Israel/Jordon 2008

Israel/Jordan 2008 - GROUP PHOTO

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Here we are in the Garden of Gethsemene...

Marilyn's Watercolours from Israel and Jordan

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While I was writing my blog, Marilyn was getting the measure of Israel and Jordan with her watercolours. Here is some of her work.

Some final thoughts.....

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Was the trip everything I thought it would be?

Absolutely!

When you travel to the Holy Lands with over 50 other Christians, including your own Pastor, the opportunities for teaching, discovery and learning under the umbrella of expanding your faith journey are tremendous. This was an opportunity I was ready for. What I didn’t know was how much I needed it.

I’ve got a marked up Bible – with names dates and places to remind me of what we saw and heard. When I open it, it shouts at me.

In case you haven’t picked up on this in the rest of the blog, Scripture and reading the Bible mean a lot to me and I’m trying to think of the multiplication factor this trip has given me in that pursuit. For example, when I read the Beatitudes again – having been in the place where Jesus gave them – is it 10X, 100X, 1000X? – right now I’m going with a million!

Also, the historicity of the Bible and its relevance in today’s secular world went up in my estimation. The homilies that Kim, Duke and Glen gave us, based on the places we were in, left me moved and thankful that they were able to drive home the Bible’s message in today’s world.

Would I go again? In a heartbeat. In the meantime, I’ve got so much to go over and study, especially in my morning quiet time. Life just got a whole lot busier. Bring it on.

Sunday June 1, 2008 – The trip home

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With little sleep, we head for the bus for the last time. At the Tel Aviv airport, the security as we leave is thorough, lengthy and focused. On in our group – Joe – is pulled aside and asked more detailed questions, but he returns to us with no further follow on. Into the air, we head for a connecting flight in Rome.

Joy is carrying her “sticks” and makes it onto the plane with them at Tel Aviv. However, as we go through Rome airport security, they won’t let them through. You just have to shake your head, when world class security at Tel Aviv says OK and the Italians have a different view. Oh well, Joy takes it in stride.

Rome airport lives up to its reputation as just awful. This time, clearing security is better, but the waiting area has a new surprise – door alarms that go off for 30-45 minutes at a time with airport officials hopelessly inept. Marilyn fished out her ear plugs.

Finally we’re on the plane for the long trip home, catching some little sleep.

Arriving in Toronto, it’s great to be home!

Saturday May 31, 2008 – Returning from Jordan to Tel Aviv

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We’re in a beautiful hotel in Jordan, right on the Dead Sea and we have some time in the morning to go down to the Dead Sea for a “swim”, which should be more accurately described as a “float”. We walk down around 5:30am while the sun is not punishing and the water is merely “very warm”. Wading in, you can feel the pressure of the 30% salt content water pushing up on your feet. I’m told that if you get beyond the point where your feet are not on the bottom, you are upright in the water like a cork. We opt to go in a bit, and lie on our back. And you do truly float. I should have brought the morning paper to read!

We enjoy some time in our beautiful room and Marilyn paints in the area outside our sliding door, overlooking the pool. I blog away. But it’s time to check out.

On the bus, Kim picks up on the “thankfulness” theme as we begin to wind down, and there’s so much to be thankful for after a trip like this. Duke cranks it up with his guitar on the way to the border.

Glen had to return early to a conference in Vancouver, but he’s left a letter which Kim reads and it’s packed with thanks and encouragement. He thanks our guide Tom, he thanks us for our gift and he asks us to remember Duke and Kim. He reminds us that our spiritual growth is most important and that we should lay aside whatever is keeping us from a full relationship with God. He asks us to take a quiet moment to invite Jesus into our life, again. Through Christ’s sacrifice, we start eternal life right now. And he closes with “Let’s have fun!”

The border crossing back into Israel was a lot smoother than coming into Jordan and we’re able to stay on the bus with our bags all the way to Israeli customs and security. Our Israeli guide Tom is there to meet us and we drive back through Jerusalem, lunching in Jaffa before getting to Tel Aviv for one last “night”, if you can call it that – we’ll be up at 1am to head for the airport and more security before we board a 5:30am flight.

Mount Nebo and Jesus’ Baptism at the Jordan River – Friday May 30, 2008

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Leaving our hotel at Wadi Mousa, Kim leads us in Compline, an inspired choice given that this is usually a service done at the end of the day. Today, however, we’re going to Mt. Nebo where Moses saw the promised land and then died at 120 years of age. So we celebrate Compline in recognition of the end of Moses “day”. Kim points us to Deuteronomy 31:1-6 & 34 where Joshua will succeed Moses as Moses prepares to die in Moab. Kim highlights Verse 6 as one for the ages: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you and forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

We drive on the King’s highway to the Desert highway. There used to be trees, but they were all cut down during the Ottoman time after the railway was built between 1890 and 1900. The narrow gauge railway lines are still in use for freight only. At one time, passengers would go between Istanbul and Medina, Saudi Arabia.

We have a long ride to Mt. Nebo so this gives Fatih, our guide, lots of time to talk about Muslim marriage traditions and customs. There are three things in a marriage contract – a dowry, a settlement if the man divorces her and an arrangement for dividing the apartment and furniture in the event of a divorce. If a man wants a divorce, he says “I divorce you” - said three times over a period of time. A woman can ask for a divorce, but has to give a reason. A man can remarry but needs the approval of his first wife. If a woman commits adultery, the man is not obliged to pay the divorce settlement.

We stop at a spot on the Desert highway, buy a hat for granddaughter Eva and drink some amazing Turkish coffee. It’s black, inky and “chewy” with an inch of sediment left in the bottom. Yum! Peter needs to lay some of this on at his Easy Restaurant in Toronto.

Duke takes to the mike on the bus and leads us in a homily based on Genesis 19:30, which describes how the Moabites were “formed” by Lot and his daughters. Fast forwarding to the book of Ruth, Naomi and her daughter Ruth are Moabites who go to Israel because of famine. Ruth ends up marrying Boaz, and their family is the lineage to the house of David – and to Jesus – this line picked up in Matthew’s gospel. Duke’s key message is that no matter where you come from or what your circumstances are, redemption and forgiveness are always available.

