Pastor Nathan Hosler, Ph.D.

1 Samuel 3:1-20, Psalm 139:1-18, 2 Corinthians 4:5-12, Mark 2:23-3:6                             

[scripture texts are at the bottom of this page]

As members of the global body of Christ we are concerned with the destruction of Christian communities in regions where Christians are targeted as religious minorities. While we are deeply concerned about the persecution of religious minorities regardless of religion or tradition, we feel a distinct call to speak out on behalf of those who are brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

Resolution on Christian Minority Communities

Hearing God

“Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.”

Visions. The word of the Lord—rare in those days. If we read the preceding passages, we learn that the sons of Eli, the priestly leader, have departed from the way of God. And Eli has not constrained this. While the text does not explicitly link this lack of the visions and the word of God to this disobedience, it is implied. We see in this text, though Eli is not the transgressor, he is held, at least partly, responsible.

Samuel was the child of a promise and dedicated by his parents to the service of God. From an early age he lived in a temple assisting Eli—something like a long internship in preparation for a life of priestly service. With the preface that the word of the LORD was rare, there is a divine calling. Three times Samuel hears his name called. Eli eventually catches on and provides guidance for his young apprentice. Having heard the call but also the judgement on his mentor, the young Samuel lies awake all night. This is both a calling and judgement but also a transfer of power. The word of the LORD, a vision from God charts a new future where the former is exchanged for the new.

Over the last eight months—and to be honest, even before, it has felt, at least to me, often difficult to imagine constructively and hopefully. Much of my denominational work in the Office of Peacebuilding and Policy often seems to be trying to stop something or reduce damage.  This passage on the calling of Samuel opens with setting the context: “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” In a time when much action and little progress is made on stopping violence, it is often hard to imagine or envision a future that is different.

Last week I returned from a trip to Palestine and Israel. Speaking in Bethlehem, Lamma Mansour, a Palestinian Christian, powerfully addressed this from a position of vulnerability and grief. She stated, “Hope gives the power to imagine…. We are hope-shaped creatures…. If we fail to imagine others will fill the gap.”

There is dynamic relationship between God directly speaking and our faith-filled imaginations. Lamma noted that she is a minority of a minority of a minority.

A Palestinian citizen of Israel (from Nazareth). A Christian Palestinian when most Palestinians are Muslim. And an evangelical Christian when most Palestinian Christians are not. Despite this, she spoke powerfully about imagining and working for a different future. “If we fail to imagine others will fill the gap.”

In a time when “visions are not widespread” we are called to walk with Spirit led imaginations.

Following Jesus—Mark 2:23-3:6

On this trip, more than ever before, I was struck by the similarity between the theological inclinations and emphasis of Palestinian Christians and the Church of the Brethren. While this is far from a systematic comparison, there were several modes of articulating their faith or reading the Bible that felt familiar.

 While the Church of the Brethren in the US is, for the most part, not in a situation of cultural isolation or marginalization (at least due to our theology), I suspect the historic and current process of thinking about theology from a place of little power and marginalization may have something to do with this similarity. Sitting outside or at least uneasily in relation to the empire can profoundly shape how a community reads the scriptures. As Rene’ August, of South Africa stated at the conference last week—where you read the scriptures from, dramatically shapes what you notice in the text.

Towards the end of my trip, I spent a little over 2 days at Bethlehem Bible College and the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference. These articulations mostly came from Palestinian speakers during the conference and felt familiar from our church life.

• First, the question was asked, Why do Western Christians spend so much energy on esoteric theological questions but not think that articulating theology and ethics in relation to Palestinians is legitimate?
• There was also a focus on the necessary connection between ethics and theology, to the point that they cannot be separated.
• It was noted that most Palestinian Christians are and have been pacifist.
• All of scripture is read through the lens of Jesus and on the assertion that the Gospel is good news to all.
• Jesus, God incarnate
• Good news is good for all.
• Many also asserted that Christian Zionism is not good news for Palestinians. Christian Zionism which generates a one-sided support of the modern state of Israel through a selective and skewed reading of scripture was challenged by reading the Bible through the lens of Jesus.

