Saint John's in the Holy Land

Postscript

2008-04-16T11:36:00.003-07:00

This is the first time Jim or I have been group leaders for a tour and we thank all of you for your kind and caring attitudes, your helpful actions, your sharing on the bus of goodies bought for ‘taste-testing’, your prayers and encouraging words. I thank Nancy for the worship and song book, and for her daily bus song to get us going each morning. Already I see a number of ways to improve and sharpen a future tour, the God willing. However, with God’s grace and guidance, these ten days together were such inspiration, blessing, and education that I have nothing but humble thanks to our group and to the Lord. I also thank Pastor Carl Nielsen, our friend and E.O. travel mentor, for his encouragement and guidance in sponsoring this tour.

In His Service,
Randy

Wednesday, April 2

2008-04-16T11:36:00.001-07:00

We arrived in Newark at 4:45 AM, went through Passport and Customs in the USA, and boarded the jet for take off at 6:45 AM to LAX. Arriving at about 10:00 AM West Coast time, we all found our luggage, except Jeannine (it came Friday to SLO) and we gave farewell hugs, then departed in cars for home in Arroyo Grande. Some of us got chest colds and laryngitis even after getting home; Al was diagnosed with pneumonia, so it was a tough few days for him, but he did not complain and was a blessing to us all. We each had a blessed time and were filled with vivid images and experiences as we walked in Jesus’ steps.

To God be the glory!

Randy

Tuesday, April 1

2008-04-16T11:35:00.001-07:00

With our final Israeli breakfast of fresh vegetables, fruits, sauces, pickled ???, hard boiled eggs and omelets, plus their mystery coffee, we set off right at 8 AM for Cana, the town four miles from Nazareth, where in John 2 where Jesus turned the water into wine. On the Altar of this beautiful, smallish Catholic Church there are six large stone water jars, just as in the scripture event that held the Jewish ceremonial water. When Jesus transformed the water to this best of wine, he was showing the glory of the New Covenant that is fulfilling the Old Covenant. Here we thank Aladin for guiding us to the Friar who led us up front so that Pastor Jim could conduct our planned ‘Renewal of Marriage Vows”. We also learned that Aladin kept other pilgrims (the excited Nigerian Christians) to the rear until we completed the five minute liturgy – thanks!

We had to watch the clock in order to arrive at the Nazareth Village by 9:30 AM, and with everyone’s cooperation and Eddy’s good driving we arrived a few minutes early. This Village is a re-creation of life in Jesus’ time, is a ministry of Arab Christians, and it is housed in a YMCA facility. Some years ago they discovered this hillside with ancient terracing still intact, as well as remains of stone grape crushing and drainage stones. We began with a series of indoor displays that showed the culture and political reality of Jesus’ day in Nazareth under Roman rule. With the help of expert New Testament scholar Dr. Kenneth Bailey, the Biblical parables and teaching tools of everyday life that Jesus so effectively used were developed for all to see and hear as we walk along the pathways. Our guide, along with the people dressed in clothing of Biblical days, showed us the fields, the plows, the hard path, the sheep, the sheepfold, and how Jesus made spiritual points and truths with them. The Synagogue was so carefully built and the explanation of Jesus being handed the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah was reenacted. When he chose to read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news…healing…” (Luke 4, quoting Isaiah 60), the people were amazed, then later offended as Jesus interpreted this good word to mean he was God’s Messiah to bring this good news to Gentiles as well as to Jews. In anger they rushed to throw him over the cliff for his ‘heresy’. The Olive Press building was not only authentic to the first century, but also used seasonally by the Village to actually press and bottle olives. The Woodworker’s House had a ‘Joseph’ character show us how his first century tools worked and a woman carded sheep’s wool and spun it for weaving a blanket. This was so real and educational. At the end of the tour we received a small clay oil lamp to take home. Later at the airport security, these became items of grave concern!

On our way through the Jezreel Valley we were given a blessed surprise by Eddie and Aladin, who turned onto a side road and pulled over for us to see the roadside family cave tomb. This was accidentally uncovered by the highway department a few years ago and we thrilled at this first century era find. We were on our way up the hill to Mt. Carmel on the coast just south of Haifa. This is the site of the famous contest led by the OT Prophet Elijah, who challenged the priests of Baal (endorsed by the Israelite King Ahab and his foreign wife, Jezebel) to a contest showing which was the one true God, Yahweh, or Baal. – I Kings 18-19. As the Lord brought down both fire and later water, Elijah bravely gave witness to God. The view here is wonderful, looking (when it is clear) to the north to see Mt. Herman in Lebanon, across to the Nazareth hills, to Mt. Tabor (the Mount of the Transfiguration) across the valley floor, to the Israeli air force base in the middle, to the Mediterranean Sea to the west. The Carmelite Sisters are based at this site, are devoted to prayer and silence, and have order houses all over the world. At the base of the Mount is a settlement of the Druze people. This is an old and secretive sect broken off from Judaism. They dress with distinctive baggy black clothes, and defy modernity. We lunched at a Druze eatery serving either schwarmas or falafels.

