Why “Jesus in the Rubble”?
Again in 2026
To remind us of the continued suffering of the Palestinian people, Homewood Friends has placed an installation outside our building depicting “Jesus in the Rubble – Remember the Palestinian Children.” We are reminded that Palestinians in Gaza continue to suffer unthinkable conditions with the ongoing violence and lack of adequate food, water and other basic necessities.
Here we recreate the manger scene first established in December 2023 by a Palestinian Christian church – the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem (West Bank) – which declared that they would not be celebrating Christmas because of the ongoing war and destruction in Gaza and the deaths of thousands of Palestinians. They installed a creche scene depicting the Christ child in a destroyed home in Gaza. Pastor Munther Isaac gave an extraordinary sermon on the crisis in Gaza in which he addressed the devastating human toll in Gaza, mourning thousands of deaths and widespread displacement. He stated that if Jesus were born today, he would be born “under the rubble in Gaza”. The full text of the sermon can be accessed here, Sermon-god-is-under-the-rubble-in-gaza and heard at this link, A Christmas Sermon in Palestine.
Homewood Friends Meeting signed on to an international Quaker Statement: Quaker organizations discern genocide is occurring in Gaza and urge courageous action (September 2025 meeting for business), and we participate as members of the Apartheid Free Communities coalition (October 2026). Friends are encouraged to continue to work to end the violence that is persisting despite the agreed-to ceasefire, to advocate to end our nation’s facilitation of the ongoing war on Palestine, and for humanitarian aid and reconstruction and human rights for all in the region.
Please support American Friends Service Committee’s relief work in Gaza:
https://secure.afsc.org/a/gaza-west-bank-er?ms=WEB26LP0002GR
Please support American Friends Service Committee’s relief work in Gaza: https://secure.afsc.org/P2P/fOLQEqcakEiFfnrHAU-oTA2/rg65G9IYEfCBlQANOlM1yA2
Resources:
American Friends Service Committee
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Quaker Action Packet, New York Yearly Meeting
How Two Years of War Have Devastated Lives in Gaza (AP News)