Compton Heights Christian Church (Disciples
of Christ) in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Through the Sundays of Advent we have
prayed for peace in our world and particularly for you. We kept a large
newsprint in the church hall, inviting people to write their prayers and
messages. Now we send these to you with our deepest prayer that God's peace
will be made manifest again and again in our world.
As we celebrate this Christmas, we pray that the
peace revealed to us in the Christ Child will fill your lives and your hearts
with hope. We pray for the reconciling heart of God to enfold you whether you
are Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. And most of all, we pray that the conflict
and violence that surrounds you may cease from every side, and that brothers and
sisters may recognize one another as children of God.
Our Blessings,
The Rev. Dr. Jacquelyn L. Foster, Pastor
Compton Heights Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ)
St. Louis Missouri, United States
____________
Now receive the prayers and messages of our
congregation:
* We wish you peace
within –
that you may know of God's love for you always,
and peace without – that enemies may become brothers.
* Pray earnestly at the
center of the earth
* O
for a world where everyone
respects each other's ways,
where love is lived and all is done
with justice, peace, and praise.
(Miriam Therese Winter, 1987
copyright 1990 Medical Mission Sisters)
* May opportunities for
peace be found in the Holy Land – in all lands. Amen.
* Sending a wish for
peace and understanding.
* May there be peace among the world's
religions
and people of all faiths that we may care for
each other
as God's children. Let us do this now!
Peace, Pax, Shalom, Salam!
* May you have peace and
laughter.
* "Peace is a ribbon that circles
the earth
giving a promise of safety and
worth.
When God is a child there's joy in
our song.
The last shall be first and the weak
shall be
strong, and none shall be afraid."
(Brian Wren, 1985, copyright 1989 Hope Publishing.)
We pray, O
God, that your Peace will circle the earth. We pray
that we may make the peace that means
safety and worth for
your people – both Israeli and Palestinian,
Jew, Muslim, and Christian.
Bind us gently together in your holy peace.
Amen.
* May there be world
peace.
* Peace and blessing to
you all. May the peace and blessings extend from you
to all the families of the earth.
* Though I am far
away from you in miles, and though I am a North American,
your brokenness is my brokenness, and your hope is my hope.
We are one because God has created us one.
Neither our nationality, nor our religious tradition can separate us in the
heart of God.
We must, together, find the way of God's peace.
And together with God we must see that the peace of heaven touches the earth.
Please, I beg of you to work to end the violence in your community.
I will work to end the violence in my community.
And together, we will breathe a word of justice and peace for God's people
everywhere.
____________
Holy One,
As we acknowledge your nativity, we are mindful
of our sisters and brothers in Israel and Palestine who share your heritage.
We hear and remember the prophet Micah’s words, written to a divided kingdom,
“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is
from of old, from ancient days.” ( Micah 5:2) This promise of one who will feed
and strengthen the people and bring peace and restoration is what we continue to
pray for. We pray for the well-being of all people in Bethlehem as well as
for brokenness between them. May peace be at the center of our hopes for
all the Middle East. May divisions cease and may the holy land exist as a
sacred place for all. Amen.
Rev. Deborah Little, First Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) [Bremerton, WA USA]
____________
Dear Friends in
Bethlehem,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ. My name is Jenn Smith, and I am from the United States. In 2000
while in college, I traveled to Israel as part of a study tour. I am grateful
that I had the opportunity to visit the place you call home, the city of
Christ’s birth.
Much strife has gripped the Holy Land for so many
years. I cannot claim to understand what it is like to live in the midst of war
because I have not experienced it. However, my prayer for all of you is that you
will sense the peace of Christ in a palpable way during this season and beyond.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems so entrenched, and the procurement of
peace seems so elusive. Yet, as the angel Gabriel reminded Mary, “nothing is
impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
May you be filled with a Christmas hope that
lasts all year. May you sense that God is holding all of you in the palm of His
hand. May you take comfort in the fact that he understands your struggles and
will never leave you. May you be encouraged that someone on the other side of
the world cares about you. Shalom, my friends!