Our final tour stop was to the archeological coastal city of Caesarea. The extensive ruins are showing us two millennia later the lavish life style of Herod the Great. He designed and had this city built in honor of the Caesar at Rome. We started out seeing the existent portion of the Roman aqueduct and playing in the surf. Later we were seated in the excavated and inspiring open air theatre facing the seashore. Scripture was read in Acts about Peter meeting Cornelius in Caesarea to learn God’s lesson about the truth that in the Gospel of Jesus what and who was thought to be ritually unclean is now acceptable and pleasing. The palace foundation was actually built of volcanic rock out into the ocean, and after his death successors continued using this site as the capital and headquarters for their governing – and not Jerusalem. The hippodrome is right along the sea, and it was here that the Apostle Paul had his hearing with Governors Felix and Fetus (Acts 24&25). Paul demanded his citizen right to appeal to Caesar, and was sent off by boat from here, and it is the last we really hear from him. After free time to collect potsherds and shells in the sand and surf, we left for dinner – our Last Supper!

The tour company provided for our dinner together at a family eatery in Tel Aviv, and it was here that we gave our ‘tip’ gifts to Aladin and Eddie, along with notes of appreciation for all they did for us this past week together. This was also a gigantic schwarma or kabob meal and we were stuffed.

At 7:00 PM we entered the Tel Aviv Airport area and had a bus security search, then headed into the terminal area. At this point we said goodbyes to Jim and Lani Gilbert who were staying for a four day extension in Jerusalem to wander around and retrace steps on their own. With suitcases in tow we were placed into a holding area for more security interrogations. The head person interviewed me while other helpers were asking similar questions to others in the group. They were concerned especially with the gifted clay oil lamps from Nazareth Village because they could hold explosives. So we were searched and found explosive-less, and allowed to go on to the next level of security check! After 1 ¾ hours we were finally at the gate, and at 11:50 PM pushed out from the gate and bid our stay in God’s Promised Land a tired farewell. This was another marathon day, and we were blessed to have this experience.

In His Service,
Randy

Monday, March 31

2008-04-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

Driving up out of the Galilee bowl up onto the Jezreel Valley we arrived at Beth Shan, the most extensive archeological site (along with Caesarea) in Israel. This was also the only one of the ten Gentile cities of the Decapolis during the time of Jesus. The large Tel (human made hill) at the end of the ancient city was the command post for many empires, from Egyptian to Assyrian, to Babylonian. It was here that the Philistines decapitated King Saul and hung his body (and his sons) on the city wall (I Samuel 31). Perhaps because it is in the Gentile Decapolis and Jews actively avoided contact, that no mention is made in the NT of this city, even though it is on a main route north and south.

The Romans really developed this city in a big way during the decades after Jesus. An acoustically superb open air theatre is beautifully preserved, restored, and used for concerts today. The main strata (street) has a sophisticated sewer drainage system, a fancy bath house, and what we had fun with - the public toilets, with channels for flowing water beneath all the stone seats – privacy, no – but efficiency, yes! There is a wooden tree/cross on the top of the Tel, over on the left side, very visible. Aladin told us that it was used for a production of ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar’, and left there for all to see.

Our next stop was to Megiddo, at the crossroads of the fertile and impressive Jezreel Valley. During the 30 minute drive Aladdin pointed out Mount Gilboa (where King Saul lost the battle and fell onto his sword). This set of highlands begins the territory called ‘Samaria’ and extends southwards past ancient Bethel (now Ramallah in the West Bank). Right up along the highway we saw a prison – Shata – where Israel holds Palestinian political prisoners. Megiddo is a Tel that rises up from 17 layers of cities over the millenniums because it over looks and protects the main routes that all armies and empires would need to have traveled and controlled. Recent digs have exposed an ancient Canaanite era large, raised, round stone altar, used for child and human sacrifice in heathen worship. Angela wondered if the pagan altar in the recent movie ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe’ used this as their model – it looks just the same with the steps in the front as well.

This is the site known to Christians as Armageddon (Hebrew for Mountain of Megiddo), and referred to in Revelations 16:16. Many believe this to be the site for the final show-down battle between the forces of Satan and this world vs. God, so many Christians flock to this site. My take is that the final show-down was at Calvary where God in Christ defeated death and the forces of Satan once for all; everything afterwards is ‘mop-up’. The land of Israel was used by God for the lead-up to this fullness of time in Jesus Christ, and through Jesus we now live in the Kingdom of the heart, liberated from that land. In fact, this is the message of Christianity that can be the new word and Good News to these tired battles over the centuries and millenniums over this ‘promised land’. Having said this, I do believe that it is in the interests of USA and the world to have a democratic and pro-western country in the Middle East. However, I do not agree with many Christian teachings that say we must have the nation of Israel in order for the Lord to return. Jesus said clearly that we will not know the time or the place of the end times and return, so be alert, awake, and fruitful, trusting in the victory already won.