Fatih, our guide, has listened to Duke’s reading about Lot and takes the mike. He diplomatically lets us know that Lot is a prophet according to the Koran a prophet can commit no sin – so the Biblical version of Lot and his daughters is problematic. Duke raises the “diplomacy” stakes by suggesting that the issue is between the two books, but not between he and Fatih.

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We come to Mount Nebo and get to see the view Moses would have seen, looking over to Jericho and the entire Jordan Valley down to the Dead Sea. We can even see the hills of Jerusalem in the far distance. This was the Promised Land. In the heat at the top of Mt. Nebo, Duke picks up on the “Promised Land” theme: What is your promised land? What does it look like? God has a shape for that home or settled place in your life. Moses was denied entry to the Promised Land because he showed arrogance after God told him where to find water. The blessings of water come from God, the Jordan comes from water out of a rock – how are we investing our life so that the people who come after us will be blessed through us?

Looking through the rest of the site, there are 6^th century archeological mosaics from a Greek Church that were on display. Paul John Paul II visited the site in 2000.

After lunch in Madaba, we drive down about 1,200 meters to the Jordan River site of Jesus’ Baptism. All four Gospels tell the story: Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-12, Luke 3:21-27 and John 1:29-34. As we arrive there, we see the hill where Elijah was taken up to Heaven.

At the Jordan, Kim reads the Luke 3 account of Jesus’ Baptism. John the Baptist is described as confronting people – why are you here and picking up on that, Kim asks us what we need to confront in our life? – attitudes, being less cynical of others, changing attitudes with family members, people in the workplace. Realizing that our pilgrimage is ending soon, Kim challenges us to understand what God is saying to us about what has to change. As pilgrims, we should leave this place as changed people.

Here the border between Jordan and Israel is just the river and in the 40C heat we touch our fingers in a baptismal font and reach down into the Jordan. Some fill water bottles to take home.

We drive on to the five star Marriott Jordan Valley, right on the Dead Sea.

Petra - Thursday May 28, 2008

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From our hotel in Wadi Mousa we get on the bus and head for a day at Petra. It’s not a long drive, so Kim has to be economical with time and leads us by reading Matthew 6:31-34, an encouragement for all of us for every day. He highlights Verse 33 as a good one to memorize and take to our heart: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

The site of Petra is classified as the second wonder of the world, after the Pyramids. It was part of the Indiana Jones movie and that sparked more tourism interest. Discovered in 1812 by “modern” Europeans, we now we will see it in the daylight. On the way down to the Treasury building, we pass many tombs, some plain, some with decoration. In Nabatean times, tombs were left open and the dead were celebrated. Some of the tombs had obelisks, showing Egyptian influence. Apparently the Nabateans believed in an afterlife and these tombs were part of that preparation.

Parts of the canyon were chiseled out by hand to make a passage – called a “siq” (Editor’s note: there’s a good Scrabble word, if you can get away with it). In the passage, the Nabateans made water channels to carry it to cisterns. As well, they laid clay tiles to carry water to where it was needed. At the main entrance, an arch used to go across, but it collapsed in 1886. As we look up we can see the chisel marks from 2,000 years ago. There are recessed areas to honour the gods of their day and some of the places would have been quite elaborate with inscriptions and marble facades.

The “Treasury” is actually a tomb for one of the Nabatean kings. The Bedouins, who controlled the area for a long time prior to European interest thought there must be gold or treasure hidden and they made a bit of a mess looking for things. Nonetheless, you can’t help but be amazed at these “structures”, carved and chiseled out of red sandstone. The area is vast.

Other parts of Petra include many impressive tombs, an amphitheater and the place where up to 40,000 people may have lived.

The pool back at the hotel was refreshing indeed after a long dusty walk into Petra and out again in high temperature and hot sun.

Aqaba to Wadi Rum, Little Petra, Petra by Night – Wednesday May 28, 2008

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The hotel we stayed at in Aqaba brought new meaning to the term “Five Star”. It was a beautiful hotel overlooking the Red Sea and we were sorry that only one night was possible. An excellent buffet was laid on with seating inside or out, depending on how hot or cool you want to be. After our evening meal, we walked to a local convenience store to get some bottled water and saw a group of young men watching TV outside and smoking their hookahs. When we arrived back at the hotel, the lobby was filled with cigar smoke as it is just fine to do that in Jordan.

Kim led us in Morning Prayer on the bus as we left Aqaba. He chose Matthew 2:1 to read from to remind us that the gifts of the Magi – gold, frankincense and myrrh – were all part of a trade system that was controlled by the Naboteans in Petra where we will be heading. Petra is not mentioned in the Bible, so we’re going from the historical record on this one. Maybe the “three Kings” started from here.

The Nabateans were master traders and influenced a large area, including Damascus at the time of the Apostle Paul. They knew how to build elaborate systems to catch water in cisterns using open drains and clay pipe. These places, including Petra, controlled the camel (ships of the desert) caravans and the Nabatean tax system took a piece of the action as it passed through, providing safety in return.

At the time of John the Baptist, Herod Agrippa was married to the Nabotean daughter of Eritus IV, but that wasn’t enough for Herod as he took his brother’s wife as well. John the Baptist preached against that and for his trouble he was beheaded – but not before he baptized Jesus.

So as we drive north from Aqaba, we think about John the Baptist, the trade routes and power struggles, then and now.

We’re driving first to Wadi Rum, a place of incredible beauty and solitude, known as Desert of Mountains. Created by the action of water at what would have been an old river delta, the red sandstone rocks and hills fill in the desert like blobs of drippy chocolate cake. The action of rain and wind over time add to the effect. Lawrence of Arabia referred to one of the places we saw as The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. We were driven around in small trucks, sitting on benches in the truck bed. Stopping at a few places, we walked around and took in the breathtaking views and snapped away with our cameras. We were taken to a Bedouin tent and served hot, sweet tea before moving on to our next stop – a camel ride. Most of us got on and we led out into the desert by our Bedouin guides. We returned for lunch to a “million star” Bedouin tent hotel.

