| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Letter from Nuhad Tomeh in Lebanon |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
February 27, 2004
Peace maker or peace lover?
Friends in Christ,
Lenten greetings from Syria!
I am here in Damascus (the oldest continuously inhabited city
in the world), hosting a high level delegation of the PC(USA)
visiting the Middle East upon an invitation by the National Evangelical
Synod of Syria and Lebanon, i.e., the Presbyterian Church in Syria/Lebanon.
This Lenten season is a critical time for the delegation to be
with the Christians in the Middle East, as they share their struggle
for Christian witness, in fulfillment of the call of Jesus to
be peacemakers in this troubled, unstable situation. Twelve leaders
of the PC(USA) General Assembly Council, under the leadership
of the Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick, have come 10,000 kilometers
in order to show solidarity and share the pain and suffering of
the churches here as they maintain their living faith in Jesus
Christ. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
PC(USA) Stated Clerk Cliff Kirkpatrick led a delegation to the Middle
East during Lent. |
|
Lent, in the Oriental Churches,
is the season of prayer and fasting, which serves as a preparation
for a deeper understanding of both our Lord’s cross
and as well as His resurrection. The practice of fasting
is considered essential in the Middle East: all Christians should
abstain from drinking and eating from sunset until noon of the
next day and give up all meat and dairy products for the 48 days
of Lent.
The Western Reformed tradition has largely given up fasting and
looks at Lent as mainly a time for spiritual discipline.
In the Oriental tradition, it is a time for both spiritual and
physical discipline, as well as a season of confession and repentance
as we reflect upon the need for the salvation given to us by Jesus
on the cross. It is also a time of looking closely at the final
days of Christ’s earthly ministry. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
In the Gospel of John, chapters 13-17,
we find some of the most powerful teachings of Jesus in those days
which lead up to His passion. Contained in those five chapters are
many of thee basic principles and values of our Christian faith
and life. The material there is so rich that many books have been
written on just those passages; but I want to focus upon just one
verse: John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
you; not as the world gives, do I give you.” At the beginning
of His ministry, Jesus called His disciples to be peace makers,
and at the end of His ministry, He gives them His peace
so as to be able to carry out the task to which He has called them.
Jesus insists that we be peacemakers and not just peacekeepers. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
In Aramaic, the mother language of all Semitic
languages, and the language which Jesus spoke and which is still
spoken parts of the Middle East today, the word “peace”
does not mean “the absence of war, violence, aggression or
conflict,” but rather the building of relationships which
lead to abundant life; it means working toward the best interest
of others; it is building bridges; it is living in complete
and meaningful relationship and fellowship with God and with men. |
|
Nuhad with pastors from the Assyrian Evangelical (Presbyterian)
Church in Baghdad: the Reverend Younan Shiba (center) and the Reverend
Nashwan Petro Nicola.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Accordingly, peace is something
that cannot be imposed from outside or accomplished by force and
through military action—it has to come from within and be
directed towards others. The United States government went to
war against Iraq with one of the stated purposes being that of
establishing peace there. Did the war accomplish its purpose?
Do we have peace in Iraq? Do we have a more safe and secure United
States as a result?
Israel is building hundreds of kilometers of walls in the West
Bank and Gaza. Is this a sign of wanting to make peace? Can you
have peace with your neighbors by building a wall on their lands?
Are these the kinds of peace which Jesus gave us and asks us to
make?
Since my last letter, which I wrote from Baghdad in July, the
situation in Iraq is not much better, but with the news of March
8—the signing of the interim constitution of Iraq—things
may be a little better. Yet there is still a long way to go, and
the need for peacemaking is more crucial. The Middle East Council
of Churches, with its international partners, through ACT (Action
of Churches Together), continues to minister to the Iraqi people
through its relief and rehabilitation program: renovating schools,
hospitals, social centers, homes of the elderly, and orphanages;
providing food and medical supplies and helping needy families.
These programs help make peace by building relationships in which
Iraqis work together. In addition, reconciliation seminars are
underway to help sustain peace over the long term in this troubled
country. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sunday worship in the Arab Presbyterian Church in Baghdad.
|
|
Friends in Christ, in this Lenten season, let
us both pray and fast in order to better understand the suffering
of the cross—as well as those who live in its shadow today—as
together we await with a sure hope the resurrection. Please continue
to support the Middle East ministry of the PC(USA), in general,
and the Middle East Council of Churches in Iraq, in specific, so
that all Iraqis and, especially the Presbyterians there, can look
to the future with hope. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
In His ministry of Peacemaking,
Nuhad Tomeh
The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
322
PS: This letter may not reach you with in the Lent Season; still
the spirit of Lent can be practiced anytime of the year.
I also want to say that I did start writing this letter on February
27, but due to my travel since then I was not able to finish and
send until March 12.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
