We apologize for the lack of postings over the past few days. Internet access has not been easy to find and our days have been very full. Unfortunately, our current internet connection will not allow for photos to be uploaded so we will add additional photos when we return.
We have reached our final spot - - Jerusalem. We have visited many places in Israel before arriving here. Some of the highlights include Masada, Qumran (the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls) and Jerico on our journey through the desert. We emerged from the desert and spent a couple of days in Galilee. We visited holy sites throughout the area including the location of the Sermon on the Mount, Nazareth, and a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we shared communion. Yesterday we worshiped at St George’s Episcopal Cathedral on Sunday morning before visiting the sites around Jerusalem including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Today we toured Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity. Our stops included a meeting the Pastor Mitri Raheb of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church. We learned about the ministries of the church including a K-12 school and college as well as social programs to help the Palestinians build hope in their difficult environment.
We have one full day left before the journey ends. Once we return, we will post more detailed entries and reflections including photos. Thanks for following our spiritual journey and continue to monitor for more information.
1 comment:
From Joe -
Today we entered the city of Jerusalem via Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv had the appearance of a large commercial center with tall glass buildings. Jerusalem has its share of new buildings, but they are sprinkled among structures that are many hundreds of years old; all contributing to an exotic mixture of the timely and the timeless. We saw in one afternoon sights, smells and tastes that come from far portions of the world.
In truth I have had some anxiety about this portion of the trip. I have heard about the political tensions that have been in this region of the world all of my life. I have had the opportunity to study the nature of the Palestinian struggle for self-determinism, equal treatment and a way to preserve their way of life amidst an overpowering Israeli effort to drive them off. And I suppose that is why, as I gazed upon the evidence of Israeli economic success, I felt sadness, even anger. I wondered whose village had been razed to erect that skyscraper, whose olive grove, that may have been hundreds of years old, had been uprooted to plant a big-box superstore.
So, as I had opportunity to walk among the people as they emerged from their homes at the end of the Shabat, I watched them. I looked for any sign of prolonged stress or tension. Arabs, Jews, Christians all found their way out into the streets of the city for a Saturday night. Small children played amongst the tourists going along Ben Yehuda Street. People were sitting drinking coffee and eating ice cream. If there was any evidence that a political struggle was playing out in their lives, it was beyond my perception. And so my first impression of this city is that whatever its quality, whatever form it takes, life goes on. In fact, life must go on. Furthermore, I have come to believe that when the leadership of humanity fails to honor the lessons that God has tried to teach us, the only solace God may find in creation is in the individual lives that still manage to live life as the God-given gift that it is.
I remember now the words of a Carly Simon song: God's kingdom is asking for the taking. Burning. Waiting. Oh, my heart is aching. Come the new Jerusalem.
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