Much love,
Jenn
American Baptist Churches USA
____________
My husband and I visited Bethlehem this April
around Easter, Passover. There is no peace and THE WALL prohibits
thinking?
Praying for peace, and soon!
Linda and Jim Hagan
Cupertino, California
____________
As Bethlehem enters the Christmas season of the
year, my prayer is that there will be peace overall the area and that all
peoples can live with justice. God has sent his son into the world to
bring the world peace, even more in Bethlehem.
Paul R. Freeman
Oregon/USA
____________
Many people will
walk in and out of your life, but only true
friends will leave footprints in your heart.
- Eleanor Roosevelt
____________
"Absolom, Oh, Absolom!! " Israel, Oh, Israel!!
May vengeful deaths
cease, only to be replaced with love and forgiveness. I pray that God
will show you, Israel and Palestine, the way to loving peace. I pray
for you everyday. I pray that God will hold you in the palm of his
hand.
Madelon Albert
La Porte, Indiana, USA
____________
To: The Faithful
of the Holy Land
Frm.: Geoffrey Cook
Re.: Wishes for Christmas Season
Please accept my heart felt-greetings at this
Blessed but difficult Season in your country!
Peace,
Geoffrey Cook ____________
Christmas quite naturally draws prayerful
attention to Bethlehem, especially in turbulent
and trying times. It is my sincere prayer
not only for Bethlehem but for all of
Israel-Palestine that peace come to the Holy
Land right here and right now, a peace that is
solidly built upon the pillars of love, truth,
justice, and freedom. It is my prayer that
this peace be established through the sincere
cooperation and solidarity of all interested
parties.
TERRY LARKIN
____________
My prayer for
you and for peace in Jerusalem comes from Psalm
122....
"May they prosper who love you. Peace be
within your walls,
and security within your towers." For
the sake of my relatives
and friends I will say, "Peace be within you."
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.
Donna Crider
Bethlehem Prayer
We pray for the children in Bethlehem,
that they need no longer live in the shadow
of the Wall,
in the shadow of fear, violence and hatred,
that their human rights be respected,
their right for food, health and education;
that the land which nourishes them
shall not be taken away from them and their
families,
but shall be restored to them.
For the sake of all your children we pray to you
that politicians in Israel, in occupied
Palestine, in America and in Europe
stop merely talking about peace,
but begin in earnest to work for a just peace
between Palestinians and Israelis.
We are yearning for that peace
and commit ourselves to working for it,
because today we have once more heard the song of
the angels over the fields of Bethlehem:
“Peace on earth for men on whom his favour
rests.”
On this night with its memory of promised peace,
let the world of
justice and joy that we all yearn for come to us.
Stephen Kobasa
New Haven, CT
____________
Everyone in Bethlehem, I wish you peace. I
wish peace to the entire world. All of us are called by the God in our
souls who is calling for us to be at peace, to make this yearning real.
May we all do whatever we can to foster peace.
Sr. Sue Kilduski
____________
I pray to the Holy Creator that He will bring
peace and joy to all of His people in the Middle East. Give all mankind the
quality of knowing that we are responsible for each other; help us to love each
other and wish for each other peace and prosperity.
Gayle Gaither
____________
May the God of salvation, of light and life, of
joy, of peace and love, send you every blessing and hope at this very special
time and always. Amen
Judi Marsh
____________
We hold you all in our thoughts and prayers this
Christmas
Monica Hanna
____________
May the God of all peoples bless those who suffer
the oppression of military occupation, especially those who live in the Occupied
Territories. Give wisdom to those who govern, relief to those who are
suffering, and the ability to walk in the shoes of the 'other' to all.
