When we begin the season of advent, we begin to think about this process, the promise of Jesus here in Nazareth at the annunciation and later the journey of Mary & Joseph, and Jesus being born in Bethlehem. We know the story, and we can visualise it easily from all the Christmas images we see in this season. However, this Advent, we are focussing on the theme of light, beginning with this verse:
John 1: 5 The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it!
Just a few verses later, we read the reason why we have this hope.
John 1:9 That was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
These words don’t speak only about the light but also about what the light is doing, what Jesus is doing. The true light was coming into the world—into our world and our darkness. Jesus Himself speaks about His purpose in coming into our world.
John 18:37 Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.
So how will we respond? Christmas can be so busy. Can we take time to ask ourselves, if God was speaking to me during this time, would I hear Him? Would I notice?
As we read the account of Jesus coming into the world, we see many people who noticed His arrival. His family, the shepherds, the Magi, the religious leaders and the King (though he didn’t like the idea). At the same time, many other people were entirely unaware.
How can we be aware of His coming into our lives this season? How can we make room and allow His light to enter our darkness?
The light has come into the world with a purpose, and it requires a response. This advent, let each one of us remind ourselves of this amazing event, of Jesus coming to be with us, of the light that has come into the world, of all that God is doing and saying in this time. May we see and live in His light, overcoming the darkness of our world.
Prayer: Lord, we bring our lives to You during this time and commit to listening for Your voice. Help us to slow down, to take time to listen, and to be aware that You have come into our world to bring light and truth to each one of us. Help us to welcome You again this advent as You bring Your light into our darkness.
‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.’ Isaiah 9:2
Advent is the season of actively watching and waiting for the coming of the Lord! This Advent, we have chosen the theme of ‘Longing for the Light’ as we watch for the Light of God to shine in the darkness that surrounds us in the Holy Land and many other parts of the world.
Isaiah describes our condition well as we approach another Advent. We are living in a time of deep darkness in the world because of wars, conflict, famine, natural disasters, social and economic injustice, and oppression. Hate speech and resentment appear to have replaced mutual respect and human decency in public communication and social media postings, and the dethronement of truth now means that justice is turned back. Righteousness stands far off, as Isaiah so vividly describes the situation in his own day – see Isaiah 59.
Thankfully, the season of Advent invites us to a more hopeful reality as we anticipate the light that shines in the darkness. This is the light of Christ that we joyfully celebrate, which has come into the world and lights the path of every person. This is the message that Isaiah joyfully announces in his wonderful prophecy about the birth of Christ.
‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this’ – Isaiah 9: 6-7.
Prayer:
Loving God,
At the start of this Advent season, we thank You for the gift of Your Son, who came to shine the light of Your grace and truth into the darkness of our sin and sorrow. Fill our hearts with joy and peace as we wait with hope for his coming both as the babe of Bethlehem and the coming King of Glory this Advent season! We long for his light to shine upon us and for his kingdom of peace with justice and righteousness to come into our region and throughout the world. In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we pray, Amen.
In this season of Thanksgiving, we would like to express our profound gratitude to God and to each one of our friends and supporters for your prayers and messages of encouragement to the staff and leadership of the Nazareth Trust during the very challenging period since the outbreak of the war in Gaza over a year ago.
Your prayers, together with those of many others from our region and around the world, have culminated in the agreement between the Governments of the State of Israel and the Republic of Lebanon, brokered by the USA and France, to seek a sustainable end to the current escalation of hostilities across the Blue Line and for each party to take steps to promote conditions for a permanent and comprehensive solution.
We praise God that this agreement came into effect early last Wednesday morning, shortly after we had concluded a special inter-denominational Advent prayer service in the Hospital Auditorium, which included prayers for a just and sustainable peace in the north and south of the country.
We give thanks to God that, thus far, this fragile peace is holding, and the constant sound of siren alerts over Nazareth and the north of the country has grown silent, allowing for a peaceful night’s sleep for residents in the Upper Galilee for the first time in over a year.
Please continue to pray for this peace to be enduring, to allow the people from the north of Israel and the south of Lebanon to be able to return to their homes and communities in safety and security, and begin rebuilding their shattered lives and livelihoods. Also, please pray that a sustainable peace will soon also be extended to the tormented people of Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the rest of Israel, and for the love and light of God to dispel the darkness of hatred, revenge, and fear in our region as we once more meditate on the coming of the Prince of Peace as the humble babe of Bethlehem at this Advent and Christmas season.
‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.’
Isaiah 9: 6-7
With thanksgiving in our hearts for each one of you, and our prayers for God to fill your hearts and minds with the love, joy, and peace of Christ over this Advent and Christmas season!
Frank Kantor
Spiritual Director
‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and
help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ (Isaiah 41:10)
Dear Friends and Supporters of the Nazareth Trust,
Thank you for your prayers and messages of concern for the Nazareth Trust at this time of
heightened tension and conflict in our region. We are deeply grateful for your many expressions of
support for our staff and their families, and for all those who use our services.
We give thanks to God that despite the recent escalation, and rockets being intercepted over
Nazareth and the surrounding area, that we have not had any injuries or significant damage to
the property in Nazareth or the facilities of the Nazareth Trust. Minor damage (shattering of the
glass ceiling) was caused by a missile fragment that hit the Hospitals’ ER entrance, which was dealt
with quickly without affecting the ongoing operation of the hospital.
We ask for prayer to thank God for His protection of the Trust’s staff and facilities until now and to ask for His continuous protection for the Trust.