We then ate lunch at a buffet place that thrives on bus tour people. It served excellent food but was so inefficiently laid out that even I wanted to re-organize it for them! Then off we went back to the Galilee region and up to see the grand vista on top of Mt. Arbel. This is another of the add-ons to the original schedule that I asked our guide to help us see, if possible. This high point is at the NW corner of the Sea of Galilee and has sheer cliffs 1,500 feet down on the north. Going through this northern side is the Valley of the Doves, and this is where the winds come off the Mediterranean Sea, across the upper Jezreel Valley, and swooping down onto the lake, causing the sudden waves and storms referred to in the Gospels.
At the base of the cliff is the ancient fishing town of Magdala, where Jesus healed Mary of seven demons, and hence her devotion to Jesus. From up here the whole north and east part of the lake is visible as well as the Golan Heights across the way. Because of the seasonal air mist, we were not able to see as clearly as in the winter – however, it was still a grand overview. It was here we overheard Candy say, “I could live here!”. This is where Jesus walked – through the Valley of the Doves to Nazareth, some 8 miles away; back and forth from Magdala to Capernaum; riding in the boats out on the water before us; this is where Jesus actualized the Kingdom of God!

Our final stop of the day was down the mount and along the northern shore to the traditional site of the Feeding of the Five Thousand at Tabgha. The church on this site is called the Church of the Multiplication of Bread. This is beautiful in its simplicity of lines. The present structure is only within 100 years, but it was built upon an ancient sanctuary site of which the entire floor is mosaic tile, and it is striking. Below the Altar is the famous mosaic of a basket with two fishes and five loaves of bread. Many groups, including us, sang a hymn in this uplifting and stereophonic setting. The church’s gift shop was a hit to Janey and Patty especially.

We returned to Tiberius, had a short team meeting to set our plans for our tour guide and bus driver tips, and then began packing our suitcases for tomorrow, our big and final day in Israel.

In His service,
Randy

Sunday, March 30

2008-04-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

Even with the cloud partly covering the skies, our rooms on the top floor faced the lake and we were treated to amazing views of the Galilee waters, the sunrise slipping through clouds over the Golan Heights to the east, and sunbeams glimmering off the water. Most of all we loved the morning choirs of happily chirping and singing birds! They seemed to be God’s morning wake up call singing the praises of the Lord of all Creation and Salvation! We all decided that the breakfast here was even better than at the Jerusalem hotel – why? Fresh made omelets, fried eggs, and pancakes.

At 8:00 AM we bounded onto the bus and went around the north shore of the lake to the ancient, excavated Capernaum. This was the home of Peter (of which the foundations still are visible), the headquarters of Jesus’ Galilee based ministry (probably at Peter’s home), and the site of many healings and teachings by Jesus. Here Jesus called the fishermen to come and fish for people. One of the most impressive sites here is the Synagogue of Capernaum. The black rock (basalt) foundation is of the Jewish Synagogue of Jesus’ day and built right above it in white stone was a later synagogue that Aladin said was to have served Jewish Christians – which would make it a church.

At Capernaum we proceeded to board a wooden motored boat that was made to look fishing style-like. The Sea of Galilee is actually a fresh water lake 700 feet below sea level, fed by the Jordan River coming from the Mt. Herman water shed to the north. The lake is about 12 miles long and 5 miles wide. Winds come up quickly from the NW through The Valley of the Doves. This being Sunday, we enjoyed a worship service led by Pastor Jim. We also sang and soaked up the awesome reality that we were on the waters of the Sea of Galilee! Reading about Jesus’ walking on the water in the storm out to the scared disciples, and Peter getting out of the boat, we also realized that when we keep our eyes on Jesus we don’t sink, either. We saw from the lake the shore line area where the Sermon on the Mount was spoken, where the feeding the 5,000 occurred, where the risen Lord Jesus ate fish with the disbelieving disciples, and where the risen Jesus re-commissioned Peter in an action of sacred grace – “feed my sheep”, said Jesus to Peter and to us.

We docked an hour later near ancient fishing village of Magdella (meaning ‘tower of fish’) at The Ancient Boat museum. This a Christian run ministry (Messianic Jewish kibbutz) that discovered and has preserved a fishing boat from the first century (Jesus’ time, so this is sometimes called ‘the Jesus boat’). There is a great multi-visual presentation as well as the actual preserved boat for us to see. The gift shop here was a real hit with many of us. What a glorious start to our Sunday of worship and re-creation in the Galilee!