Driving on, we come to Little Petra, a smaller version of what we will see later. Rooms have been carved out of the soft sandstone and this would have been a stop for rest and refreshment as caravans moved through the area. The Nabateans dug a channel through the rock to gain access to an area surrounded by rock.

Our hotel – the Taybet Zaman in Wadi Mousa – is a former village, converted into a rustic stone complex that gave the effect of being in a place hundreds of years ago, if you could ignore briefly the modern amenities, which of course we can't.

That night, we went down to Petra and took part in Petra by Night. It’s a 45 minute walk down to the famous treasury building where we sat under the stars and listened to some local singing and flute music. It’s a beautiful place and the cool of nighttime, walking by candlelight was worth the long walk in and out.

From Jerusalem to En Gedi, Masada and Jordan – Tuesday May 27, 2008

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We’ve spent part of six days in Jerusalem and now it’s time to leave and we head on the highway to Jericho. Coming the other way into Jerusalem are commuters and it looks just like the DVP in Toronto. Kim leads us in Morning Prayer and he reads the Parable of the Good Samaritan – Luke 10:25-37. In the midst of

Israel

with different religious backgrounds and a world the same, the relevance of Jesus’ Parable is palpable.

Tom tries to get us into the Samaritan Inn to see a site and tries two routes. It’s the West Bank and there’s nothing doing so we move on, passing a site that Muslims celebrate as the resting place of Moses.

We drive by Qumran again and remember the importance of the Dead Sea scrolls. Tom gives us the skinny on the Dead Sea – 30% salt content, made up of three salts – sodium bromide, potassium choride and magnesium. This creates a chemical industry on both sides of the border and is an important export for both Israel and Jordan. On the Israeli side, 400 workers are employed, 300 at one time, with the other 100 rotated out for leave. One of the concerns is that the Dead Sea is evaporating and there’s a joint Israeli/Jordan study to look at bringing sea water from the Red Sea and installing hydro electric dams to capture some energy for desalinization on the 400 meter drop from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The engineer in me is all ears.

We stop at En Gedi on the shore of the Dead Sea and go for a hike while others go “swimming” in the Dead Sea. It’s a natural hiking area, with waterfalls and water seeping out of the rock springs. This is a true oasis in the middle of the Judean desert as the springs flow year round. There’s a Biblical reference to this place in 1 Samuel 24 and we go to the area where there was a two level cave and David cut King Saul’s garment while he was resting.

Further down the road and again in sight of the Dead Sea we come to Masada, where the zealots made their last stand against the Romans. After the zealots were defeated in Galilee, and then Jerusalem, they withdrew to Masada in 70 AD, a fortress that Herod the Great built. The Romans surrounded them, but couldn’t penetrate in any way and finally determined that they had to build a siege ramp that took three years to complete. On the eve of their certain capture, the zealots killed themselves – first the man taking his own family, and then the men drawing lots down to the last ten, and finally the leader killing himself. When the Romans arrived the next day, all they found alive was a mother and two children who were hidden in a floor – spared presumably by their father and husband.

After the 1948 war, some serious archeological work was done and an old, worn Torah scroll was found. In Jewish tradition, worn scrolls are placed in a storage place in the synagogue called the kazim. The part of the scroll that was worn out, presumably from reading it many times was Ezekiel 37 – The Valley of the Dry Bones. That Scripture must have given them tremendous hope during the siege.

How could they have lasted for three years without running water and food? Herod had filled huge cisterns with water and the storehouses were filled with grain and supplies to literally feed an army. So the zealots just moved in.

We went up and down to the Masada fortress in a Swiss built gondola and toured the site of Herod’s three tiered palace, the synagogue and the store rooms.

Driving further south, Kim helps us with references to three good leaders who operated in this area.– Moses in Numbers 20:14, King Solomon working with King Hiram of Tyre in 2 Chronicles 2 and Jehosophat.

We pass the area that was the silver and copper mines of King Solomon.

Pressing on, we come to the border with Jordon where we have to shlep our bags across a no man’s land, show our passports about four or five times and wait for a bus, sitting on the kerb. Not a great “welcome” to Jordan.

Loading up, we’re taken to our hotel in Aqaba, a beautiful spot on the Red Sea, so the memories of the border crossing dim quickly as we enjoy the hospitality and comfort of a five star hotel.

Jerusalem – Monday May 26, 2008

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After a week of jam packed activities, a day off! Some go on a trip to Bethlehem. I was interested in going up to the Temple Mount while Marilyn found a place to paint near the Western Wall.

The Temple Mount is controlled by the Muslims and the four of us that went up had to go through security after waiting in line for about an hour. The Temple Mount platform is quite a large area and the major buildings are a mosque and the Golden Dome. The door to the Golden Dome was open and as I approached, a man jumped out at me, waving his hands shouting. “Closed, closed!” I learn that these buildings are off limits to non-Muslims so we made our way back to the Old City.

We found Marilyn painting away and headed off to do some shopping, taking a look in at a shoemaker’s shop.

Back at the hotel, I had a chance to work on this blog and get present to how hard it is to keep things straight, even when you’re taking notes. It’s been a busy trip, indeed.

In the evening, we have a meal at a lovely restaurant, the Nafoura, inside the wall – in fact, the wall is part of the restaurant and it’s a terrific backdrop to just gaze over at. The restaurant specializes in Armenian and Greek food and it’s a special meal as we celebrate our time together. Mark took charge and presented stoles to our leaders on behalf of the group and we all gave them a big round of applause for their fine work on our behalf.

Jerusalem – Sunday May 25, 2008

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We’re on our way to Church at Christ Church Jerusalem where we’ll have Holy Communion. Going to Church in Jerusalem – how good is that?