Amen
Virginia Georgulas
____________
Dear People of Bethlehem, I was privileged to
spend a few days in Bethlehem
this summer. We visited the Church of the Nativity and Shepherd's Fields
as
well as a few other places, we experienced the Wall and the Checkpoint, but
especially we talked with many wonderful people. My prayers and hopes go out
to all those working for peace and living with dignity and strength in the
present situation. The Christmas Blessings be with you at this time.
Jean Leahy
____________
As I look at my Cresh which was carved in
Bethlehem, and has a wall in front of the cresh scene I send a prayer that a
miracle will happen, and this war will be stopped and that horrible wall will
come down... Beverly Weatherill
____________
| 1 |
Now Jesus having been born in Bethlehem of
Judaea, in the days of Herod the king, behold magi from the east arrived at
Jerusalem, saying, |
| 2 |
Where is the king of the Jews that has been
born? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to do him homage. |
| 3 |
But Herod the king having heard {of it}, was
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; |
| 4 |
and, assembling all the chief priests and
scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born. |
| 5 |
And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judaea;
for thus it is written through the prophet: |
| 6 |
And *thou* Bethlehem, land of Juda, art in
no wise the least among the governors of Juda; for out of thee shall go
forth a leader who shall shepherd my people Israel. |
| 7 |
Then Herod, having secretly called the magi,
inquired of them accurately the time of the star that was appearing; |
| 8 |
and having sent them to Bethlehem, said, Go,
search out accurately concerning the child, and when ye shall have found
{him} bring me back word, so that *I* also may come and do him homage. |
| 9 |
And they having heard the king went their way;
and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went before them until it
came and stood over the place where the little child was. |
| 10 |
And when they saw the star they rejoiced with
exceeding great joy. |
| 11 |
And having come into the house they saw the
little child with Mary his mother, and falling down did him homage. And
having opened their treasures, they offered to him gifts, gold, and
frankincense, and myrrh. |
| 12 |
And being divinely instructed in a dream not
to return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. |
Deborah Friedrich
I am very happy to
send you all prayerful best wishes at this holy
time of the year, when we celebrate our
redemption and hope for peace. God bless
you all.
Sincerely
Pat Halpin
_________________
Two prayers were
written at Walteria United Methodist Church in
Torrance, California on June 7, California's day
for prayer for Middle East Peace and United
Methodist Peace with Justice Sunday.
Holy and merciful
God, Transform our thinking that "war can bring
peace to your world." Be in the minds of the
world's leaders. Amen
God of peace and
hope, encourage those who seek to establish a
fair and just peace in the Middle East. Bless
their efforts as they work to end conflict. Lead
those who engage in violence to put down their
weapons and to live in peace with one another.
Amen.
Grace and peace,
Sara Dickens
____________
God, we thank you
that you are working still. We thank you for
all messengers of peace who have kept alive the
angel song of "Peace on Earth." We thank you
for all workers for justice and mercy. Give
them untiring energy as they seek to implement
your divine justice defined by love. Hasten the
day when the liberty of Shalom will dry the
tears of those weeping over your suffering
people in all the cities of the world.
May Seekers of
"The Way" of the ever-guiding "I AM" say
"AMEN."
Mildred Howarter
United Methodist
Fort Myers Beach,
Floridaa
Peace for the
land where our holy founders where born.
Jew, Muslim and Christian may the founders
thoughts of respect and
love of others drown out the thoughts of hatred
today.
Where children will learn to play together again
and not run in fear.
Where the land can produce food and not get burn
from bombs.
Where you will hear the sound of prayer and
laughter not gunfire.
I call to Our Creator to bless all with peace.
Amen
I pray DAILY for
peace, but will pray especially intensely on
Sunday, June 7.
In God's
goodness,
Dr. William J.
Sneck, S.J., Ph.D.