We returned to northern shore of Galilee to view the Mount of Beatitudes Church, another striking Barluzzi design. This is an active Catholic ministry and Mass was to be conducted soon, so we were able to walk the beautifully landscaped grounds on this hillside sloping down to the lake. We also had time for prayer and meditation. The slope of the hill was a natural kind of amphitheatre, and with Jesus down at the water, his voice bounces up in a way that hundreds can hear each word, as recorded in The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Just a short five minutes to the east by bus is the small black basalt structure right on the shore called The Primacy of St. Peter Chapel. Catholic priests from all over the world were celebrating Mass at outdoor areas as well as in the main sanctuary. The power of this site is the post-resurrection moment when Jesus appears on the shore and calls for the disciples to through the nets on the other side of the boat. At his word they pull in 153 fish, and realize their master is indeed risen as he said he would! They have fish breakfast and then Jesus three times asks Peter, ‘Do you love me? – feed my sheep’. A German artist sculptured a statue that dramatically captures this great gift of grace.

Leaving the ancient Jewish territory, we drive past Capernaum and over to east side of lake, into the Gentile Decapolis (ten cities) area of NT times. We stopped at the ancient site of Kursi, This is where Jesus had both courage to enter this ‘defiled’ area and compassion for all humans possessed by sin and disease. Jesus showed his power over Satan by exorcizing from the Geresene the demons and they entered the herd of pigs that ran into the sea and were killed. While the healed man was so thankful to Jesus, the townspeople were furious at their financial loss – so what has changed over all the centuries!? We bussed five more miles further to a kibbutz for lunch. There most of us ordered St. Peter’s fish and it was great – eyeballs, scales and all. It is so called because Jesus directed Peter to pull in a fish that had swallowed a coin with which Peter could pay the required Temple tax – showing how God provides Matthew 17). Returning through the Kursi area we stopped to see the remains of the Byzantine Christian monastery and church (400’s) and the cave area where the demoniac lived prior to Jesus’ exorcism.

We concluded this wonderful Sunday by driving around the south end of the lake to where the Jordan River continues its trek south towards the Dead Sea. Here we conducted a renewal of Holy Baptism, splashing the water onto our heads and hearing the good words that we are cleansed, forgiven, and accepted forever as Children of God for Jesus’ sake! This area of cement ramps down to the river side was filled with Christians from all over the world! We heard and saw Nigerians, Italians, Germans, Polish, Canadians, Americans, and more! This was a real sense of disciples of all nations that Jesus commissioned his followers to pursue.

In His Service,

Randy

Saturday, March 30

2008-03-29T14:08:00.001-07:00

We rose early (6:00 AM was the usual wake up call) to pack suitcases and place them outside our room by 7 AM. Following another fine breakfast we said goodbye to Jerusalem and drive one hour south towards Masada in the Judean wilderness. This is an arid and severe land with precious little protection from weather or bandits. This road from Jerusalem to Jericho is the setting for Jesus’ famous Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 15. Aladin made a fun game of looking to be the first to find a mountain animal that ‘looks like a deer with a goat’s attitude!’ Velma was the first to spot one of these stubby and sturdy Ibex. Masada is a high butte where King Herod built a military base guarding the southern main route. Later abandoned after his death, it was ‘squatted upon’ by some 960 Jewish men, women, and children who fled the persecutions around Jerusalem in the 60’s A.D. Not to be shown up, the Roman army was ordered to lay siege and starve/dehydrate them. When this failed (because the dissidents were self sustaining) the Army Commander used (mostly) Jewish slave/prisoner of war laborers to construct over a period of 1 ½ years a huge earthen and rock ramp to reach and defeat the dissident Jews. You can imagine the army’s stunned surprise when they were greeted with silence as (nearly) all the men, women, and children died by mutual suicide, preferring a death by loved ones to the anticipated humiliation and certain suffering. We ascended in a modern tram; other wise it would have taken hours to walk. The view was spectacular and the history of this site is still haunting and daunting.

Retracing our steps back about 15 miles, we visited the Dead Sea Scrolls site at Qumran, a religious community from 100. B.C. to 70 A.D. called Essenes. This group of Jewish people were strict, focused on the end time battle between the sons of Light verse the sons of Darkness, and were along the NW corner of the Dead Sea. Most of the scrolls were found in Cave #4 in this steep, barren mountain sides and cliffs of limestone. Having seen some of the scrolls at the museum in Jerusalem, this was an interesting follow up stop. I wonder, did Jesus come to this community either with or to see his cousin John the Baptizer? We ate lunch here at Qumran at a kibbutz-run dining room.

About half of our group did swim and float in (on!) the Dead Sea, which is ten times as salty as the ocean. What a unique and fun event on a very pretty and warm day. Going north and into the West Bank, we arrived at the historic city of Jericho made famous by how the Lord directed Joshua to capture it with only 300 men. This victory began the history and hostilities of the Israelites into the ‘Promised Land’. We walked up onto the ancient Tel at Jericho, and saw the ancient Canaanite stone tower unearthed in the 1930’s.

Today we went through five Israeli/Palestinian check point sites as we went from and to Israel and Palestinian territories. Leaving Jericho, we drove 1 ½ hours north along Jordan River in the West Bank (with the country of Jordan right across the river) to the Sea of Galilee and to the Royal Plaza Hotel in Tiberias, along the west shore, in time for dinner. We all enjoyed the discoveries of the day, and got a good lesson in check point realities that are so restrictive, yet protective.