The minister is glad to see the Church full of pilgrims and he uses the Gospel reading from Matthew 6:19-34 with “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven” as his theme. This is a passage to remember and the minister reminded us how Judaism weaves the practice of remembering into their faith. The wearing of the keepah reminds them that God is above and prayer tassels help them remember prayers and the Torah. Even passages like Psalm 119:109 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” – demonstrate Hebrew parallelism, packing two similar ideas into one sentence. Our own self absorption gets in the way of the Kingdom of God as an activity, an action that nothing should get in the way of. Jesus helps by saying, “don’t worry” and this should help our focus. Worrying diminishes our life and frustrates Jesus’ plans for us. How to get started when you don’t know where to start? Try praying “Lord, I’m willing to be made willing.”

During Holy Communion, we sang the bread and wine parts in Hebrew. In his closing comments, the minister made a moving statement: “This Church acknowledges the obvious – we owe everything to the Jews. We’re perhaps the only Church in Jerusalem that does this.”

Throughout the whole service, we were treated to wonderful music, some in Hebrew, all led be a gifted worship team. It was an incredible two hours.

Out in the patio in front of the Church we had a cold drink before moving on to our next stop – the Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem.

The museum is laid out in several rooms on the old wall and traces Jerusalem’s history from ancient times to the present. The displays and descriptions are well done and the old wall is the perfect setting.

Moving on we go to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park – The Temple Mount Excavations. When the Romans destroyed the Temple, they pushed the remains over the top from the Temple Mount and this park has been busy finding things, including an inscribed stone indicating it was from the place where people were called to the Temple.

Glen reads Mark 13:2 in the midst of the rubble where Jesus predicts the Temple’s destruction. He also reads Matthew 4:1-5 where Satan tempts Jesus from the highest point of the Temple – that was a bad idea as Jesus reminds us “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Sitting on the steps under the wall, Kim reads Acts 2:1-13, 40-41, the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost and many are baptized. Kim’s message is that this is not a one time event from long ago, but an ongoing process, with us today and always. Leslie gets up and talks about three important events and how they can shape us – Lent for teaching and equipping, Crucifixion, the meaning of everything and Pentecost – filled with the Holy Spirit we can go and do something powerfully.

Jerusalem – Saturday May 24, 2008

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Today, we head for the Mount of Olives, the place where Jesus ascended into Heaven. We’re in a small building called the Chapel of Ascension and there’s a rock in there that’s meant to be the place Jesus ascended from.

Down the road a bit at a 5^th century French church called St. Helena’s, we learn that this is one of the celebrated locations for the giving of the Lord’s Prayer by Jesus. Many, many languages are represented by plaques on the wall and I take pictures of English, Chinese and Latvian We say the Lord’s Prayer in the languages represented by our group.

Glen gets us together and we read Zechariah 14:1-9 where the prophecy is that the Mount of Olives will be split in two when the Lord comes and reigns. This will be “a day known to the Lord.” Glen also reads Acts 1:1-12 where Jesus’ ascension from the Mount of Olives is described. Glen homily lets us know that Jesus’ being raised from the dead is more than a miracle. Jesus comes as the new Adam, God turning back the wheels of time to Adam, making us new creations.

In a final reading at the Mount of Olives, Glen reads 1 Kings 11:6. King Solomon turns to idols, not pleasing to the Lord. At the Mount of Olives, Solomon sets up idols for some of his wives.

We move on to the Garden of Gethsemene – the place Jesus and the disciples came to after the Last Supper. They would have walked through the Golden Gate and we look up and see the two bricked up arches.

Jesus came here to pray and Kim leads us by reading Matthew 26:30-50. It’s a critical time and the disciples are sleeping! – three times! Jesus tells Peter he will deny Him three times. Building on this three times theme, Kim challenges us by asking if we’re alert for the times when Jesus speaks to us in our lives?

After Kim’s homily, we find a quiet place for reflection and prayer in the garden and I read John 17 where Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples and for all believers. I look over and see Marilyn in her time of reflection.

Back into Old Jerusalem, we walk the Via Dolorosa. Winding along the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City, this is the traditional route Jesus followed bearing His cross from Pilate’s Judgment Hall to Calvary, the site of the crucifixion. Today’s narrow, interesting streets are full of vendors which would have the situation in Jesus’ time. We stop at the place where Simon of Cyrene was forced by the Romans to carry the Cross, reading Mark 15:21.

In order to get to the final stations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we cross a roof and go down through the Ethiopian Church. Kim reminds us of the incredibly important role of the early churches in Africa and how they kept the Christian faith alive in the first centuries. Some of the earliest Christian manuscripts came from them.

The final Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa are at the Holy Sepulchre Basilica. As an eastern church, I was amazed at the number of Russian pilgrims crowding in.

Our next stop was Caiaphus’ house. Caiaphus was the high priest of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious authority and here Jesus stands before him and is acused of blasphemy. Kim reads Matthew 26:57-27:1 which describes the details of his trial with Caiaphus and Peter’s denial of Jesus.

We go down into the pit of Caiaphus’ house where people would be held, possibly including Jesus. It would have been an awful place and Tom reads Psalm 88, where “down to the pit” and “the lowest pit” give us some idea of what Jesus might have endured there.

Outside the house, we walk on the very steps that Jesus would have used as he was taken to Pilate.

Jerusalem – Friday May 23, 2008

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In the morning we came to the Western Wall, formerly referred to as the Wailing Wall. After the 1967 war, Jewish pilgrims were able to come freely to this revered place, marking the place where they can pray in an area closest to the destroyed Temple.

As we approach the wall, many Orthodox Jews are praying, a sound of murmuring emphasizing their prayer attitude. In the Jewish tradition, the Temple Mount is the focal point of Creation. No wonder that it’s so special to them.

I go up the wall and stick a piece of paper in the wall with names on it. Adding my own prayer it was a special feeling as I touched the wall.

We walk through tunnels that follow the Western Wall and come to a place purported to be closest to the Temple’s Holy of Holies. There are Jewish women praying against the wall as we walk by.

Glen gathers us in sight of the wall and reads from 1 Peter 2:4-8 – Jesus is the “living stone” and so are we - “being built into a spiritual house”. So within sight of spot where the Temple of Jerusalem used to be, we’re the temple! We’re built on Christ’s cornerstone with our own “stones”.

Tom, our guide, takes us to a presentation area where we can see what the various stages of the Temple looked like, starting with King David, the first temple under Solomon and the second temple built by Herod the Great.

