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

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

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

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

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

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.