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Such terrifying experiences like missiles raining on your neighborhood have a tendency to raise "purpose-driven" questions: Did Jesus put us here in his hometown without a purpose?

To the Christians in Nazareth, the answer was obvious. We had simply neglected it. Our calling as the remnant of Christians in the birthplace of our faith is to pray for the people of this broken land.

As followers of Christ, we have an obligation to become intercessors for the lost. We should also share with courage the prophetic message of the truth. Leaders in the Middle East have failed in bringing us into an era of peace. It is merely a chronicle of continuing violence pockmarked with ceasefires. The voice of the peacemaker urging reconciliation in the midst of enmity and hostility should be heard clearly.

Less than a mile from where a Hezbollah missile hit the empty garage in Nazareth, the Prince of Peace declared: "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

It was realized 2,000 years ago when God sent his son to give hope. He was the anointed who said:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (Luke 4:18-19)

Will his followers rise to the challenge of reflecting this message of compassion, love, care, justice, and mercy to the nations in this troubled area?

Botrus Mansour is a lawyer and general director of Nazareth Baptist School. As with all "Speaking Out" articles, the views expressed do not necessarily represent those of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

More coverage since the breakout of hostilities in southern Lebanon includes:

Another Point of View: Evangelical Blindness on Lebanon | The academic dean of the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary is angry at evangelical Christians, Israel, Hezbollah, the U.S., and the international community. (July 20, 2006)

Weblog: Secrets of the Lebanon-Israel War | Beyond the headlines in the Lebanon-Israel War (July 20, 2006)

When the Bombs Fell on Beirut | This week's fighting between Israel and Lebanon seems too familiar. (July 17, 2006)

Speaking Out
The Middle East's Death Wish—and Ours | We say "everyone wants peace," but we also want to see our enemies destroyed. (July 14, 2006)

See our past coverage of the Israel-Palestine fight, Iran, and Lebanon.

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July (Web-only) 2006, Vol. 50