Israel: Day Four

Good morning from outside the Walls of Jerusalem,
The morning began with a wonderful breakfast. I say wonderful because amidst the cold fish options and salad bar there was French toast and syrup. It was quite the same without breakfast sausage but my cravings aren't as bad as last time. Once we were on the bus we were off to the Mount of Olives. Not only is it the approach Jesus would make coming into the city, it is also the clearest panoramic view of the old city. As you look to the left horizon you can see The Upper Room and the House of Caiphas. Directly in front of you is the Al Asaq Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, the latter being built on Temple Mount. Just to the right of the some you can see the domes of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which is built on one of the possible sites of Calvary and the tomb. Even further to the right you can see Pilates Antonio Fortress which is where the Via De Larosa (sp?), or The Way of Sorrow, begins. This is the route Jesus followed carrying His cross. This is the east wall which houses the East Gate which Ezekiel propecied as the gate through which the Messiah would enter the city. The gate sits above the Kidron Valley which is principally cemeteries now, Jewish, Christian and Muslim.

Having taken our group picture and being acosted by the days first batch of souvenir hockers we began our walk down the mountain heading to the Garden of Gethsemane. Half way down we stop at the Chapel of Tears which commermorates the spot where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. The site also has some ancient caves filled with ossuaries. These are in essence family bone boxes. When some one would die they would wrap them in linen and spices until their body decomposes and then they would place their bones in the family box. This way generation after generation could be buried in the same place. Having heard scripture and sung Great is Thy Faithfulness we continued down the mountain.

The path we follow down ends at Gethsemane, my favorite spot in all of Jerusalem. The garden sits next to the Church of the Nations which is built upon the rock where Jesus wept and pleaded to the Father to take this cup from me. The trees are conceivably the last living witnesses to Jesus' pray in the garden and the disciples sleepy failure. The olive tree grows out rather than up so some of these ancient trees have trunks with circumferences greater than 20 feet. This site is holy
 The sacred reverberates through your bones as you lean against the fence gazing upon these living witnesses. No matter what you are facing in your life you cannot help but recite over and over again the line from the Lord's Prayer, "Not my will but Yours be done." Sadly the Holy is interuoted by the hockers of cheap souvenirs, "Four for ten dollars." Back to the bus, heading for Bethlehem. Next stop, the Shepherds' Fields where the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds.

Today is Sunday, time for church and what a beautiful setting to worship. We are seated in the remains of an ancient Byzantine chapel at the shepherds' fields. We heard the story of the shepherds from Luke, Ng Angels WeHave Heard on High, and heard a message from George Strunk, the pastor of Christ UMC in Louisville. He challenged us to think about how we would be changed having experienced Israel in light of the reality that the shepherds were changed having heard the good news. They were different when they returned, how will we be different? The chapel here is built in the shape of a Bedouin tent to commemorate the shepherds who grazed their sheep upon the hills. Looking out across the vast expanse of hills that still has some shepherds with their flocks today you can imagine what it must have been like on that cold dark night to have the explosion of light and the glory of God as the angels appeared. It reminds me that we all need to hear good news amidst the mundane of our lives. Matt Redman's "Your Grace Finds Me" keeps ringing through my head, "It's there in the every day and the mundane." Have any of us had the opportunity to share His good news today?

Next stop, the Church of the Nativity, well after yet another souvenir shop and another hoard of hockers. This church is built over the universally accepted sight for the birth of Jesus and it is perhaps the oldest church in Israel having been built in the third century. Three denominations share the property, the Eastern Irthodox, the Armenians and the Roman Catholics. You can immediately see the disparity in the wealth and resources of each denomination. To enter you must duck through a door which only rises to waist height. The larger opening was reduced to this smaller size in the fifteen hundreds to prevent the Tirlish marauders from entering the church on horseback. While it is a site that should ooze holiness, the hoards of tourist seem to block the spirit. So back to the bus.

Once on the bus we are headed to Jericho, "For a little lunch with a very nice salad bar." The best news is that the Bishop bought us lunch. The restaurant, not surprising had another souvenir shop, but finally we are back.on the bus for a drive by Zaccheus' sycamore tree and then heading to the Old Roman Road which is the route between Jerusalem and Jericho that Jesus traveled. The same route that the good Samaritan would have traveled. We were in route to St George's Monastery, but we experienced the miraculous before we even arrived in that our bus stayed on the road. We were traveling the actual route, the mountains are high, the cliffs are steep and the road is narrow. We were greeted in the parking area by Bedouin souvenir hockers. The only difference in this new variety is their persistence follows you up the mountain. As we walked the trail we looked down a couple of thousand feet into the valley and I don't mean a lush valley that ends in rolling hills, I mean a valley that is 20 or 30 feet across at the bottom before it climbs an equally steep other side. Think yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. That is the kind of valley we were looking into, in fact this very valley, is the valley referred to in the 23rd Psalm. When we reached the overlook at the top of the trail we could look down upon St Georges which was built into the side of the mountain. It had originated in the 5th or 6th century as a monastery in a network of caves but today it stands as a beautiful piece of architecture and a working monastery. This trip south has been our first foray into the wilderness and it provides a very different context for a Israel. Where Galilee is lush and green, this area is stark, barren, dry and desolate. This is where Jesus was tempted, where the battle of Jericho was fought, and where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. Israel while small on actual square footage is incredibly diverse in geography and climate. This was our last stop of the day so it was time to get back on the bus and head to.the hotel. A drive through the desert is a great place for a nap. Tomorrow for our group is Masada, Qumran and the Dead Sea but I'm taking the day to linger in places like Gethsemane and the old city.

I was praying for youth service today. I hated to miss it but I know it was a blessing to you all.
Your brother in Christ,
Faron