1. Advent 4:BethlehemCandles litby pilgrimsoutside theentrance tothe cavemarkingJesus birth.

2. Mary and Joseph relied on the welcome of strangers when theyarrived in Bethlehem after a long journey.In todays world, who is seeking shelter? Who is seeking freedom from fear? Who is seeking freedom from want? Who is offering the shelter of just peace to sisters and brothers inIsrael and the Occupied Palestinian Territories? What is our response to the knock on our doors? 3. And Elizabeth was filled withthe Holy Spirit and exclaimedwith a loud cry, Blessed areyou among women, andblessed is the fruit of yourwomb. And why has thishappened to me, that themother of my Lord comes tome? For as soon as I heard thesound of your greeting, thechild in my womb leapt forjoy. And blessed is she whobelieved that there would be afulfilment of what was spokento her by the Lord. (Art: JaneRay. Used with kind permission) 4. But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has brought forth;then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.And he shall stand and feed his flock in thestrength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord hisGod.And they shall live secure, for now he shall begreat to the ends of the earth;and he shall be the one of peace. (Micah 5:2-5) 5. Its easier, inmany ways, tokeepBethlehemsafely in thepast.But Advent isnot aboutease. Itsabout thehard birth ofhope. 6. The Dar AnnadwaCentre, anecumenical projectrun by the Lutherancommunity. It offersjob training to youngpeople, trains youngcraftspeople andartists, runs a fairtrade store andwelcomes visitors toits conference centre. 7. The Wall isstrangling thecommunitysspiritual lifeandeconomy, andforcingpeople to seekpermits forwork inJerusalem. 8. Checkpoint 200 is a hugecomplex within the Wallthat controls movementbetween Jerusalem andBethlehem.Anyone with a Jerusalemwork permit must passthrough it.Thousands of Palestinianmen line up everyday, often beginning at1:00AM (left side ofphoto). They can beturned back for any reasonand can lose their jobs as aresult. 9. Checkpoint 300, 5:00AM in December. When we werestanding at thecheckpoint beforedawn and could seethe mens facesthrough the bars, Ireally thought I wasgoing crazy. Because Ikept feeling I wasseeing Jesus face ashe carried the crossthrough the streets.Fulata Moyo, WCCWomens DeskCoordinator 10. Record!I am an Arab/ Employed withfellow workers at a quarryI have eight children/ I getthem breadGarments and books/ fromthe rocks...(Mahmoud Darwish: IdentityCard)A worker shows his ID card tothe Israeli soldier monitoringthe second stage of thecheckpoint. 11. Greetings to the one whoshares with me an attentiontoThe drunkenness of light, thelight of the butterfly, in theBlackness of this tunnel!(Palestinian poet MahmoudDarwish, Under Siege) A World Council of ChurchesEcumenical Accompaniermonitors conditions in thecheckpoint. 12. Neta is amember ofMachsom(Checkpoint)Watch, a JewishIsraeli groupthat enters thecheckpoints andadvocates withthe soldiers, andrecords anyinstances ofabuse. 13. Opening worship at an international ecumenical conference at the Wiam Centre, 2011. 14. We wish we hadmore holy days inChristianity, so wecould apply formore permits tovisit Jerusalem. Dr.Muna Musharraf.Jerusalem is withinwalking distancebut many cannotget permits fromIsrael to get to itsholy sites. Thisdrawing illustratesthe longing. 15. Message fromThe courtyard at KAIROS partner Wiam with theZoughbi, 23 ever-present Wall. Director Zoughbi Zoughbispeaking and KAIROS staff member John LewisNovember 2012:translating to French.Our office hasbecome the areawhere the kids andothers demonstrateand where we receivetear gas bottles andsound bombs, andwhere the Israelisoldiers shower uswith skunk water-which is like sewagedrainage ... for tendays we have beensuffering from that. 16. You who stand inIsraeli soldier and Palestinian boysthe doorway, cometalking, centre of occupied Hebron. The in/ drink ArabicOccupation deprives all sides of theircoffee with ushumanity, but some build bridges. and you will sensethat you are menlike us.You who stand inthe doorways ofhousescome out of ourmorningtimes,/ weshall feel reassuredto bemen like you!(Mahmoud Darwish:Under Siege) 17. Palestinians and Israelis alike ask us to learn aboutthe origins and impact of the Occupation. Learn about your Remember in prayer andchurchs policy and theaction those who workpartners it works with infor justice and peace farthe region.from the Dont be afraid to learn headlines, refusing toand discuss. Hold a studygive up hope. How can wegroup or film festival.support them?Hold a workshop-KAIROS can help. 18. Buy fair trade olive oil and goods Zatoun is a Canadian not for profit company that imports fair trade olive oil, soap and more from the Occupied Territories. By purchasing it, selling it or convincing your local store to do so, you support farmers trying to stay on their land. www.zatoun.com 19. Ancient olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane.Olive trees are cherished as members of the family. 20. Support EAPPI The Ecumenical Accompaniment program of the World Council of Churches has brought over 1,000 non violent accompaniers and monitors to the Occupied Territories. Canadians are among them. 21. The KairosPalestinecall....Is the PalestinianChristiansecumenical, non-violent response tothe ongoingmilitaryoccupation, building ofsettlements, andviolence.Canadians areasked to read itand learn from it. 22. Going to the area? Spend time with Palestinians Many who travel to Israelwith a tour company dontknow theyre even in theOccupied Territories. Fewstay overnight. Make sureyou do- you will bewelcomed. And ask tourcompanies to putPalestinian businesses andvisits on their itineraries.Look up alternative tours. 23. The Wiam Centre for Conflict Resolution(Bethlehem) The Sabeel Ecumenical Centre for Liberation Theology(Jerusalem) The Jerusalem Centre for Women The Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees(with work in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanonand Syria- wherever there are Palestinian refugees) The Coalition of Women for Peace (Tel Aviv, Israel) 24. KAIROS is: YOU!KAIROS is: A network of over 20global partners Supportive localchurches (KAIROSCommunities) Ecumenical andinterfaith Communities Individual Companions Local and regionalpartnerships 25. The Anglican Church of Canada The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops The Canadian Religious Conference The Christian Reformed Church in North America (CanadaCorporation) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada The Mennonite Central Committee Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada The Primates World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) The United Church of Canada 26. Check the KAIROS website, Facebook group and Twitterfeed for resources and perspectives that add to yourwork for social justice.Bring your faith communitys perspective and energy to the KAIROS ecumenical justice journey.Join us locally and regionally for events, workshops and worship related to just peace for Israelis and Palestinians- and more. Contact us at info@kairoscanada.org