May the Peace of God
brought by
the Prince of Peace
be with you
and
pacify your heart

Merry Christmas

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The cab was entering the roundabout, I pointed at a nearby spot and signalled the driver to stop there. I clumsily got off the taxi with my camera and bag and he thanked me for the little tip. “Ma’a salama,” I bade farewell to him with my broken Arabic as he began to drive away.

Those were the last words in our short time together.

Those were also probably the last words between us in this life. What’s the chance of us meeting again? A traveller from thousands of miles away, and a taxi driver among the thousands of men of the same trade in Amman.

I started walking to the church to meet Pastor Hanna Massad. It was 2011.

It was our third time to meet, and he’s as courteous as usual. He invited me to enter the church’s guesthouse, and cordially guided me to a seat in a comfortable sofa.

It was after a church service in a Friday evening when we met for the first time, we didn’t have a chance to talk for long as other brothers and sisters were eager to talk to him too. A few days later, he invited me for coffee and we spent some time together. He patiently told me his story, his views and hopes for the seemingly everlasting conflict, as a Christian Arab pastor from the Gaza Strip.

But this time we didn’t meet to talk about Gaza, but Iraq.

I still remember when we’re talking face to face the first time, a man came across to give him a manila envelope. They exchanged a few words in Arabic, the pastor opened the envelope and found some UNHCR documents in it. “Thanks,” he said, and carefully put the documents back into the envelope.

Another man from the congregation stopped by on purpose and greeted the pastor. He’s an old man whose spring of youth had left him a long time ago. I could almost see his gratitude for the pastor in his eyes.

“These are the Iraqi refugees,” Pastor Hanna told me. “Every one of them has a story which you can write a book about.”

I wasn’t fully aware of the weight of that statement back then.

In the days afterwards, I started acquainting myself with the topic. To me, Iraq was about oil; about a crazy man somehow managed to ascend to the rule of the country; about wars – Once as an aggressor and the other time as a defender; about some mysterious weapons of mass destruction that were nowhere to be found; about roadside bombs; about kidnappings…

Little did I understand and realize the extent of the suffering of the ordinary people of Iraq – Those who most often bear the blunt from the decisions made by people sitting in air-conditioned offices.

“It was 2000 when I obtained a PhD in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, and there was a crossroad ahead of me – I could stay in the US, or go back to Gaza.” The Pastor said with a claim voice, “So I prayed and asked for God’s guidance. At last, I decided to go back to Gaza to serve.”

He was the pastor of the Gaza Baptist Church before leaving the entangled land in 2007. The Christians in Gaza had been receiving regular death threats from extremists. Suhad, his wife, worked at the Bible Society and once there was a bomb exploding in front of the office, which damaged the building and shattered the windows.

“Thank God she wasn’t hurt.”

The last straw came when the threat finally materialized – Brother Rami of the Christian bookstore was kidnapped and executed. Upon the government’s urge, his family left the Strip and settled in Jordan, where he began to teach at the Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary.

In 2010, the former pastor of the Amman’s Alliance Church emigrated to Canada, and he took over the responsibility of ministering the Iraqi refugees.

The exodus started since the Gulf War. In the beginning, the people who left Iraq were usually the richer ones who sought a safer place to live. The safety problem was made worse by the Iraq War, and the people who left in recent years often came with little or no property at all. After all, most of us probably aren’t keen on leaving our homes for an unfamiliar place faraway, even more so when one knows that he won’t be able to make a living there. However, when physical violence and kidnappings become the usual, and threats become deaths, what can one do?

“When they arrive, most of them have very little possessions. And they’re not allowed to work here, unless they pay a huge sum to obtain a business visa.”

The Jordanian government does not consider most of these Iraqis “refugees” but “visitors”, who’re supposed to go back to their home country soon.

It’s hard to blame the Hashmites though. The number of Iraqi refugees had once become so big that they consisted about a tenth of the Jordanian population, and the desert country had already accommodated two waves of refugees from Palestine in the past 60 years.

Syria was another major receiver of the Iraqi refugees, until the muddy civil war turned her into a breeding ground for even more refugees. But even before that, the life of the Iraqi refugees there wasn’t by any means better. It has been claimed that as many as 50,000 Iraqi women and girls have been forced into prostitution to make a living.

As the war in Syria gathered stream, the number of Syrian refugees in Jordan soon outnumbered that of the Iraqi. Naturally, Pastor Hanna’s ministry began serving them as well.

“Our ministry is focused on three tasks – First, to bring the refugees here. Second, to share the gospel with them and provide discipleship. Third, send them out with the precious gift of the gospel with them. Indeed, a few of them has already planted churches in their new host countries.”

Besides providing spiritual support and guidance, the ministry, which was started 30 years ago, also supports them materially – Coupons for purchasing basic necessities are dispersed to each family a few times per year. They can also obtain free medicine at clinics operated by the church, and English courses are available for a nominal fee.

It’s easy to become numb and indifferent when you keep hearing about the refugees’ personal stories, one after another. It seems that almost every one of them has received death threats, was kidnapped, or has experienced life threatening attacks at least once. They are the fortunate ones – In many cases their family members and friends had already perished, and never had the chance anymore to tell others about it.

Or maybe they’re actually the unfortunate ones? Being alive and forced to carry with them their traumas into a pale future.

During one of my visits, an enthusiastic young man welcomed me, told me about the congregation, showed me the “Jesus Christ” tattoo on his arm, and tried his best to translate the Arabic service into English for me.

His enthusiasm was abruptly quenched when I asked him why he left Iraq, his big smile disappeared and his head sank – There was a bomb exploding outside the church, and then some. His eyes strayed as if there was a fathomless abyss ahead of him.

The story of a man particularly struck with me – He was the driver for a priest, and almost always travelled with him. One day, the priest had another errand for him, the vehicle was attacked on that particular day. The priest and the people accompanying him were killed, but the driver’s life was spared.

And they surely won’t get to talk to each other again in this life.

How can one maintain his sanity, let alone preach the gospel, among these people?

“I think we’re somehow connected because we both went through the fire of persecution.”

Still, Gaza remains an important part of the pastor’s ministry. He started the Christian Mission to Gaza in 2009 which, besides providing humanitarian support to the Gazans, strive to encourage and support the dwindling but resilient Christian community there.

“I go back there 3 times a year to serve in the church, to do relief work, and to teach in home bible studies.”

As those who’re familiar with the situations in Gaza can imagine, it’s not easy spiritually, physically, and financially. But God’s grace is always sufficient.

In 2018, Pastor Hanna published an autobiography, his own book – Pastor from Gaza to critical acclaims.

To many people, it seems only human that someone like him will forgo any compassion for the people who ultimately caused the suffering of him and his people, isn’t it?

“I’ve learnt to forgive the Israelis, because I’m also forgiven by God,” Pastor Hanna told me, “Still, I keep in the safe the deeds to prove the ownership of my family’s land, which they took. And I’m hoping that they will compensate for the loss of us someday.”

Article in Chinese on Chinese Christians for Peace in the Holy Land

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Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
— Matthew 5:9

Photostory (24 photos)

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I’m willing to give up everything for an end to the occupation, which causes such a blight on this land that it’s impossible for me to feel holiness where there are deep injustices taking place.
— Aaron Rotenberg

Photostory (24 photos)

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7 years have passed since the photos in Holy Land were taken. Few positive changes can be found on the ground… if not the other way around.

Indeed, 70 years have passed since one diaspora found their homeland and brought forth another.

Since then, Peace has been a frequent traveller, alien to this place. Away most of the time, occasionally staying, rarely for long.

Her friend, Love, seemed to have deserted the land altogether.

But Faith urges us on, and we, encouraged by Hope, continue to seek the wanderer and the lost.

Kyrie eleison.

The second donation from the proceeds of this book has been made to Gush Shalom – an Israeli peace group founded by Uri Avnery, who penned the writing A Bird’s Eye View in Holy Land.

This bi-lingual book is now distributed by VW Link in Hong Kong (who also carries the Chinese edition of Palestinian Memories). And, as before, is available digitally on Google Play and iTunes.

2018-Aug-6: The book is now also available on Amazon Kindle.

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Being a faithful witness to the Lord in our lives is an often discussed topic among the Christian faithful. Individual believers who follow the teachings of the Lord and glorifies Him through their daily deeds should be commended and encouraged indeed. At the same time, congregations, denominations and faith-based organizations may also engage in various social dialogue, and drive or oppose the implementation of government policies in order to bring about justice and peace. While being different in aspects, both types of actions can be considered “expressions of faith”, witnesses to the world by believing individuals or communities.

Meanwhile, the founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948 is considered by many believers to be a divine intervention, a validation of Biblical prophecies, or even a sign of the End Times. However, those who understand the historical background are few and far between, even though the event was arguably driven by “expressions of faith”.