We come up from down below and end up on the Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus took when he carried the Cross. Today we go to Lithostrotus, Pilate’s judgment hall - the place where Jesus was condemned. We stand on the very flagstones where that event happened.

We pass by a place revered as the tomb of King David.

Moving on, we come to the place celebrated as the spot where the Last Supper was held in the Upper Room. Duke leads us in a Scripture reading – the Last Supper – from Luke 22:7-38 – the place where the first Communion started. Making a powerful point that Christians understand but love hearing again and again and again, Duke reminds us all we need is Christ’s bread and wine, that’s the starting point. Duke also refers to John 13:1-17, where He washes the disciples feet and in that place we passed dishes of water around and dipped our fingers in, serving each other, reminded of Jesus’ servanthood and how the “first will be last and last will be first.”

We walk through the Zion gate and learn that’s not where Mount Zion was. From the conflict between the Israeli and Jordanians in 1948 onwards, we see bullet pock marks – this was the dividing line after 1948.

We stop at the grave of Oscar Schindler, lionized in the movie “Schindler’s List”. As a sign of appreciation, people put a stone on his tomb and we learn that the workers at the cemetery clear many stones. Tom acknowledges Schindler’s courage – a Polish national, not Jewish, taking huge risks to his own safety to protect Jews under Nazi Germany. Tom’s message is not lost on us - what risks are we prepared to take?

We go to the Garden Tomb, which may have been a property owned by Joseph of Aramathea. It was this Joseph who made a tomb available for Jesus’ burial when He was taken down from the Cross. The real place may be the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is close to this location. No matter – this place gives us an idea of what the real place might have been like. There was a lot of archeological work done and the excavations revealed a cistern, wine press and the tomb of a wealthy person. We went into the tomb and had a moment reflecting on Glen’s reading of John 20:1-23 when Mary encountered the empty tomb. We also read 1 Corinthians 15:1-11where the Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus appeared to more than 500 after his resurrection.

The Garden Tomb has chapel areas and Kim celebrated a moving Eucharist service and Glen did some anointing.

After our evening meal, we went to a presentation by Salim Manyer, the Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College. He used his own life experience to give us a detailed perspective of the complexity of the situation in the Middle East. Salim is a Christian Palestinian and his only choice for High School in Israel was a Jewish one – the first time Christians in that part of the world were under Jewish authority. He studied in the US and began teaching to converted Israelis and Palestinians. This was not easy with border checkpoints and restrictions. Finding a ministry of reconciliation, he ran wilderness programs with Jews and Palestinian Christians; one of the more successful programs was 15 camels with a Christian and Jew on each one for four days – breakthroughs happened out of necessity and isolation. In this situation, by age 5, Israeli and Palestinian children have formed strong views of hatred and discord. Identity conflicts are hard to resolve and sometimes it’s a comfort to remain or be a victim. Salim remains hopeful and commited to his work even as the Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem have gone from 20% in 1948 to 2% today. He explained that the Oslo agreement failed because it was only diplomats talking to each other, not people. He finished his discussion by advising us to have multiple channels fo information about the situation in the Middle East.

Jerusalem – Thursday May 22, 2008

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As we drive up to Jerusalem, the landscape is treeless and rocky. We pass by a number of Bedouin camps that are nothing more than primitive shacks with a few animals being tended.

As we come in sight of Jerusalem, the sound system of the bus plays some wonderful music – all of it praising Jerusalem. Not a dry eye to be found!

In Jerusalem, we head for the City of David where last year they found the palace of King David. We slosh our way through Hezekiah’s tunnel and exit by the Pool of Siloam. Glen reads from 2 Kings 18-20 and we learn Hezekiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” and he was able to hold off the Assyrians because their water supply was assured through the tunnel he built for that purpose. What a walk through the tunnel! It was about 30 minutes of walking through a narrow and sometimes short passage, using flashlights. It was some feat of engineering to cut that tunnel in 800 BC.

From Tiberius to Qumran – Thursday May 22, 2008

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Leaving Tiberius, we have Morning Prayer and Glen prepares our day by reading 1 Samuel 31 where King Saul and his son Jonathan have fallen in battle to the Philistines at “Beth Shan”, a place we’ll be visiting today. As well, Glen reads 2 Samuel 2:17-27, David’s beautiful lament for Saul and Jonathan. Duke adds to our Morning Prayer experience with his ever present guitar.

We drive through the Jordan Valley and see old bridges from the time of the Via Maris, the ancient trade route. This is also an important farming area.

We come to Bet She’an National Park, the site of Israelite battles, with King David eventually taking it and King Solomon making it an administrative centre. The Romans renamed it Nysa-Scythopolis and built magnificent public buildings, engraved with inscriptions and adorned with statues. Today, it’s a major archeological site.

The bathhouse structures at Bet She’an are quite elaborate and in their heyday had hot and tepid bathing halls and a heating system. We walk down “Palladius Street” and “Silanus Street” and get a feel for what a major Roman city of 70,000 was like. Public lavatories that had running water almost 2,000 years ago and a large theatre were a couple of the stops along the way. It’s a fabulous archeological treasure, very complex and the engineering behind it is impressive.

This was a pagan city in Roman times, we stop at a temple to Marcus Aurelius, with huge pillars that collapsed during an 8^th century earthquake. The inside part of the temple is very small as the “worshippers” do not go inside the temple.

Travelling through the West Bank, we see sophisticated see through wire security fences that are patrolled by Israeli soldiers in vehicles. The purpose of the security fence is to control access and the potential of suicide bombers. Our guide, Tom, thinks this is working as suicide bombings have been reduced greatly since the fence went up.

The Jordan valley is a dry wilderness, with many place names we would recognize from the Bible. Nablus is biblical Shechem. Sodom and Gomorrah are at the south end of the Dead Sea. Gilgal, a place Joshua conquered, is where the prophet Elijah goes up to Heaven. We pass by Jericho – where “the walls came tumbling down” a very long time ago. We look over at the other side of the Jordan at “Bethany Beyond-the-Jordan” – the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. We’ll be stopping there next week when we come back through Jordan.