Assoc. Dir., Jesuit Center for Spiritual Growth
Wernersville, PA 19565
At our monthly
United Methodist Women’s meeting yesterday in
Bonners Ferry, Idaho, two of us presented the
Plenary from the 2008 Cooperative School of
Christian Mission on Israel/Palestine. Included
were writing of individual prayers for peace
which were then placed on our “Wailing Wall.” I
am including them for you.
- Heavenly
Father, We pray for peace in all lands. Let
people see they are more alike than
different. Amen.
- Dear Lord,
May our hearts be open to all, let us pray
for peace, uniting all nations in one cause
for peace. Amen.
- Our Heavenly
Father, Please be with the people in the
Holy Lands and help them find peace and
harmony. Amen.
- I pray that
Israel and Palestine can find peace together
for the sake of their children.
- Dear
Merciful Father, Hear our earnest prayers
for peace for these distressed people. The
hope is in the children and women to empower
them with your love and grace to make a
difference. Amen.
- Dear
Heavenly Father, Please bring peace to men’s
hearts and place it on their minds. Wield
your mighty sword above all that they may
know you and know peace in your precious
name. Amen.
- Lord, May
they find the “Living Water” you give along
with the “Well Water” so necessary for
life. Amen.
- Our God in
Heaven, Be with those little ones. Help them
to be fed and provide for them a place for
peace. Amen.
- Dear God,
Father of all peoples of the world, grant
that peace and love may flourish among all
your children. Let them feel your love and
express this love to each other. Guide the
leaders of the nations to find peace and
justice among all men. Amen.
- Gracious
Lord, I know you desire peace and justice
for all your children throughout the world.
Hear our prayers. Touch the leaders of
Israel and Palestine as well as other
leaders of the nations of the Middle East
with a will to change hearts and minds.
Help them to lead their people to be
peaceful nations, breaking down barriers of
physical walls and walls of hatred. Guide
us to speak out, to act, as well as to pray
for peace to come at last for these precious
people of our Holy Land. Amen.
Judy Dirks,
President, Bonners Ferry (Idaho)United Methodist
Women
________________________
Gracious God, King of Creation: we pray
for all people whom you have created in your own image, but especially
for those whose spiritual heritage is rooted in Father Abraham. Raise
up leaders among Muslims, Christians, and Jews who will have the courage
and faithfulness to work for peace instead of war, reconciliation instead
of recrimination, gathering instead of scattering. May this be the time
when political leaders give heed to the human cries for justice and
mercy and hope. Give them the willingness and desire to follow and obey
the guidelines already in place which are meant to affect the lives of
Palestinians and Israelis and their relationship with one another -
to the end that this Holy Land, where the Prince of Peace walked and
ministered, may, at long last, realize the harmony and peace which God
intends for all his people.
May all God's people say, "Amen."
So be it!
John Hayner
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Largo,
Florida
___________________
Peace! Salaam! Shalom!
I share with you this prayer form the
book: Sparks from the Sacred Fire. I promise to continue to pray, advocate
and speak for Jesus' Dream of Peace!
The Jesus-Dream
“In chaos and quiet the Jesus- Dream
grows
I believe we are called to dream the
Jesus-dream.
I believe the Jesus-dream will heal the
hurting people
and heal the hurting earth.
I believe the Jesus-dream will spark
the Spirit power,
Will help all to learn how to live and
love and be.
I believe the Jesus-dream will break
the fetters
of the oppressed and help them
be free.
I believe the Jesus-dream will draw us
together
So that one day all will be Jesus-dreamers.
All will know one dream, the Jesus-dream.
We will know one power, the Spirit power.
We will know that God is Love, and we
are Love.
I believe the number of Jesus-persons
will grow
and the Jesus-dream will grow.
And the dream will transform
each of us
our nation
our world!
Harmony will be restored and all will
know
That we are One!
Lillia Langreck, SSND -Milwaukee,
WI
___________________
I pray that all people will open their
minds and hearts to truly hear what the other side is saying, to take
that into account and to act out of charity, forgiveness and hope.