The mass murder of Jews in the Holocaust under the Nazi German rule had its roots in the long history of European anti-Semitism. For example, in 1475, a “ritual murder” happened in Trento, Italy: A boy named Simon was found dead, and the few Jewish families living there were framed for it and tortured by the religious-political leaders. They were forced to confess that they killed Simon to fulfill their ritual requirements, and as a result were either executed or incarcerated. Though the Roman Curia was suspicious of the authenticity of this “blood libel” case as we call it now, for various reasons, Little Simon was canonized as a Saint nonetheless. Only in 1965, after almost 500 years, was Simon removed from the Roman Martyology by Pope John Paul VI. And Little Simon was not the only blood libel case during all those years. Throughout the history of Europe, the Jewish people were negatively portrayed and persecuted since the time of Jesus’ death, in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Martin Luther’s On the Jews and Their Lies, the Spanish Inquisition, the Black Death, the Crusades, to name a few. Being a foreign minority in Europe, the Jews became a convenient scapegoat of the power and people whenever problems arose.

Sadly, these racial discrimination incidents were accepted, supported, or even initiated by “Christians”. It was a popular value back then and considered by many to be part of the “Christian faith”, with prominent and influential religious and political leaders supporting it. The anti-Semitism among European Christian countries, being an example of “expressions of faith”, contributed to the founding of the State of Israel as it caused the Jewish diaspora felt unwelcome and fearful in their places of residence. Unfortunately, it is a notorious example. When faith or the Bible is abused or misused, the result could be disastrous: 6 of the 17 million killed in the Nazi Holocaust were Jews, meaning that only one out of every four European Jews survived. Nevertheless, it was not the only negative example of “expressions of faith” in the Christian history related to the Jewish people.

Around the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century, a Christian ideology began to emerge in Great Britain: The Jews should return to the land God promised to Abraham in order to fulfill Biblical prophecies. Though the Jews at the time were skeptical or even hostile to this idea, the proponents of this ideology, then named Christian Zionism, succeeded in “expressing their faith”. The movement prospered, they even have their own reference Bible, and theologians who developed it into a fairly complete and comprehensive theology called dispensationalism, which gained considerable popularity in the British and American churches. Consequently, in many Hong Kong churches who’re influenced by their British and American counterparts, it was and still is treated as a Biblical truth and proclaimed on the pulpits.

Christian Zionism encouraged and supported the rise of secular Zionism, and was influential in shaping the policies of the British government who controlled Palestine after the first World War. A large number of Jews, escaping from European anti-Semitism, emigrated to Palestine legally or illegally. After the second World War, with the knowledge of the horrific Holocaust became known to the world, the modern State of Israel was established in Palestine in 1948. However, what would be a positive historical event for the persecuted European Jews turned out to be a disaster for the seventy to eighty thousands indigenous Arabs who were driven away from their homes. Later on, Christian Zionism continued to gain ground among the American evangelicals, who with the Jewish lobby influenced the US government, by its actions or inactions, into prolonging this contemporary tragedy and protracting the Israeli-Palestinian issue. As such, because of the “faith” expressed by the Christian Zionists, another tragedy related to the Jewish people was produced, causing the Arabs and the Jews fighting each other time and again in the past century amid tense relationship.

Nevertheless, there were also beautiful Christian testimonies during these tumultuous times in “the land flowing with milk and honey”. Today in Bethlehem, not far from the separation wall, and opposite the Azza refugee camp lies the Bethlehem Bible College which has served the local community faithfully in the past decades. One Arab Christian woman, who demonstrated in utmost difficulties that “expressions of faith” can build up oneself and others, was catalyst in the founding of this institution. This lady who was born in Palestine at the end of the first World War has lived through the tearful contemporary Palestinian history: Her father passed away when she was seven, leaving her mother to raise her and her two little brothers by herself. She married at the age of 21 and gave birth to 8 children, of which 7 became grown-ups. Unfortunately, only after 11 years of blissful time, her husband was innocently killed in Jerusalem when the first Arab-Israeli war broke out in 1948.

What could a woman do in such a situation? Unlike today’s Hong Kong, women there did not have much social standings and protection. The elderly among us may have some ideas, because many of our parents or grandparents were refugees from other parts of mainland China. They have experienced wars or the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, and so may be more sympathetic to this woman. Also because of these experiences, their deep wish for a peaceful society is sometimes not easy for the younger generations to understand. Similarly, those who have faced the Cultural Revolution or the leftist riots of 1967 may also have a very different perspective on the stability of Hong Kong from the youth.

Thankfully, this woman did not give up. The widow who has lost her home strove to raise her 7 children, all the while studying at the same time to become a nurse herself. In the next two decades, she travelled and worked at different hospitals in the Holy Land, treating and helping the sick. In 1967, when the Six-Day War broke out, she once again caught up in war, this time in Bethlehem. Amid all difficulties, she insisted to look forward and refused to be seized by pains and revenge. She overcame the challenges of life with her obedience and faith in the Lord, and left behind a beautiful testimony. Her admirable example also rubbed off on her children, one of them became the founder of the Bethlehem Bible College, another established a non-violent study centre. And yet another one, after becoming a US citizen, chose to return to his birthplace to serve. He also recorded his mother’s touching story in a book, capturing not only their familial story but also their fellow people’s story.