In sight of the Dead Sea we stop at Qumran National Park, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. A break away sect called the Essenes made scrolls of the Old Testament, the Apocrypha and their own works. Hidden in jars in a cave for almost 2000 years, scholars are now able to plumb their magnificent legacy. The Essenes were ascetics and paid great attention to ritual bathing and purity. They lived a communal lifestyle and the location included ritual baths as well as a Scriptorium – the writing room – where as many as 10 copies could be made at one time.

Galilee and the Jordan River – Wed. May 21, 2008

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What a great day this is going to be. We’ll be in the evangelical triangle of Bethsaida, Korazim and Capernaum as the points in the triangle. We won’t visit Bethsaida because there’s nothing to see, but I have my own moment reflecting on the name Bethesda, my father’s childhood home near Stouffville, Ontario, Canada.

About 70% of Jesus’ ministry was done in this area, so we’re going to get a ton of teaching and Scripture today.

Our first visit is to the town of Korazim at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. After Jesus taught here, Korazim did not turn from its wickedness and was condemned by him. But Jesus would have been in the synagogue and sat in the chair of Moses. The teacher, or rabbi, would sit down when he was about to make an important point. Naturally, I had to sit in that chair – it’s made of stone and has lasted the age. So I sat where Jesus sat!

In Jesus’ teaching at Korazim, he was critical of the oral tradition which was the accepted way of teaching in Jesus’ time. Jesus wanted emphasis on the written Torah. So when Jesus spoke against “the law”, it was the oral tradition he was referring to. Rabbinic traditions were oral and some of these were not in agreement with the Law of Moses. Glen had a baseball analogy to describe this – they had all the bases covered, but there were maggots under home plate

Next, we went to the Church of the Beatitudes, a beautiful Catholic Church done in an octagon – one for every Beatitude. Matthew 5:1-12 is the Scripture where Jesus taught the Beatitudes near this very place. In a time of prayer and reflection, I remembered my Mother when she was hospitalized with a heart attack, reciting the Beatitudes on the hospital gurney. The Eucharist was celebrated by Kim in a beautiful place by the Church.

As we left, the Church of the Beatitides, the parking lot was jammed with buses – the tourism industry in Israel is doing just fine.

As we leave the area, we view a ‘Y’ shaped valley, celebrated as the spot where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:13 -7:27. Sound tests done recently, indicate that as many as 20,000 could have seen and heard Jesus’ Sermon.

We arrive in Capernaum, the home of Simon Peter and the town which Jesus made his headquarters. There are numerous Bible passages attributed to this place: Matthew 4:13 Matthew 8:5-17;11:23, 17:24; Mark 1:21, 2:1, 9:33;Luke 4:23, 31, 7:1; John 2:12, 4:46, 6:17, 24,6:59. What a joy it will be to read all of these passages when I’m back in Toronto.

At Capernaum, we walk to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter and Tom our tour leader gives a homily based on John 21. Peter’s had a rough time and Jesus picks him up and gives him a job: “Take care of my sheep”. We’re left to ponder the question “What job does Jesus have for me?”

Glen’s readings about the faith of the centurion are a model for all of us. The centurion had not met Jesus, but had faith nonetheless and Jesus acknowledges him for this. The story of Thomas is contrasted against this.

Now it’s off to the River Jordan, the river which John the Baptist baptized many, including Jesus, so this river has a powerful place in Christian belief. We gather in an area reserved for us with steps going into the Jordan and Glen reads Matthew 3. Duke’s knee deep, playing his guitar. I went in up to my knees and Glen offered a prayer of repentance as water from the Jordan was poured into my cupped hands. Later, others had their baptisms rededicated, some with total immersion. There was a lot of joy and peace as we made our way from the water.

Galilee Area/Hazor/Dan – Tuesday May 20, 2008

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From our hotel in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee, Kim does Morning Prayer on the bus and reads Psalm 96 as we look out over the water that Jesus walked on – “Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.” How special and awesome it was to sing songs of praise like “My Jesus, My Saviour” and “These Are the Days of Elijah” looking at that water.

A freshwater body, the Sea of Galilee might be the size of one of the big Muskoka lakes.

Our first stop is Tel Hazor, the largest and most important archaeological tel in Northern Israel. There is evidence of a building that has identical dimensions to a Babylonian location where a cuneiform library was found, and they are looking for a similar library at Tel Hazor and that would be a significant find. In later times, the Cananites occupied Tel Hazor until Joshua took it as described in Joshua 11:10. And further on it became an important royal city (Judges 4:12; 1 Kings 9:15; 2 Kings 15:29)

As we drive north to Tel Dan, we go through a valley that’s a major flyway for birds migrating from Europe and Asia to Africa. It’s referred to as the third best birdwatching area in the world.

Travelling north to the Golan Heights, we arrive at Tel Dan, a green, lush area. Water and springs come out at the top the hill because of impenetrable rock formation. This makes it an easier place to defend with an assured water source. The Dan River that starts here is one of three rivers that feed the Jordan. Some of the hiking trails remind me of rainforest in Australia and Costa Rica – it’s that lush. Many groups are coming through, especially school groups with an armed guard bringing up the rear.

Ancient Dan has lots to say. In 1 Kings 12:26-33, Glen reads how King Jeroboam tries to be inclusive and strays badly from God’s teaching, making golden calves that were set up in Bethel and here in Dan.

From the city ruins, we learn about the importance of the city gate, where people coming in are sighted by a “judge” – someone who can make a decision about whether a person can pass in or not. As well, this judge would also resolve local disputes and pass judgments from a seat just inside the gate. Duke took a picture of me sitting on the judge’s seat. Glen’s Scripture references underscore the importance of good and fair “judging” – Proverbs 31:9 “Speak up and judge fairly..”, and of being witnesses – Ruth 4:11 “Then the elders and all those at the gate said ‘We are witnesses.’”

At Tel Dan, archeologists found a tablet fragment with an inscription of the King of Damascus boasting of victory over the House of David. This is the first time the words “house of David” were discovered outside the Bible. 2 Samuel 8 describes the great victories of David.