Harriet McCleary
Minneapolis, MN
&"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot
read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."
--Alvin Toffler
I pray for peace among all the inhabitants, that
they may live in harmony, that no more violence may occur and that no more
people may die or livlihoods be destroyed
Heather Parra
___________________
Most Holy God:
Please bless your chosen people Israel, your
children in Christ, and all who have submitted to You in Islam. Inspire us
all to look within ourselves to find ways to honor our own faiths in You as well
as to respect the faiths of our brothers and sisters as they worship You in
sincerity.
The words of Jesus, peace be upon him, remind us:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God."
Show us how to be peacemakers, not faultfinders, nor terrorists, nor takers of
retribution.
May our hearts be cleansed and our vision cleared
that we may do all we can to bring peace to Israel, Palestine, and the whole
Middle East, the cradle of civilization.
Amen.
Carol Spiller
___________________
I unite my prayer with all who pray for peace
based on justice and respect for all people, Jews, Palestinians, Muslims,
Christians, who live in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. May God’s
Spirit move the hearts and consciences of leaders and peoples to recognize that
we are all sisters and brothers of the all Holy One.
Judith A. Ryan
___________________
O God of all people and
Peoples, we ask You with all of our hearts for Your Peace on earth for all of
us. Thank you, God!
Theresina Greenwell
Dear friends in Palestine Israel,
I pray for your peace and justice every day.
Since visiting you last year, I'm able to put your faces into my prayers. I know
that God is just, but sometimes slow to act, but, also abounding in steadfast
love for all who call on God's name. I am praying for a miracle. I was in
Berlin, to see the wall there, and returned after the fall of the wall. I do
believe the miracle is possible for you. With blessings and hope, Mary Anderson,
Barrington, IL, USA
COUNTRY Not mentioned
We wish you peace at this special time of year.
Michael and Elizabeth Donnelly
____________
Dear Christians in Bethlehem, My wife and I
fully agree with the statement issued at the seventh International Sabeel
Conference Nazareth and Jerusalem November 12 – 19th
2008, and send you our best wishes for peace and justice and reconciliation and
toleration between all members of the Palestinian population in 2009. Also
that Israel will respect the human rights of the Palestinian people. All
Best Wishes from Harry and Elfrieda Warner.
____________
I pray that you will have peace and the blessing
of Christmas in Bethlehem this year. God bless you. Rosa Rosalind Kentwell
____________
He had no place at the INN
We have no place in our home for visitors
No room in schools for our children ..-
No room at the Hospitals..
No room even in the Bus...
o place... No room....
No place.... for the displaced.... 300,000 displaced
No room for Christ to be born.....
Let us make room for others.. If Christ to be Born
Happy Christmas
Fr Nandana & Staff Human Rights Office Kand
____________
Our prayers and good wishes are with you all very
specially during this special time when we all as christians celebrate the birth
of our dear Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus
Christ is first and foremost a city of peace. During these trying times we also
refuse to give up hope of peace. We pray for a peaceful and just future for both
the Palestinians and the Israelis. We pray with hope for peace and we are
confident that this will happen.
God bless you all
Rupa Singham
____________
To all the
residents of Bethlehem
Having visited Bethlehem some 5 years ago and
seen the dreadful 'Wall' and hearing people speak about the difficulties you
encounter daily, I have been praying for you constantly and hoping that peace
will come to the Holy Land and, particularly, to Bethlehem, the place of
Jesus' birth. Since our visit, a friend and I wanted to help and we
have been selling your lovely olive wood carvings which are sent to us through a
contact in Bethlehem and the he distributes the proceeds among the families who
make them. We know this is only 'a drop in the ocean' but is the little we
can do.
My thoughts and prayers are with you particularly
at this time with the Carols and Bible readings mentioning Bethlehem. I
hope you are able to have a meaningful and blessed time.
