"The Christ child still lies among the rubble, reminding us that God chose not safety, not power, not palaces—but vulnerability and solidarity with the crushed of the earth. And yet now, rising from that rubble, stands a tree - a living tree. For me, this is a profoundly Palestinian image—and a profoundly Christian one. The tree is declaration. It is the tree of life. It is defiance in the face of death. It is hope planted where despair is expected to rule. The tree appears almost as if it grows out of the rubble itself. Not beside it. Not after it is cleared away. But from within it. This is our story." Rev. Munther Isaac

Rev. Munther Isaac منذر اسحق

@MuntherIsaac

 

Today I had the chance to visit Christmas Lutheran Church, where I served for more than ten years—eight of them as the main pastor. 

 

Returning to a place that shaped so much of my life and ministry is never an easy experience. It carries memory, prayer and appreciation. 

 

Under the faithful and courageous leadership of my dear friend Rev. Ashraf Tannous, the church made a deliberate and meaningful decision: to keep Christ in the Rubble—but to place it under the Christmas tree. 

 

This old-new crib spoke to me again. 

 

The rubble remains. 

 

The broken stones are still there. 

 

The Christ child still lies among the rubble, reminding us that God chose not safety, not power, not palaces—but vulnerability and solidarity with the crushed of the earth. 

 

And yet now, rising from that rubble, stands a tree - a living tree. 

 

For me, this is a profoundly Palestinian image—and a profoundly Christian one. 

 

The tree is declaration. 

 

It is the tree of life. 

 

It is defiance in the face of death. 

 

It is hope planted where despair is expected to rule. 

 

The tree appears almost as if it grows out of the rubble itself. 

 

Not beside it. Not after it is cleared away. But from within it. This is our story.

 

A cry from the heart and a call to action from a Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian

In this impassioned and incisive book, Munther Isaac challenges Western Christians’ uncritical embrace of Zionist theology and politics. Speaking from his unique vantage point as a prominent Palestinian Christian pastor and theologian, he proclaims a truth that is rarely acknowledged in Christian circles: Israel’s campaign to eliminate the Palestinian people did not begin after October 7, 2023. Rather, the campaign is a continuation of a colonial project with nineteenth-century roots that has, since 1948, established systems of entrenched discrimination and segregation worse than South Africa’s apartheid regime. 

Writing with close-up knowledge of conditions on the ground, and rooted in a commitment to nonviolence and just peace, Isaac argues that support for the State of Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza reflects a failure to apply a properly Christian theological critique to colonialism, racism, and imperialism. He calls on Christians to repent of their complicity in the destruction of the Palestinian people. And he challenges them to realign their beliefs and actions with Christ―who can be found not among perpetrators of violence, but with victims buried under the rubble of war.

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]

Dallas church’s Nativity evokes immigration detention centers, homelessness: The Nativity scene asks passersby to consider what it would look like if Jesus’ birth took place today.

Oak Lawn United Methodist Church’s Nativity scene depicts silhouettes of Mary and Joseph surrounded by chain-link fencing topped with razor wire. “I feel it doesn't make the story more political, it makes it more biblical. It invites us back into the raw and difficult nature of the true setting of the story,” said senior pastor Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison.    

Dallas Morning News story by Marcheta Fornoff 

 

Oak Lawn United Methodist Church’s Nativity scene depicts silhouettes of Mary and Joseph surrounded by chain-link fencing topped with razor wire. “I feel it doesn't make the story more political, it makes it more biblical. It invites us back into the raw and difficult nature of the true setting of the story,” said senior pastor Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison.... READ MORE  https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/2025/12/17/dallas-churchs-nativity-evokes-immigration-detention-centers-homelessness/

 &

Oak Lawn UMC Reveals Nativity Display Lifting Up the Journey of Migrant Families

Social Media Statement:

This installation on our front steps reimagines the Nativity in the reality faced by thousands of families fleeing violence, poverty, and political instability. The Holy Family were migrants seeking safety. In Dallas, many families face the same uncertainty.  At Christmas, we remember that God chooses to be with those the world pushes to the margins. May this scene call us to make room — in our hearts, in our city, in our policies — for the Christ who comes as an unhoused immigrant child.

Full Press Release:

Dallas, TX — Oak Lawn United Methodist Church has unveiled a powerful new public installation on its front steps this Advent season—an artistic reimagining of the traditional Nativity that places the Holy Family in the lived reality of thousands of migrants and asylum-seeking families today.

The installation invites the Dallas community to see the Christmas story through the eyes of those fleeing violence, poverty, and political instability. Reflecting on the piece, Rev. Rachel Griffin-Allison, Senior Pastor of Oak Lawn UMC, said, “The Holy Family were migrants seeking safety. In Dallas, many families face the same uncertainty.”

By grounding the Nativity in a contemporary humanitarian crisis, the church hopes to spark deeper compassion and honest reflection during the holidays.

“At Christmas, we remember that God chooses to be with those the world pushes to the margins,” said Rev. Griffin-Allison. “May this scene call us to make room—in our hearts, in our city, in our policies—for the Christ who comes as an unhoused immigrant child.”

Oak Lawn UMC serves as a key community hub for hospitality ministries, including outreach to unsheltered neighbors and support for recently arrived migrant families through Dallas Responds. This installation reflects the congregation’s ongoing commitment to embodying solidarity, justice, and radical welcome.

The Nativity will be on display throughout the Advent and Christmas season. Community members are encouraged to visit, take photos, and reflect on how the story of Christ’s birth speaks into the urgent realities facing Dallas today.

Press Contact:
Rev. Ryan Wager
Associate Pastor & Operations Leader
Email ryan@olumc.org
Wireless 405-213-8944

 https://olumc.org/nativity-2025/

AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine, or at least fair and just laws and policies]