Yesterday, The Lutheran church in Bethlehem’s nativity scene stopped me in my tracks: Baby Jesus, wrapped in a keffiyeh, laid on rubble for his bed. A stark display of the heartbreak I know so many feel this season. My heart yearns for peace, for the birth of love in the middle of this violence. I was on the TODAY Show yesterday, and they asked me how we move from suffering to a healed world, and I told them then what I’ll tell you now: The only way we get to peace is by embracing a love that’s rooted in our unshakeable interconnectedness.
 

 
If we want peace, it has to start with us. We must uproot violence from our language, in the ways we relate to one another. We have to reorient our hearts to reconciliation, not retribution—while refusing to compromise our deepest values. This is not easy work. So, we want to give you some tools. This Sunday, Dec. 10, join a peacemaking workshop after worship, in-person at East End Temple with Rev. Ben or click here to register for a Zoom conversation with Rev. Natalie. We’ll talk about how we can embody peacemaking in interpersonal relationships, and how that leads us all toward peace.

In this moment, pursuing peace also means being students of what has led to war. On Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET, join my next Listen. Learn. Lean into Peace. conversation with Amir Marshi. Marshi is a Palestinian Christian, who is also an Israeli citizen and a scholar on the history of Christian Zionism. He brings a unique perspective that will help us understand the relationship between evangelical Christianity and U.S. foreign policy, particularly as it relates to Netanyahu’s governing coalition. Click here to register and come learn with me.
 
Visit Jacqui Lewis’ website here.