Some may say, since her son is part of the community on one side of the conflict, his words must be partial and cannot be trusted. Frankly, it would be an exaggeration to say that the book is totally fair and neutral. On the other hand, compared to the mainstream narrative regarding the Israeli-Palestinian issue in the British, American and Chinese churches, this book is fairly balanced and more historically sound. More importantly, in conflict situations, we should hear the voices of both sides instead of taking sides with prejudice. Else, it would be like trying to understand Sino-Hong Kong relationship by only watching TVB and reading Global Times, or, by only reading Apple Daily and Passion Times, for sure one will only obtain a very biased perception and incomplete understanding. Reflecting on the words of Timothy Keller, “if your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshipping an idealised version of yourself.”

Truly, to those who strive to follow Jesus diligently and wholeheartedly, faith is not something that would only be expressed on Sundays. Instead, it should be incorporated into our daily lives. In other words, our faith should be our reality. In fact, it could be even larger than the realities we can normally experience, just like we believe Jesus has resurrected and overcame Death. The question is, when believing individuals and communities express their “faith”, what kind of “faith” is it? Is it based on hatred, with which the churches in the past persecuted the Jews? Is it based on a biased and selective reading of the Bible to support one’s ideology, like the supporters of Christian Zionism and dispensationalism? Or, is it like the woman mentioned above, who faced the challenges realities brought upon her with faith, hope, and love, and be a faithful witness to the Lord?

The Hong Kong churches which grew up under the British colonial government have not faced much difficulties nor oppression. Instead, they were supported and nourished by the authorities. And so, churches and believers in Hong Kong tend to be simple-minded in some aspects, and take certain things for granted. However, when these “certain things” have changed, they became paralysed, or keep trying to understand the present situation using past experiences, even when the underlying facts have become fundamentally different, leading to wrong judgements. As such, the Christian community in Hong Kong has a pressing need to re-think her own place in the society, and to find a proper balance acceptable to the Lord on how to engage the secular world, not manipulated nor controlled by any ideology, earthly power or action strategy.

In the blink of an eye, the State of Israel has “taken back” Judea and Samaria, or, the Palestinians’ West Bank has “become occupied” for 50 years already. From a secular point of view, it’s quite inconceivable that the Arab-Israeli or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would ever end. However, friends and enemies on earth, or even country boundaries and social systems, are things that may change over time or because of varying interests. More importantly, since our Lord has come and broken down hostility, we shall follow Him and become peacemakers ourselves, and bear in mind that, in Him, all things are possible. On the other hand, believers and churches should be careful not to substitute God’s Justice and Love with one’s own rules or confined perspectives, becoming hypocritical Pharisees. Nor should we replace spiritual convictions with earthly things that are made, becoming idolaters. And neither should we ignore societal matters concerning justice and people’s livelihood for our own safety or profit, or even worse, to swear black is white, shifted from the Gospels and damaging our testimonies.

Hong Kong has changed hands for 20 years already, where are we now? And what will become of it in 30 years? How will the believers and churches in this land express their faith in the coming days? Is the foundation of our faith strong enough, so that we can change the world for the better, instead of being encroached by the daily difficulties? What will be the testimonies each of us and the whole community bear to the society? Which societal issues will we concern ourselves with? Can we walk with Christ in Justice, Charity and Peace on this road which may not always be wide and easy? Can we under the guidance of the Lord respond to the need of our times, to become salt of the earth and light of the world? Can we fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ who have different opinions with tolerance and patience? Can we once again receive humbly the Lord’s visions, be renewed and poured on by the Holy Spirit, and continue to turn the world upside down with Jesus’ love?

Thus says the LORD:
Stand at the crossroads, and look,
and ask for the ancient paths,
where the good way lies; and walk in it,
and find rest for your souls.
– Jeremiah 6:16a

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
– Psalm 37:3

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
– Romans 12:2

Adapted from the sharing for Palestinian Memories (Chinese Edition) in the 2017 Hong Kong Book Fair. Also available in traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese on Christian Times (behind a paywall).

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A Photostory of Israel/Palestine
Foo Tak Backstair Exhibition Space
12-14/F, Foo Tak Building, 365-367 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong
Tuesday to Sunday
12:00 – 19:00
26-Sep to 25-Oct

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A mini photo and book exhibition
KUC Space, 2 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Monday to Friday
10:00 – 18:00
17-Mar to 30-Apr

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