Jesus uses a similar interpretation strategy (hermeneutic) in the passage in Mark.

In the passage from the Gospel of Mark, we see two instances where Jesus challenges the practice of Sabbath. Jesus does not object to observing the sabbath but reorients the practice. Sabath, the practice of resting from toil is deep in the scriptures. In the story of creation, God rests on the 7^th day giving an example. The ten commandments state “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even in plowing time and in harvest time you shall rest” (Exodus 34:21).

There are also directives to give the land a rest. These basic commands which are meant to promote well-being and orientation towards God. Around these basic instructions began to accrue ever more elaborate restrictions to protect the sabbath—which was for the wellbeing of the people. This, then, often had the effect of prioritizing the sabbath rather than the people.

Jesus challenges the practice of the sabbath by allowing his disciples to pick grain to eat and to heal. Jesus puts the people before the institution.

While in Jerusalem, I met with Yusef Daher, who leads the World Council of Churches liaison office. In our brief meeting, he expressed his distress that representatives of the global church—particularly the churches in the West—have not often visited and that some have been silent about the international support for this unfolding unprecedented catastrophe for the Palestinian people—or have even supported the violence.

In reflecting on our brief meeting and his emphasis, I noticed that I often prioritize “doing things” that “produce” something and are strategic or have a clear theory of change and likely outcome.

Jesus gets to the root of the religious practice and being present—incarnate. An embodied presence that, while having head knowledge and arguments, is being more fully present as ourselves and also present with those around us. The meeting with Yusef wasn’t just a meeting to exchange information, get an update, or make an argument—it was a personal and pastoral connection of much greater significance than I initially appreciated.

Scriptures and ministry prioritize wholeness and right relationship within ourselves, with others, with God, and with all of creation. When this is our optic, the lens through which we read and study and live in the world, it reorients us.

Persisting in following-2 Corinthians 4:5-12

Many of the Palestinian Christians who spoke at the conference, or we met with referenced sumud. Sumud is an Arabic word that is often described as the “steadfastness” of Palestinians in the face of the occupation and suffering. It isn’t a general optimism, but the patient will to stay in place and resist displacement for the long haul.

In addition to spending considerable time being with and hearing from Palestinians, we also visited three sites of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. I was traveling with the Executive Director of Churches for Middle East Peace, Mae Elise Cannon, and she noted that as followers of Christ working for peace, we can attend to and care for the hurt and trauma on all sides. This does not make all experiences or power the same or equal but acknowledges the real pain and fear.

On Sunday we traveled with a guide to the “Gaza envelope” and visited several of the sites of Oct. 7 attacks. We could also hear Israeli artillery, bombs, and drones, and machine gun fire from Israeli helicopters not far away—and at one point needed to take cover when a “red alert” sounded for an incoming rocket from Hamas. We could see destroyed buildings in Gaza and plumes of smoke and dust caused by the unprecedented bombing and destruction there.

After visiting homes destroyed by Hamas and hearing of those killed, the Israeli resident we were meeting said (her remarks here are paraphrased): Hamas keeps developing weapons and Israel keeps developing weapons, and where are we? I know that my safety and wellbeing and my children need them [Palestinians] to also have safety and wellbeing as well.

This did not start on Oct. 7 and will not be over when the bombing stops. The work of justice, peace, rebuilding, and healing will continue for a long time. Despite this ongoing nakba, catastrophe, Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac asserted, “In Gaza they have taken almost everything. But they cannot get inside and take our faith in a just and good God.”

The work and ministry of our sisters and brothers in Palestine and Israel is characterized by strength and hope and sumud but is severely strained. Families continue to leave due to the hardships of the occupation and this war. People continue to live in fear and in dire circumstances. Our call and vocation is to proclaim, in word and deed, the Gospel of Peace.

^“We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always carrying around in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies” 2 Corinthians 4:8-10, NRSVue).