Christmas Procession for Bethlehem
December 15, 2006
Subject: Christmas procession for Bethlehem in Washington
"O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."
Saturday, December 23
4:00 PM
Meet at Lafayette Park
(16th and Pennsylvania Ave., NW)
Mary and Joseph, with donkey, will lead candle-lit
procession around White House and National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse
Bethlehem, the city where the birth of Jesus was heralded with heavenly
joy
2000 years ago, is languishing today in the darkness of a military
occupation. All its residents, including Palestinian Christians,
are suffering.
Please help bring light into the darkness by joining a gathering in
support
of Bethlehem. Our glowing candles and presence will show our
concern and
love for those who struggle in poverty and isolation.
"The biblical town is now walled in by Israel's West Bank separation
barrier, poverty is deepening, and Christians are leaving Bethlehem
in droves."
(AP 12/10/06)
"Our town has become a prison for those of us who live here; our livelihoods
have been strangled by the Israeli wall and the restrictions on movement,
which have severed the arteries which for centuries have sustained
our little
town. It is right that Christians should know this, and that
their prayers in
this season be directed towards the many people suffering dire poverty
in
Bethlehem as a consequence of the Israeli occupation...Bethlehem needs
the
world, and the world needs Bethlehem. We must not let the wall separate
us."
(Leila Sansour, Chief Executive, Open Bethlehem, in the Tablet, 12/1/06)
To find out more about Bethlehem today, see _www.openbethlehem.org_
(http://www.openbethlehem.org/) .
Sponsored by the Ad Hoc Committee for Bethlehem
Questions or Comments: _noraburgan@aol.com_ (mailto:noraburgan@aol.com)