I have always wanted to go to Israel- to see all the ancient sites, to see the place that Muslims, Christians and Jews call their own, to contemplate the life of Jesus within context, to see the beauty and to consider all the paradoxes (especially the relationship between peace and violence). Over the years, there have been so many trips sponsored by different groups that I couldn't take advantage of, so when i heard that a church i knew and respected was taking this trip- "In the Footsteps of Christ: Pilgrmage to the Holyland"- i signed up.
I am traveling with Bethel A.M.E.church from Boston and the wonderful Pastors Ray and Gloria Hammond. There are about 29 of us.
Most importantly, I am with my favorite travel companion- Tres, my son! We arrived last night and began touring today. My favorite part of the day was this morning. We took a ship on the Sea of Galilee early this morning. We prayed, we sang and i stared into the sea, thinking of what it was like 2000 years ago and again the peaceful effect that water has on me.
We also visited the mount where Jesus shared the beatitudes. I love the beatitudes and the paradoxes they present- to be poor is to be rich; to be meek means you will inherit the world, etc. You have to have a lot of faith to believe that the world is not what it appears- that our goals and the outcomes are so different than what seems
to be the rules of the road for in this world. My friend Liz talked this morning about how this was the speech that made people realize that Jesus was no joke and that he was speaking a new wisdom.
We also went to Nazareth where we saw the biggest church in Israel. It is amazing. Check out these pictures. The church, like others we saw are built over ruins. This Catholic church is in celebration of Mary and her son, so the church was built over the ruins of Mary's home.
You can see the ruins here and in Capernaum where they built the new church over the home of Peter the disciple.
The weather is perfect, sunny and around 70 degrees. The vegetation and flowers are beautiful and the food is fresh and so tasty.
I feel blessed and open to see what i will learn and experience over this week.
Gracious girl, you sure did see and do an awful lot in one day. It's so much fun to see pictures of the places that I visited. I can't wait to compare stories.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that a block from Mary's church is a Greek Church that was built nearby signifying the major chasm developing between the Eastern and Roman Churches? You may have been there. It is where you can get a sample of Holy Water from the stream where Mary did her washing.
Can't wait for more!