In His service,
Randy

Friday, March 28

2008-03-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

There was an early morning brief lecture entitled something like “The Galilee of Jesus’ Day”. Leaving as usual at 8:00 AM we drove to the Old City and walked through the wall at the Lions Gate, into the Muslim sector through narrow cobblestone streets with Israeli soldiers at many of the corners, to The Pool of Bethsaida. We get Bethesda from this event and we use this Biblical location for hospitals and places of healing. Here Jesus heals an invalid (John 5), a person who was a stranger and looked down upon by many, yet was of value to the Lord. At the fence we gazed down 30 feet at least and saw the build-up over the centuries since Jesus’ day, with remains of a Byzantine church over the middle of the two parts to the pool. Next door is the Church of St. Anne, with the tradition that this is the site where Anne gave birth to Mary, mother of Jesus. The acoustics in here are considered the best for singing of all Jerusalem churches, and we sang as did the Nigerian Christians.

Next we walked west through these narrow and colorful streets with venders and ancient character to where Jesus was taken by the Sanhedrin on Friday morning to Pontius Pilate, who resided in the Antonio Fortress because of the Jewish Passover. Here Pilate stated ‘Here is your man’ (ecco homo) and in the room called the Flagellation, where our Lord was whipped as the torture began. This is commemorated with the small Church of Condemnation across the courtyard. Our guide took us around the corner and down the stairs to the ancient city Cisterns and second century Emperor Hadrian’s scored pavement stones with from Antonio’s Fortress.

Then we walked to the bus and were driven south into the area below the Temple Mount, called ‘The City of David’. Here we were shown the Pool of Siloam (John 9) where Jesus heals a blind man who proclaims with joy that “I was blind, but now I see.” This pool is fed with water from the amazing King Hezekiah’s tunnel. In the 7^th century he had a 1,500 foot long underground aqueduct dug so that water may flow from the Gihon spring (outside the ancient wall) to this area which was inside the city walls. This gave the city a protected water source so the enemy Assyrians could not capture the water source. We also spent time and money in gift shop/antiquities owned by Aladdin’s brother, at this site.

By late morning we arrived at the Israeli Temple area through the southern wall Dung Gate and went into the Davidson Center for a video and model of Jerusalem today to get an historical setting. We proceeded to the Teaching Steps outside the South Wall. Here we saw the steps made intentionally with differing depths, so those coming into the Temple through the double gates would have to pay attention, look down, and in so doing prepare themselves for the Temple. The Assent Psalms are meant for this stepping up into the Temple. We read a number of them – Psalms 120 -125. Many Rabbis would teach on these steps, and we assume Jesus as Rabbi did also teach his disciples and all would listen on these steps. Moving to the west we saw the Robinson Gate remains on the SW corner. All that remains is the balustrade of a large public stairway that brought people and women to the upper floor of the south side of the giant Temple Mount. At this point we looked down at the very street from Jesus’ day, and imagine looking upwards at this SW corner approx. 100 feet high(with colonnade – destroyed 70 AD along with all the Temple). This was most likely the corner of the Temple that Satan brought Jesus during the 40 day Temptation and challenged Jesus to throw himself down and have angels save him, to which our Lord retorts “Do not tempt the Lord your God.” This area had been fully buried for over 1,000 years until Israeli excavation following the 1967 War.

We then walked a bit further to the famous West Wall. The women go to one section and the men to another. I am very surprised that Gentiles are allowed to go right up to the Wall (also called the Wailing Wall). We only need to have our head covered. Dennis had brought prayers from our Easter Sunrise Service and placed them into the block wall cracks, as is the practice. Many Jewish men and boys come here for hours every day, and all of us spent time at the wall praying. This is a very special place for the religious Jews. Every Thursday many Bar Mitzvas are celebrated here.

I had asked Aladin if we could get tickets for the West Wall Tunnel walk, but at this time of year with so many tours a ten day reservation is required and we could not experience a most impressive walk at the base of King Herod’s gigantic retaining wall limestone blocks. This was not on the tour itinerary and I surely want it to be pre-planned in the future. So we walked through Arab area souk market for about 4 blocks until we met up with the Via De la Rosa. Since earlier in the day we were at Pilate’s Hall, which is the beginning of the Stations of the Cross, we resumed with # 4 and #5 Station as we walked through the narrow and busy streets leading up to the ancient Calvary/Golgotha. Once in the large and noisy Church of the Holy Sepulcher, we went up first to the traditional area of the crucifixion of our Lord. Amidst all the tapestry, hanging lamps, and icons, we bent down under an altar and reach into a brass ringed hole to touch the rock base of Calvary. Then we descended steep steps onto the main floor to see the long lines waiting to go into the tomb itself. We deferred and instead walked out to the front patio, where Aladin told us of the centuries long tension between the Catholic and four Orthodox churches that claim authority over the site and building. I experienced this as a challenging place to sense the historical passion of Jesus’ suffering, death, and burial.

