The Holy Fire: the Light of Christ

In spite of the restrictions that the Israeli government placed upon Palestinian Christians to travel to places of worship for Holy Week and Easter celebrations, limits could not be placed upon the faith, reverence and sense of anticipation throughout the week.

In the towns of Bethlehem and Beit Sahour, which, along with the neighboring town of Beit Jala, have a significant Christian presence, worship services, mass and parades were celebrated in high style. Christians from these towns may wanted to go to Jerusalem for the lighting of the Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and had the correct permit, but were hampered by travel restrictions for Palestinians during the concurrent Jewish holiday of Passover (Pesach). Sami and his family of a Lutheran congregation in the area were scheduled to go to Jerusalem to celebrate the Easter weekend with his wife's family. When they went to the checkpoint to go through, they discovered that it had been closed so they returned home. "There's always next year," Sami said with a wry smile and a shrug.

In a faithful statement about God's presence in every place and in every time regardless of occupations, governments or checkpoints, the Palestinian Christians of Beit Sahour and the surrounding area, gathered together to welcome the arrival of the Holy Fire into their town, their churches and their homes.

Scout groups and school bands marched and played music (the dueling bagpipe groups!), leading the procession of the Orthodox priests and the throngs of people. The jubilant crowd created a carnival atmosphere with balloons carried, ice cream eaten and shared, and pictures of family and friends in their Easter finery being taken as we all waited with growing anticipation for the arrival of the Holy Fire which was being brought from Jerusalem (oh, and the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Salam Fayyad was to make an appearance as well).

When the Holy Fire arrived - in a taxi, no less - the crowd erupted in shouts and cheers, people pressed in upon one another to get as close as they could and the cameras popped up like daisies on the stems of arms. The procession inverted itself and marched back down the streets of town to the Orthodox church where the faithful could take their candles and lanterns in to light them from the Holy Fire to be ablaze in their homes and lives.

In the land and place revered and called holy, the limitations that governments, bureaucracy, military and people want to place upon one another and their faith falls away in the face of that faith and of God's presence in their lives. Indeed, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ!