The Word Truly Became Flesh

Professor Dr. Michel Abs

Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC)

Opening of "The Platform of the Word" Beirut, 07.11.2024

We meet today for a first gathering at "The Platform of the Word," colleagues and partners in ecumenical work, to celebrate the opening of the platform—a project equipped by Noursat for the Middle East Council of Churches—to advance ecumenical media in the Middle East and worldwide.

It was a blessed moment when Télé Lumière, through the tireless efforts of a struggling ecumenical media professional—our colleague in the Council and a veteran in Télé Lumière—decided to provide the oldest institution in ecumenical work in the region with modern and advanced means to spread the salvific message.

This initiative comes in the fiftieth year since the establishment of the Middle East Council of Churches in 1974, and in the ninety-fifth year since the establishment of the Near East Christian Council in 1929, the foundational nucleus of our Council.

However, this initiative, in addition to the efforts to achieve it by those concerned, did not come from a vacuum. There is a strong bond between Noursat and the Middle East Council of Churches due to decades of interaction, as well as the shared goal of common Christian work—that is, ecumenism.

An astute observer of the work of these two institutions might ask why they are not a single institution, not only because of their goals but also due to the homogeneity in approach and methodology. In this platform, the two institutions have become one in working to raise the lamp high in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the path for humanity.

From its beginnings, the Christian mission has been based on communication through the media available at that time. The pinnacle of this communication was the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, where He challenged all the outdated and worn customs and concepts prevailing in that era, replacing them with the teachings of the New Covenant. This New Covenant drew the paths of human civilization based on love—that love which never fails and which, after more than two millennia, humanity has found no alternative to.

Communication accompanied all the works of the apostles, as the Incarnate One instructed them to go and preach to all nations and baptize them in the name of the Holy Trinity.

In addition to the work of evangelism, Christian liturgy—the system of the Divine Liturgy and all prayers—is based on advanced techniques in communication. Researchers in this field realize what I mean by this. The Divine Liturgy, the various prayers, and the liturgy preceded all sciences of communication, group dynamics, and social psychology. They played a fundamental role in strengthening the bonds of the believing community and unifying its spirituality and outlook on life, the universe, and art. It's no coincidence that all these spiritual creations have retained their splendor, brilliance, and divine beauty after two millennia of persecution, slaughter, and displacement.

In this brief time, we won't delve into a study about the presence of communication concepts in the Holy Bible, as they are countless. Whoever reads the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles from this perspective will undoubtedly reach astonishing results.

The Middle East Council of Churches is aware of all this, and many articles have been written in its publications on these topics. It was a pioneer in establishing a Department of Communication and Media, as this specialized department was one of its largest since its inception, as we witnessed then and as is evident in its productions and archives.

Additionally, during the 1980s until the early 2000s, the audiovisual production department was one of the most active and professional departments of the Council. It included prominent media professionals from the region and produced huge amounts of materials that we are currently collecting and preserving part of them through Noursat, to which they were made available for this purpose. The audiovisual production center in the Council, which was then hosted by the Near East School of Theology—as it will host the next phase of the platform project—was one of the best-equipped centers in Lebanon. However, the crises that the MECC went through eliminated it, and nothing remains except remnants of materials that we are working to preserve with Noursat. We intend to make them available to those interested in the history and activities of the ecumenical movement in the Middle East.

Today, after nearly two decades, the MECC returns to engage in media production— audio visual and—with the support of a historical partner, Noursat, which itself constituted a qualitative leap in the field of Christian media in its ecumenical form in the Middle East.

Noursat–Télé Lumière, essential in existence, is a jewel on the forehead of Eastern and Arab Christianity in general. It was a blessed moment when it was founded, and we consider its continuation a human-social necessity as much as it is a Christian necessity.

Through the documents we intend to produce, which we are programming within a general directive plan for the work of "The Platform of the Word," we will address—from an ecumenical Christian perspective—all phenomena that concern modern humans, who are tossed by waves of misleading and misled media that divert them from the right path of life's affairs. We will not leave a door unknocked, aiming to spread awareness in the age of knowledge. Therefore, we consider today, November 7, 2024, a historic and pivotal day in ecumenical media, in its religious-liturgical and social-service dimensions. The MECC will gradually transform into a media presence accompanying practical field activities.

In addition to this significant occasion in the history of the MECC and the ecumenical movement, simultaneous events add new talents to the major talent represented by "The Platform of the Word", or Al Kalimah Platform.

These occasions are, first, the re-election of the Secretary General for the next four years—a decision that renews confidence in the Secretary General and the team working with him, their programs, and work methodologies. Second, the election of the Director of the Department of Diakonia and Social Service at MECC as a member of the Governing Board of the ACT Alliance, the highest ecumenical development institution in the world. Third, the Council's Financial Director obtaining a doctoral degree in Business Administration from a university in France, with her thesis focusing on administrative development in the Middle East Council of Churches.

The Council's fiftieth year is a blessed one, filled with activities and events, crowned by the establishment of "The Platform of the Word," where the Word will become flesh daily through the efforts of the working team, challenging evil and sin, alerting people to the machinations of those whose hearts harbor malevolence, spreading awareness as much as possible in an attempt to fortify people, especially the youth.

At the end of my speech, I must thank the MECC Executive Committee, headed by its four presidents, for the trust they place in us. I also must thank my colleagues in the Council—my partners in renewing confidence in my service as Secretary General—in Beirut, Sabtieh, the South, Akkar, Damascus, Daraa, Aleppo, Amman, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Gaza, for all the efforts they make to serve humanity in the name of the Incarnate Lord, fulfilling His commandments.

But I cannot conclude my speech at this historic moment without thanking the unknown soldier, one of the "soldiers of heaven," this worker in the shadows, the bearer of concerns, in whom I saw the promise when I met him just weeks after he donned the robe of asceticism—the one who speaks silently, attends modestly, the visionary cherished brother Nour, without whom "The Platform of the Word" would not have seen the light, and a significant part of the Council's heritage would not have been preserved. A greeting of love to you, brother Nour Al-Habib—the peace of Christ, as we say to each other. We are committed to the covenant as we agreed.

I conclude my speech by addressing the merciful Lord, saying: "O Spirit of Truth, present in every place, Creator of all that is seen and unseen, inspire us and enable us to fulfill Your will and commandments, and to serve those for whom You were incarnated, so that we may, in Your name, contribute to a better life for humanity."

Amen!