We went just up one block for lunch at an outdoor plaza place for schwarmas or falafels, two real popular and ancient ‘fast’ foods of the Middle East. We enjoyed a little ‘free’ time for shopping or wandering through the narrow and filled streets. Resuming, we took a peek, offered prayer and song in the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, walking through the crowded bazaars street markets all the way towards the final destination, the Garden tomb. Following the pressing crowds, especially in the vegetable market section, we were so glad for the serenity and peacefulness in the garden, whose tomb was discovered accidently in the late 1800’s. This is a ministry of protestant Christians from England who have created a reflective and visual alternative to the high church Sepulcher. We had a warm and faith filled guide from England present the saving purpose for the dying and rising of Christ, then lead us to the tomb for us to walk through. Jim then led us to our reserved garden section for the closing Holy Communion Worship. We were blessed by a gift from Aladdin, each of us receiving a little wooden chalice as a keepsake.

In His Service,
Randy

Thursday, March 27

2008-03-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

We began our day driving up the Mount of Olives and were met by Lutheran World Federation Rep. Rev. Mark Brown. He serves as Director of program, planning, funding, and coordinating with the medical directors. He launched right in on the passion of his life’s calling – the best I can describe it is as being Christ in a tense and discriminating culture. I presented him with the check for $1,253 on behalf of the Community Good Friday Service. It felt so good to be a currier of such a kind love gift; almost like Paul delivering the love offering from the Macedonia churches to the Jerusalem church. Mark then brought us into this large 4-story stone building, The Augusta Victoria Hospital, which was built in the early 1900’s by Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany as a lodge for German pilgrims to Jerusalem. After W.W. I and especially after W.W. II it began medical care and has a special care for the Palestinians who have no other hospital. It now specializes in Kidney dialysis and cancer treatments. Mark has organized a program in which the hospital drives vans and buses into the West Bank and Muslim quarter to pick up patients to get them to dialysis or treatments. They would otherwise be denied entrance at Israeli check points into East Jerusalem.

Mark showed us the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and Tower, which is adjacent to the hospital. It has the look inside of a cathedral with high vaulted ceilings and ornate painting and décor; yet there is now no congregation because of the desperate condition of this dividing wall and bombings. After walking up all 212 steps to the top of the tower and getting great views into Bethany all over greater Jerusalem, we went down the street to The Jerusalem Princess Basma Center for Disabled Children. I hand delivered a letter from Gloria Medley to Director Betty Majaj, who has been good friends with the Medleys since Ed served as the Lutheran World Federation Director for six years in the 1980’s. The remarkably happy and bright school of 600 students (Palestinian) includes physically handicapped (many with Cerebral Palsy) and short term residential facilities for handicapped children and their parent. This was a highlight of the day for many. We left with a vision of helping this worthy cause in prayer, offerings, perhaps even giving of ourselves.

Going a little further on the top of the Mount of Olives we stopped for group photograph at the look-out opposite the Temple Mount. This is a perfect place to see the Old City and Holy site. You should have seen Janey, Candy, Gary, Jeannine, Lani and Jim on the camel rides! Back-tracking just a little we visited the simple but impressive Chapel of the Ascension of Christ, operated ironically by Palestinian Muslims. The minaret is right next to the entrance and the noon time call to prayer began just when we arrived. We sang some touching songs praising the ascended and ever living Lord. After lunch and time at a gift/antiquities shop, we drove to the Old City area and the impressive site of The Upper Room, where Jesus celebrated Passover and instituted The Last Supper. This would have been the area of the city, if the actual building itself where the disciples’ feet were washed and Jesus again pointed to the sacrifice he was about to make for us all. We were so blessed to have this all to ourselves, and so we sang, read scriptures, and prayed.

The Home of High Priest Caiaphas was the site of Jesus’ ‘inquisition’ by the Jews for blasphemy, and along side are the very original and sacred steps that Jesus was dragged up after the garden betrayal and then down to Pilate the next day. Perhaps most striking this day was being down in the dungeon and our Guide turning off the lights, so that it was dark in the place Jesus perhaps was lowered into for the night – again we sang a song that echoed in the dark and in the ages of sacred history. Next door is the Catholic Church of St. Peter with a rooster weather vane on top, remembering the cock that crowed after Peter three times denied knowing Jesus . Aladin then walked us to a great view site and showed us not only the City of David, the confluence of the two valleys, but also the Potter’s Field, where the religious leaders used Judas’ returned ‘blood money’ and purchased this land for burial of the poor. It is just across the confluence of the two valleys, and still a field today – sheep and goats were grazing on it (and Aladin as a boy used to play there).

Eddie then drove us to back over to the top of the Mount of Olives so that we could walk down the Mount of Olives, along side the southern hillside of Jewish coffins, all facing east in hopes of the Messiah (he/Jesus already has come!). Half way down is the Chapel of Tears/Thorns by Barluzzi, captures the suffering and humiliation soon to meet Jesus. The thorn bush with long branches of 3” thorns is in front of the artwork of iron thorns built into the window facing the Temple.