From Tel Dan we go to Banias known to Christians as Caesaria Philippi. One of Herod the Great’s sons, Herod Philip, is given responsibility for this place, where water from Mount Hermon flowed at one time from a large cave. It was a cultic site, dedicated to the God Pan, and because the water was coming from an unknown depth, it was believed to be the gateway to the netherworld. The nickname for this place was “The gates of hell” and we see reference to this as Duke reads Matthew 16:14 – 17:2 as Jesus affirms Peter “And on this rock I will build my church, and gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Duke’s homily after the reading centres around Jesus’ question to Peter: “Who do you say I am?” and the question that comes to us individually and the choice we can make.

The water at Banias now flows out of the mountain in a different place and this water is another important tributary to the Jordan River.

From Banias, we drive south to the Sea of Galilee and stop at a kibbutz that has a first century fishing boat on display. It was found in 1986 when the water receded and then carefully removed and restored. This boat may be not unlike the one Jesus and his disciples travelled on.

Moving on, we arrive at the Sea of Galilee and board a boat that will take us to Tiberius and our hotel.

Finally, the Sea of Galilee. The Canadian flag is raised and we proudly sing “O Canada”. Next, some great revival music that gets all of us going, some up dancing in the boat.

Duke takes us into the story of Jesus walking on water and he covers three versions in the gospels: Matthew 14:22, Mark 4:35 and John 6:16. Peter comes out to walk on the water, but taking his eye off Jesus, he sinks. Key message: Don’t take your eye off Jesus! In John’s version at John 6:21, the apostles “were willing to take Him into the boat…” Key message: What is our destination? Are we willing to have Jesus in the boat with us?

We prayed for a while, right on the Sea of Galilee, some of us calling out names of people we’re thinking about.

We arrived at the dock after a sing-along with the crew featuring Jewish songs, Duke joining in with guitar.

Nazareth Village – May 19, 2008

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We come to modern day Nazareth, which is no longer a small village of a few hundred people when Jesus lived there. In order to get a feel for what life was like there 2000 years ago, we went to Nazareth Village, a re-creation of a village setting with vineyard, wine press, cistern, a house of that era, a synagogue, olive and pomegranate trees, goats and a donkey, with people dressed for that time.

From a watchtower, Glen read from Isaiah 5 – The Song of the Vineyard – “The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight.”

The attention to detail in this re-created village is splendid and as we gather in the synagogue, we read Luke 4:14-29, where Jesus is rejected at Nazareth. As Jesus reads in the synagogue from Isaiah, he sits down at the end of the reading. Apparently, when the rabbi or teacher sits down, this is the indication to all that something important is going to be said and you should listen carefully. As Jesus says, “Today this prophecy is fulfilled in your hearing” clearly indicating he is the Messiah, the people were furious and drove him out of the town, making Jesus words “No prophet is accepted in his hometown” ring true. They wanted to throw Jesus off a cliff “but he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.”

May 19, 2008 – Megiddo

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Megiddo is an archeological treasure, with 25 known levels of history dating back into antiquity. What gave it strategic importance was the protection of trade caravans that went between Egypt, Asia and Europe. Of particular value to the ancient Egyptians were the spices needed in the mummification process and a camel caravan carrying these spices was worth a fortune. Later, in King Solomon’s time, he built a walled fortified city (1 Kings 9:15; 10:26).

At Megiddo, we are able to look into the Valley Of Jezreel and from a Biblical perspective this place is referred to as the Valley of Armageddon. In Duke’s talk to us, as we looked over this very place, he spoke of three key messages from the Book of Revelation: that there will be peace, that you don’t want to box with God and we will be united with God.

Glen reminds us that in Genesis 37:29 that Joseph was sold by his brothers to Midianite merchants on their way to Egypt. Megiddo would surely have been one of their stops.

Megiddo is also a place of water and we see the water tunnel there and get a perspective of the enormous efforts made to find and secure a water source.

May 19, 2008 – Caesaria – the steps St. Paul walked on

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After Paul made his appeals to the governors, being held in Caesaria for about two years, he was sent to Rome to make his appeal to Caesar. He would have left from the port of Caesaria and there was only one set of steps used to board the boats. We walked those very steps.

May 19, 2008 – Caesaria

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Driving north from Tel Aviv in the morning, we had Morning Prayer on the bus, led by Kim and the Scripture lesson Acts 10:24-48 described as “Peter at Cornelius’ House”. It’s an appropriate passage, as Peter is going from Joppa to Caesaria, just like us. And when Peter gets to Caesaria, he preaches to a group of Gentiles and while this is happening the Holy Spirit came to all who heard the message, even the Gentiles, and they were baptized as well. For Peter, a Jew, this was a lesson for him that Christ’s message is for the whole world.

Arriving in Caesaria, we go a Roman theatre, built by Herod the Great in the Hesmonium period, just before the birth of Christ. Herod, a Jew, was also a Roman citizen, closely aligned with Rome. We learn that the theater is a place where people go to learn how to be good Roman citizens. Rome conquered the Greeks and took Hellenism to themselves which embraced two basic concepts – the search for pleasure and the search for beauty. This describes much of today’s secular world and a cynic might say that Hellenism has won the day, as compared to Hebrew thinking which simply states “The Lord is my shepherd.”

What is of historical significance to Christians is that the Apostle Paul would surely have been in this very theatre, pleading his case with the Roman governors of the day to send him to Rome to go before Caesar, as the Jewish leadership wanted to kill him. So we went to the very place and stood where Paul would have stood.

Acts 23, 24, 25 & 26 describe Paul’s trials before Felix, Festus and Agrippa. Pastor Duke spoke powerfully at the place of the former harbour at Caesaria about the “no boundaries” approach Paul took in his teaching and Duke encouraged us to take that thinking with us in our lives as Christians in not holding ourselves back in our communities, our Churches and in our families.