Following are the main updates during this challenging period:
The EMMS Nazareth Hospital
All the operations of the Hospital have moved to protected areas as authorised by the HFC to
ensure the safety of our staff and patients. This means the reduction of hospital operations by
approximately 50%, focusing on only treating urgent or critical cases and with almost full stoppage
of elective activities. The dialysis unit was moved to a new sheltered area in the Doshi Centre in
Nazareth, which the hospital leases and prepares for times of emergency, such as now. In this unit
we also host dialysis patients from the other community clinics that have no sheltered area. These
adjustments have had a significant impact on the Trust finances. The aforementioned changes
have significant effect on the Trusts’ income and expenditure and we have contacted the Ministry
of Health to compensate us for these unexpected losses.
We ask for prayer while negotiating fair compensation from the Israeli Ministry of Health.
As we have full occupancy of the protected admission beds, we are looking to increase our
protected admission capacity. This is a crucial and urgent need as we enter the winter season and
with the war expanding in the north. Both are anticipated to result in high levels of urgent
admissions. We have identified a protected shell of around 500 sqm which is meant to serve for
storage, and which could be adjusted to serve as a temporary protected admission ward providing
an additional 40-50 urgent admission beds. This will double the number of the protected
admission beds in the hospital and provide regional relief upon the increased need for urgent
admissions.
As the shell is already built, the completion costs of the building, including electricity, air
conditioning, fire protection, kitchen and toilet facilities, are estimated at approx. US$ 1.5m. We
will be approaching donors and the Israeli Ministry of Health to obtain funds, enabling us to
progress with this very important project.
We ask for prayer for a successful campaign to fundraise for this significant and lifesaving project.
The EMMS Nazareth Academic School of Nursing (NASN)
We are continuing to provide tuition to our 300 BA conversion students by remote means due to
the current restrictions on indoor gatherings, and plan to launch our new BA Nursing Degree
programme in November.
We ask for prayer for a successful launch of the BA programme and full enrolment of
students.
Please give thanks for completion of the additional two floors and pray for a successful
completion of the equipping and furnishing process. Also, for resilience and protection of all the staff and students and their families and mainly for Dr Salam, the Director of NASN, and her family, who live in Israel’s Northern region.
The Nazareth Village
The Nazareth Village is temporarily closed due to the lack of secure structures for shelter in the
event of a siren alarm. The village is hosting special programmes with local churches and the
community, as the HFC restrictions enables. The village is also preparing for a special programme
for the local community: – ” the Olive Festival” during October and November.
Please continue to pray for the staff and their families at this challenging time and for peace and the return of tourism and for a successful and safe local programme. Please also give thanks for the contributions received, enabling recruiting back staff members and the strengthening of local community engagement.
SERVE Nazareth
The Serve activities remain ceased due to the situation. The Programme Coordinator is assisting
the other entities of the Trust and at the same time is ensuring the Serve facilities are in good shape,
ready to welcome volunteers once circumstances will allow.
Please continue to pray for end of the war and for the full return of volunteers and the SERVE Nazareth Programme.
Pastoral Care Team (PCT)
Especially in these challenging times, the PCT continues to offer spiritual support and comfort to
our staff and patients amid the heightened anxiety and fear created by the war. The PCT is leading
special activities during the Spiritual Care week, including special lectures, prayer services,
departmental gathering and more.
The PCT, supported by all the Trust’s arms, held a successful Children’s camp with 60 of the
children of staff of the Trust staff, participating and enjoying their time and studying the word of
God.
Please give thanks to God for His protection and the success of the children’s camp and pray for the continuation and expansion of our spiritual care.
Above all, please join our prayer for an end to the war in this region and for sustainable peace to be achieved, to enable all those who have been so painfully affected by this war to be able to rebuild their lives and livelihoods and to find healing for themselves and their families.
With our heartfelt thanks for your prayers and support for the Nazareth Trust at this testing time.
Waseem Dibbini
Acting CEO
Nazareth Trust Prayer Letter
‘The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’
(Philippians 4:5b-7)
Dear friends and supporters of the Nazareth Trust,
Greetings from Nazareth!
People here are continuing with their daily routines as much as possible and all the services offered by the different entities of the Nazareth Trust continue to operate as normal (despite the drastic reduction in the number of tour groups visiting the Nazareth Village and slow return of volunteers serving with Serve Nazareth due to the current war).
Due to the latest developments, there is a build-up of tension and anxiety among the local population, which we face with faith and prayers, alongside intensive and continuous preparations of our staff and premises for any unlikely event.
We would like to kindly ask you to join us in praying for:
With our deep gratitude and appreciation for your prayers and support for the Nazareth Trust at this challenging time for all of us!
Waseem Dibbini
Acting CEO of the Nazareth Trust
‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit……. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 4: 6)
One of the significant things that happens when we repent of our sins and give our lives to Christ is that the Spirit of God enters and dwells inside us. This Spirit then begins to teach and guide us to live a life of freedom (John 16:13, ‘Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth’).
Every believer is expected to reflect the glory of the Lord. However, being transformed by the light does not happen overnight. It requires submission to a process of unlearning our old ways, searching for knowledge of the truth, which is the Word of God, and learning to walk in the truth. This is what the bible describes in 2 Corinthians 3:18 as ‘being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another’
The Bible further tells us in John 8:32, ‘Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.’ This means that knowing God’s Word brings liberty. When we study scriptures, we behold the light by which the Holy Spirit transforms us to align our lives with the Word, freeing us from sin and strongholds of the mind, and helping us to become more like God.
Therefore, in this season of Advent, we are encouraged to embrace this transformation process by fixing our hearts and minds on God as we study His Word.
Prayer:
Lord, I believe you gave your life for me; I surrender my life to you. Come into my life, and let your Spirit work in me, transforming me to become like you. Help me to spend time with your Word so that your light might shine in me and renew my life.
Amen.