With love from Angela Yeoman
____________
NOEL
A VOUS ,AMIS de BETHLEEM ,
TOUS NOS VOEUX : ESPERANCE et PAIX
Nous sommes avec vous dans cette ESPERANCE
OUI! Que Le JESUS de votre terre
seme encore LA PAIX
Gjcoutand
____________
We send greetings
at this Christmas time as we celebrate the
anniversary of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem,
and we pray for peace in the town of Bethlehem
and beyond.
Every blessing
Richard and Diana Adams
____________
Señores
Instituto Ärabe Educativo:
Estimados hermanos:
Con gusto envío mi saludo, pidiéndole al Señor de
la Vida, que con su nacimiento les traiga la paz y la esperanza, para que vivir
tranquilos y en armonía con tos sus seres queridos, le pediré al Señor les envíe
muchas bendiciones y los proteja siempre, dándoles la justicia, paz y seguridad
que tanto desean y puedan alcanzar la felicidad que se merecen.
Mantengan siempre la fe y esperanza, el Señor
nunca abandona.
Deseando que este nuevo Año sea el año que se
cumplan sus deseos, se despide con todo afecto en el Señor.
Eva Rojas P.
____________
Jesus came as the Prince of Peace so long ago.
May this area of the world that has known so much strife know a just and lasting
peace.
Pastor Jack E. Koehler
Many people throughout the world hold you in
their thoughts and prayers. Gyll Brown
I wish everyone out there in the Holy (troubled)
Land a very peacefull
Christmas.
Number's Ch 6 vs 24-26.....Zephaniah Ch3vs 16-18
to you all.
In His service John.
Darrell John
____________
We asked out Sunday school students age 4 to 11
to write these messages for those in Bethlehem.
"I wish that everyone will get along." Shea, age 4
"I wish that there was no war." Camren, age 6
"I wish there was peace." Caleb, age 10
"I wish people would stop making fun of others." Katie, age 11
"I wish people would find happiness." Scott and Leo, age 10 and 5
"I wish families will be together, if only in their hearts." Chris - teacher
"I wish that the Spirit of Light and Love will fill the hearts and minds of
all." Linda - Peace and Justice coordinator
____________
Dear friends, Like you, I want my children to
live in a world of peace, opportunity and hope. For too many kids, this
will not now be possible. My wish for Christmas is that in the upcoming
new year, we adults will make every effort to give our children and all children
good, healthy, peaceful lives. Judy Banes
I pray that peace is
restored forever in Bethlehem.
Maureen Roddick
____________
Dear Friends May God bless the people of
Bethlehem with love, joy, justice and
peace as we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace.
And may you be enabled to spread that peace beyond the wall - and to
all people.
Philip
Margaret Thirlwell
____________
Peace, Shalom, Salaam - May this blessing of God
be with each of us as we strive to live lives of reconciliation and peace.
God bless you and all your efforts and prayers for peace.
Sincerely,
Bernadette
____________
Chers frères et soeurs de Bethléem,
A l'approche de votre fete de Noel, ce 7 janvier 2009, et à propos du
commencemennt de la Nouvelle Année, je viens vous présenter mes meilleurs
voeux
de Sainte et Bonne Année.
Devant la représentaion de la crèche du petit Enfant Jésus de chez nous, j'ai
demandé pour vous des graces de Paix, Confiance, Sérénité, Amour pour chacun
des
365 jours de 2009,en souhaitant et priant pour que le Seigneur à qui tout est
possible, veuille retourner le coeur de ceux qui cherchent la guerre dans son
propre pays, et que bientot tous ses habitants puissent vivre en paix une vie
bien fraternelle...
Nous nous sentons bien près de vous malgré la distance,vous etes présents dans
notre pensée et notre prière et partageons en esprit vos souffrances...Vous
n'etes pas seuls! Dieu est avec vous! Confiance!
Fraternellement, je vous reste unie,dans l'Enfant de Bethléem,
Soeur Juana Maria O.P.
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