May 19, 2008 – Caesaria

2008-05-21T00:11:00.001-04:00

Driving north from Tel Aviv in the morning, we had Morning Prayer on the bus, led by Kim and the Scripture lesson Acts 10:24-48 described as “Peter at Cornelius’ House”. It’s an appropriate passage, as Peter is going from Joppa to Caesaria, just like us. And when Peter gets to Caesaria, he preaches to a group of Gentiles and while this is happening the Holy Spirit came to all who heard the message, even the Gentiles and they were baptized as well. For Peter, a Jew, this was a lesson for him that Christ’s message is for the whole world.

Arriving in Caesaria, we go a Roman theatre, built by Herod the Great in the Hesmonium period, just before the birth of Christ. Herod, a Jew, was also a Roman citizen, closely aligned with Rome. We learn that the threatre is a place where people go to learn how to be good Roman citizens. Rome conquered the Greeks and took Hellinism to themselves which embraced two basic concepts – the search for pleasure and the search for beauty. This describes much of today’s secular world and a cynic might say that Hellenism has won the day, as compared to Hebrew thinking which simply states “The Lord is my shepherd.”

What is of historical significance to Christians is that the Apostle Paul would surely have been in this very theatre, pleading his case with the Roman governors of the day to plead his case with Caesar in Rome, as the Jewish leadership wanted to kill him. So we went to the very place and stood where Paul would have stood.

May 18, 2008 Jaffa, Israel

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Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, we drove a short distance south to Jaffa – an ancient Egyptian and Cannanite city, considered the world’s oldest port. From here, Jonah sailed for Tarshish, but was swallowed by the whale. And by a building celebrated as the home of Simon the Tanner, we read in Acts 10:6 “(Simon Peter) is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.” This was the first Scripture that came alive with a real place (see picture of the doorway to Simon the Tanner’s). As well, Jaffa was home to Tabitha who was resurrected by Peter, described in Acts 9.

May 17 and 18 travel to Tel Aviv via Rome

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May 17/18, 2008

Travel days offer up the good and the bad. I always start out hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. Travelling with 20 other Christians helped as we went to the Toronto Airport Chapel after checking in and had a communion service in a peaceful place. Somehow it wasn’t an airport anymore and as we made our way to our Alitalia flight to Rome, the peace stayed. Leaving at 5:30 Saturday afternoon, we arrived in Rome at 2:10 am Toronto time, hardly rested and into the joke that is Rome airport. Oops, peace gone. Cattle car buses taking passengers to and from the tarmac – few real gates in a run down hodgepodge of buildings. We had to clear security and the lines to get through soon turned into chaos with people going under the tapes or just removing them. Finally in the waiting room for our flight to Tel Aviv, we found a coffee stand that served up amazing Americanos – son-in-law Peter, the Toronto restauranter, would be glad to know we found some good joe. Arriving in Tel Aviv, the pilgrimage to the Holy Land begins.

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The planned event itinerary from May 17^th to June 1^st includes:

Arrive in Tel Aviv, see the city’s main sites and visit Joppa, an historic site to the south of Tel Aviv
Drive north along the old Mediterranean coastal road – the Via Maris – which linked ancient Egypt and Babylon. We stop at Caesarea, built by Herod, where Paul embarked for Tarsus and where Philip preached. In Caesarea we’ll see the Roman Theatre and Aqueduct.
Continuing to Megiddo, one of King Solomon’s walled fortified cities which contains 20 different levels of civilization.
Next stop is Nazareth where Jesus grew up.
On to the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, staying in Tiberius.
Board a boat for an on board worship service on the Sea of Galilee, before heading to Capernaum, where Jesus started his ministry.
Continue to Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
Drive to the Mount of Beatitudes, overlooking the Sea of Galilee for a time of Eucharist and silence.
Continue to Bethsaida, fortified city from the Old Testament.
Stop at Be’it Sean, where the bodies of King Saul and his sons were hung in humiliation on the city walls by the Philistines.
Go to the holy city of Jerusalem and see Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Pool of Siloam, Mount of Olives, Chapel of Ascension, Church of Pater Noster, Garden of Gethsemane, Church of All Nations, Kidron Valley, St. Stephen’s Gate, Old City, Church of Saint Anne, Pool of Bethesada, the Lithostrotos, Pilate’s Judgment Hall, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Citadel, Jaffa Gate, Western Wall Tunnels, Jewish Quarter (Mount Zion, Zion Gate, Schlinder’s Grave, Tomb of King David, Upper Room, Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book (where the Dead Sea scrolls are housed). House of Caiaphas, St. Peter in Gallicantu, Dung Gate and Western Wall. Southern Temple Steps (where Jesus walked and taught), Tower of David, Museum of the History of Jerusalem
Visit Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered.
Hike the Ein Gedi National Park. “Float” in the Dead Sea
Visit mountain top fortress in Masada.
Cross the border into Jordan to Aqaba. Drive to Wadi Rum, Little Petra, Petra and back to the Dead Sea.
Depart for the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus.
Continue to Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the Promised Land
Back to Tel Aviv for the trip home.

Israel/Jordon 2008

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My wife Marilyn & I are getting ready for a trip to Israel and Jordon during the last two weeks of May, 2008. We're part of a church group organized through an Anglican Church in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. A group from our Church in Toronto - the Anglican Church of the Resurrection - has joined in, including our Pastor, Duke and his wife Deborah. Marilyn & I had talked of wanting to go to Israel and when we had the opportunity to go with our own Pastor, that tipped the scales. Now when I challenge Duke on his sermons and teaching, I should be able to blubber away with more information and a new frame of reference.

This coming Tuesday, we'll finish a 5 week "course", preparing us for the trip. It's taught by Glen, an Old Testament prof from Wycliffe College in Toronto. He's spent a lot of time in Israel and coupled with his knowledge of the Old Testament, we're in good hands. We've gotten a grounding in geography, history and watched DVD's of the areas we'll be seeing. As well, we have reference material, maps and commentaries. I don't recall ever being this prepared for a trip and a good thing too as we'll be "drinking from a firehose" as we whisk around the country.

We're encouraged to keep a journal, so this gave me the encouragement to start my first blog. I'm looking forward to posting my reports, hoping to cover what I've seen, significant conversations and how this has affected my faith journey.