Then we walk down into the Garden of Gethsemane with at least one tree estimated to be 2,000 years old – called ‘the witness’ – as it may have seen our Lord in prayer that Maundy Thursday. Gethsemane means Olive Press in Hebrew, and logically would be at the bottom of this impressive hill that still boasts a large olive grove. Next to the garden is the Church of All Nations, so named because of the 14 nations (U.S.A. is one) that contributed funds to build it. It is situated over a large slab of rock in the area where Jesus may have prayed so fervently for strength to follow Abba Father’s will, not his own; and he did! A Catholic Mass was in process so we sat and prayed and listened. Unfortunately, the many tourists would walk up right where worshipers were kneeling and flash their cameras is great distraction and dishonor.

Climbing aboard the bus, we all agreed ‘what a day!’, as we returned to the hotel for another delicious buffet dinner. Some attended a very well done brief lecture on ‘The Geography of the Holy Land’, sponsored by Education Opportunities, as at least five tour groups were at the hotel by now.

In His Service,
Randy

Wednesday, March 26

2008-03-29T13:56:00.002-07:00

On this, our first full day of touring, we left at 8:30 AM after a full breakfast buffet. The beautiful Olive Tree Hotel is built on the line of the pre-1967 six-day war that marked the line between East Jerusalem (Palestinian) and Israeli (Jewish) – since 1967 Israel controls East Jerusalem. The hotel is walking distance from Old City. We drove past the Jaffa Gate on the west side of the walled old city, along the Hinnom Valley (in Biblical days the garbage dump, always smoldering – now a rock concert site), six miles to Bethlehem, the distance now filled in with modern building. We saw to our left one of the new Israeli settlements, Har Homa, (population now 40,000) in the West Bank, and this began our exposure to the separation issues. At the 30’ high Wall check point we were refused entrance into the West Bank by the Israeli security. Why? Aladin, our guide, says it seems indiscriminant, since in an hour or two we may get passed through. If our guide and driver were not both Israeli Arabs, would it have made a difference? The fact we were Americans, I thought, would help the cause, but it obviously didn’t. This was the first of our introduction to the sad reality of Israeli – Palestinian stand off. Eddie, our bus driver, took us around back way into the West Bank and we saw impressive steep, tall hills that had been terraced for olive trees since Biblical days. On a smaller road inside the West Bank we had rocks thrown at us by an angry young man. Why? Perhaps because our bus has Israeli license plates – no damage, but again a realization of the anger between peoples, since most all Palestinians are not allowed entrance into Jerusalem He drove us through the Christian town of Bet Jalla, which is just NW of Bethlehem.

Whereas Bethlehem is mostly Muslim, Bet Jalla is home to seven Christian churches (including Lutheran, with school) and in this present era they are really struggling to keep Christians from moving out. We first went to visit the Shepherd’s Field, where the Angel announced to those abiding in the fields keeping watch over their flocks by night, that in Bethlehem the Christ Child was born, to be found in a humble and out of the way manger. Aladin showed us the ruins of the Byzantine Nativity church, established as one of Helena’s sacred sites in the 4^th century. Soon after her son, Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in323 AD, he sent his mother on a mission to locate from the local people the sites of Jesus’ birth and death. Because of this quick action we have preserved these ancient sites. We were all struck by the steep hills of the area, and the outcropping of rocks everywhere. The limestone creates caves and hollow outs, and it is one of we entered into and read the accounts of the shepherds who found the Christ child and praised the Lord for this wondrous act. We read scripture, sang a carol, then went up the hill to the Chapel of the Shepherds. Designed by the Italian Barluzzi, it has beautiful paintings of the angel announcing to the shepherds, the shepherds going to visit the Christ child, and returning tell everyone what they saw. The acoustics are great and we sang “The First Noel”.

We then went into the Church of the Nativity, along with hundreds of Nigerian Christians and many other pilgrims and tourists from around the world. As with many of the historic sacred sites built upon by Helena in the 300’s, this one also was destroyed when the Persians/Muslims overtook the area in the 600’s. Some, like this church, are later Crusader era edifices. This has the distinctive small/low door cut into the large wooden entrance doors, so that soldiers on horses cannot ride into the Sanctuary. We had to move through a slow line to step down into a lower room built on a rock that signifies the cave area signifying the birth of Christ. Directly above the cave is the chancel of the Orthodox Church. Even though it is ornate, filled with icons, gold gild and long chained candles, it has the majesty of Christ for the world. We then stopped at Nissan Bros. Gift Shop for lunch and then shopping for olive wood crèches, crosses, and much more.

Driving back into Jerusalem, Aladin took us to the Hass Promenade. This is a large viewing area from the south looking dramatically north and up at the Temple Mount, with the Kidron Valley to the east, and the Hinnom/Gehenna Valley to the west. The city code requires exclusive use of Jerusalem limestone on all exteriors, so this unique city is all brightly colored cream white – very striking!

