Sermons + Liturgies

In this scene from the gospel of Luke, Jesus and the disciples are headed toward Jerusalem. And as they make their way, Jesus invites those they come across to follow him. He gives this invitation over and over again: Follow me. Follow me. And not just in this story but throughout his ministry. Jesus encourages all those he meets to join him in his work.

To be co-workers in bringing good news to the poor, liberating the captives, and freeing the oppressed. This invitation to follow him is not just for those that got to met Jesus in person. This invitation is also for us. Jesus says to us, too, “Follow me.”

And the first step in following Jesus is fairly straightforward—it’s being where he is. It’s being with him, going where he goes, and doing what he does. Now our ancestors of faith had a somewhat easier time with the whole “knowing where he is” part. They knew exactly where he was. He was there—right in front of them—beckoning them to join him!

But for us, knowing where Jesus is, is a bit harder. Christ is not present with us today the same way he was present to the disciples over 2,000 years ago. So where do we begin to look for Jesus? Where can we find his presence?  Who could we even ask who might know where he is?

Well Palestinian pastor and theologian, Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, knows exactly where Christ is. Christ is under the rubble in Gaza.

In December of 2023, while we decked the halls and dreamed of sugarplum fairies, Palestine was three months into what would become a multi-year long genocide. While the rest of the world was hanging up lights and decorating their trees with tinsel, there were no festivities in Bethlehem. Because in order to bring attention to the crisis, faith leaders in the Christchild’s birthplace decided to cancel that year’s celebrations. Yes, of course, there would still be Advent and Christmastide, but this year, it would be solemn.

And in the midst of this ongoing grief and suffering during what should be a celebratory season, the Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, had an idea. This year, instead of setting up their typical nativity scene, the church would make a new one. The create their own manger—one that spoke to the true radical nature of the incarnation.

So members of the church gathered rubble from destroyed houses in the area and placed the piece at the front of the church sanctuary. They then wrapped the Christchild in a kufiyah and placed him on this heap of jagged, dirty rocks. While some of the congregants were taken aback and shocked by this new manager, most found it comforting. Because to them, it showed Christ’s presence with them in this time of extreme and unfathonable pain and fear. 

In his book, Christ in the Rubble, Munther Isaac’s states,“God is under the rubble in Gaza. He is with the frightened and the refugees. He is in the operating room. He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.”

So friends, If we want to know where Christ is, let us look to Gaza. Because God suffers with the people of Palestine—sharing the same fate as them.

Just like many of the people of Palestine, God’s house is demolished, and God’s son is martyred. What this manager shows us is that, as Isaac says, “If Christ were to be born today, he would be under the rubble.”

And this image of Jesus in the rubble is an invitation to “see the image of Jesus in every child killed and pulled from under the rubble, in every child who is fighting death in destroyed hospitals devoid of the components of normal health hospitals, and in every child in an incubator.”

Rev. Dr. Isaac reminds us that “Jesus not only calls them is own, he is them.”

The pastor continues his prophetic word and says, “Jesus under the rubble reminds us that he is the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the prisoner. He is the one who is oppressed and deprived of opportunities. He is the victim of unjust structures. He is the refugee, and he is the displaced. He is the one who is lonely and sad.”

Munther Isaac goes on to powerfully proclaim

“When we glorify pride and riches, jesus is under the rubble

When we rely on power, might, and weapons, Jesus is under the rubble

When we justify, rationalize, and theologize the bombing of Children, Jesus is under the rubble.”

And I would add too that as we continue to normalize and allow this genocide, we bury the christchild deeper under the rubble. Brick by Brick. Tax dollar by tax dollar.

So when try to follow Christ and we inevitably ask, “where is he”, we must know that Christ is with our siblings in Palestine--he is under the rubble in Gaza.

But if we are to follow Christ, and Christ is under the rubble, what does this mean for us? It means that, like Jesus, we are called to be in costly solidarity with those under the rubble. It means we are to beseech and rage and nag. To protest even as we praise. To implore even as we imagine and practice new ways of being together.

This work of following Christ, of being in solidarity with the least of these, includes a diversity of roles. For some of us it may look like joining with Veterans for Peace in their 40 day fast. It might be contributing financially to organizations Jewish Voices for Peace, the World Kitchen, or Christians for a Free Palestine Or it could look like joining the interfaith protests in DC that are happening right now and for the next few days.

For others of us, following Christ under the rubble, could look like joining me on a solidarity trip to Palestine this upcoming January. It could be pestering your neighbors, friends, and loved-ones, elected officials and even strangers by talking about the ongoing genocide in Palestine and not letting it get forgotten about in the rapid turnover of the 24hr news cycle. Or it could simply look like wearing a kifeyah, lighting a candle, and praying for peace and liberation.

I know that Palestine can seem so far away. Especially when there is so much grief and loss and pain here. And the issues there can seem too complicated and too scary for little ole us to handle.

Let me share with you this recent statement by the United Churches of Christ:

“Yes, there is much injustice and suffering to attend to right here in the United States, but it is all connected. Consider how the detention and threats of deportation to student activists is related to the immigration debate. Consider how state violence here is tied to training that American police officers receive from the Israeli military overseas. Or consider how the current administration, amid drastic cuts to essential programs and services at home, continues to send billions of dollars in military aid to a genocidal Israeli government.”

The statement goes on to say:

“Palestinian pastor Muther Isaac writes that Palestine is the moral compass of our time. We agree, for if we can’t muster the courage to speak out on behalf of children in Gaza, who face relentless bombing and starvation every single day, our moral voice is collectively compromised and loses its integrity to speak on other issues as well. To be ‘progressive except for Palestine’ is not an acceptable stance. Palestinian solidarity is deeply tied to our solidarity with Black Americans, Indigenous Americans, LGBTQ Americans and immigrants. All these justice struggles are interconnected and intersectional.”

So friends, as we seek to follow jesus--as we seek to go where he goes, do what he does, and be where he is--may we remember that christ is under the rubble. And may we be in radical, costly solidarity with those who are with him there. Amen