Far, Far Away

As the season of gratitude and adoration approaches, I have been spending time in the mid-east; very near where the chosen young woman gave birth to the Christ child. As I observed the people and places around me, I found that the last is not only near the small town of Bethlehem geographically but also in the many customs which prevailed at that time and seem to stand still in their perseverance in the culture today.

A newly constructed Mosque in Abu Dahbi...largest in the world.

Non-Muslims persona non-Grata.

The piety of the people still exists although not without a struggle in a world that is closing around them. To varying degrees, depending upon the country or the emirate in which one may be interning, men faithfully pray five times a day; alcohol, movies and dating are banned; the scriptures (Koran) are studied daily; marriages (up to three) are arranged; women are surrounded by security by fully covering their bodies and avoiding even the appearance of being in a position where a man might not control his carnal desires and thereby violate the woman; and crime is virtually non-existent. And yet they struggle with modern day temptations that did not exist prior to the world's thirst for oil and the wealth and power that it brought to them. They now have the wealth to exhibit their own form of decadence...perhaps not in drugs, alcohol or lewd immodesty but in all of the creature comforts of home, auto & whimsical travel...just because they can.

The women also are bombarded with the temptations of wealth. And yet, astonishingly, they continue to embrace their traditions. Although it can't be easy. The hotel health club posts articles to remind patrons that nudity is against the law...even in the locker rooms. And yet as I leave the club desk, there are women in full burqa's signing in to use the plush facilities.

Notice the shop promoting the seductive mid-drift gown next to the shop with the women's uniform for the faithful Muslim woman.

Killing some time while waiting for my midnight departure back to the States, I wandered through a modern shopping mall and marveled at the dichotomy. In a land where women stoically adhere to the dress code of black from pate to pinkie, there are high fashion shops that boast the latest fashions from France and New York. While many of the fashionable gowns extended to cover the feet in a flowing manner reminiscent of Guenevere, the amount of material necessary to complete the upper portion of the gown is vastly decreasing. It is no wonder that the stalwarts of Islam blame the West for the decadence that is tempting their women. After all, local fashion is only mimicking the ubiquitous satellite feeds from Hollywood made possible by 20th century technology.

An obedient Muslim woman exits a store with all of the modern day fashions..

less material--more flesh! Who is to blame?

The chasm between the wealthy and poor is on display in a much greater degree and in more confrontational venues that what I experience in my own homeland...even in the most impoverished of our inner cities. The wealth in these countries is flaunted in the cars they drive, the robes they wear, the edifices in which they live and the manner in which they so easily dismiss the servants who wait on their every need.

Wise men still seek Him today

And so, it requires very little stretch of thought to understand why the Christ child was born in humble circumstance. Had He been born into high privilege, how difficult it would have been for Him to convince his followers to sell all that they had and follow after Him. His example of giving service to those in need...brothers and sisters all, would surely have fallen on even more deaf ears.

Perhaps no better analogy could describe the Peace which Christ brought to those who would believe and be baptized by water than to equate it to the thirst that is known in the desert.

And so it is with wonder and awe to know that He who was born on a cold, clear night and upon a bed of straw would indeed fulfill the dreams, hopes and prophecies that had been held for so many years by those who will humble themselves to accept His message of peace, forgiveness and perseverance.

In a manger...

In light of the modern day battles which we all must face and fight, it is a blessing to feel the strength from family and friends as we join together in our quest to embrace and preserve that which He taught. It is our hope that all will take this Christmas season to reflect on the rich heritage that has been left to us and that we might endeavor to carry on the noble mission of our fathers in being anxiously engaged in a good cause...as He whose birth we celebrate asked us to do.