We concluded the day with a visit to the The Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, which houses many of the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as the Holy Land model of Jerusalem at time of Herod’s Temple. This model was recently moved from a private site, and now more people than ever see it at this site. Though the weather turned windy and cloudy, we so enjoyed seeing the layout of the Jerusalem area in this 50:1 scale model that stretched 30 feet wide and at least 50 feet long. The unique roof of The Shrine of the Book museum is shaped like the lid of the ancient jars that held the scrolls found in 1947 by a shepherd. They comprise most all of Hebrew Scriptures and especially Isaiah. They emphasize the belief that the Sons of Light will face the final battle against the Sons of Darkness. They speak of the coming Messiah, and call on obedience and spiritual discipline. Coming up on Saturday we actually will go to the Qumran community site along the Dead Sea.

In His Service,

Randy

Tuesday, March 25

2008-03-29T13:56:00.001-07:00

We arrived an hour early into Tel Aviv due to strong tail winds, the flights were smooth and excellent. All of our luggage arrived and apart from an eccentric male flight attendant everything was gloriously uneventful. We felt the hot and moist air immediately, along with the wind and haze-filled air. We were led to the tour bus and met our guide, Aladin (but he goes by Aladdin to westerners). He is an Israeli Arab Muslim. Yes, this combination is possible! (so is Israeli Arab Christian). We later heard from the E.O. Host that our assigned Tour Guide (Israeli Jewish) was called up into the Israeli army and so Aladdin was at the last minute assigned to us. Our bus driver is Eddie (actually Adnam), also an Israeli Arab Muslim. At first I thought having an Arab Muslim would be a drawback, but in the course of the tour we came to see the Israeli – Palestinian tensions from a Palestinian perspective, whereas two years ago with our Jewish guide we had the Israeli slant. Aladdin was a very good guide, very kind and personable, and knew the sites and history and Biblical passages very well. He was born and grew up in Jerusalem, south of Potter’s Field (It would be interesting to have an Israeli Arab Christian guide, to round out the perspectives).

On our drive into Jerusalem took 45 minutes and our only stop was on Mt. Scopus on the northern end of the Mount of Olives – the weather was warm, in the 70’s, but was a condition that blew hard little dust bits causing the air to look like smog, hazy, so the line of sight was very limited. The hotel was nearby and it is very nice. We enjoyed the many choices of the fresh and pickled salad buffet as well as the main course buffet of beef, fish, chicken, or interesting Middle Eastern dishes that were new to us. Then it was sleep to counter the jet lag.

In His Service,

Randy

Monday, March 24

2008-03-29T13:54:00.002-07:00

Sadly for us, but I am sure good for the dog and for their sense of commitment, the Droste’s did leave to take charge of their pet. Later phone calls told us that with some more testing and medications the dog would stabilize. At the LAX terminal the lines were short and we all joined up in fine order – thank you, Lord. We checked luggage straight through to Tel Aviv. Over card games, food court suppers, and chatting we all started the process of getting to know one another at our lay over time in the Newark, New Jersey airport, and later that evening left for Tel Aviv on Continental Airlines.

In his service,
Randy

Sunday, March 23 Easter Resurrection Day

2008-03-29T13:54:00.001-07:00

Our team of 20 left in different groups carpooling or individually, and many of us met up at the LAX area Hacienda Hotel where we spent the night, parked the cars, and used their shuttles the mile to the airport. Some in the group stayed with relatives or friends and will meet us at the morning at the airport. After dinner at the Sizzler, Butch and Peggy were telephoned by their dog sitter that the 11 year old special family pet was very sick and bleeding. Butch couldn’t reconcile leaving their sick, possibly unto death, beloved pet with a friend and trying to enjoy this trip.

In his service,
Randy

An Update from Pastor Randy!

2008-03-29T13:51:00.001-07:00

"I was not able to get on line in Jerusalem's hotel because they charged $19.00 a day, and even though I am Norwegian and French/English, I am too Scotch to pay that much each day. Here tonight in Tiberias I am on someone's wi-fi.

I will down load and send some pics tomorrow- this trip is exhausting but going well.
Thanks for your prayers - you are in mine,
Christ is Risen!"
Randy

The next few postings are the updates that he sent along with this email. Pictures will be coming soon!

They are on their way!

2008-03-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

This blog chronicles the travels of members from Saint John's Lutheran Church in Arroyo Grande, CA and Calvary Lutheran Church in Morro Bay, CA to the Holy Land.

This trip is led by Pastor Randy from Saint John's and Pastor Jim from Calvary through Educational Opportunities.

Pastor Randy called me Easter Monday evening just before take-off from the Newark airport. Next stop--Tel Aviv! He said that everything is going well for them and that so far their travels have been good. They were scheduled to arrive in the Holy Land at 4 am this morning California time.

Check back soon for updates from the travelers and pictures!

Peace,
Pastor Sarah