Day 1 in Jerusalem

Day 1 in Jerusalem:

We've left the country and moved into the city. This city is special, the holiest city in the world to both Jews and Christians and the third most holy to Muslims. We arrived last night after a long day and sat down to eat yet another wonderful meal filled with fresh vegetables, breads, soups and other hot dishes.

This was Sunday, so the first thing on our agenda was to go to church. We arrived at the 8:30 service at St. George's Cathedral, which is an Anglican Church. It was a very different experience from what I'm used to, but also a good one. The message was about being peacemakers in a land that is divided. What we would see and hear over the next couple of days would help us to understand the division much more clearly. After the message was Holy Communion in which for the first time I drank from the common cup. As I tasted the wine, it seemed sweeter...not like grape juice...but a taste that would leave you wanting more. I think that's what Jesus is like to me. As I take Him in, I just want more and more.

After worship was over we went to the Holocaust Museum. This is the first place that I saw a group of soldiers (though it wouldn't be the last). They looked to be about 17 or 18 years old, male and female, many carrying what I was told was M-60's around their shoulders much like I was carrying my backpack. These kids (turned adults) were not there protecting. They, and many more, were there being taught the history of their people. After taking a class on the Holocaust in seminary, I was familiar with some of this. But one roomed took my breath away. It was the Hall of Names. There the names of Holocaust victims are put in binders to be preserved and remembered. It's a circular room with shelves 20 high from floor to ceiling. So many names. Such a tragedy. I just had to take pause at the sorrow that had been felt for all these names. It seemed overwhelming.

It was time to leave the city and go into the Wilderness. When scripture speaks of the Wilderness where Jesus went to be tempted, it means a specific region. The Judean Wilderness runs from Jericho to Jerusalem. It's a dry and arid place. I can only imagine Jesus being in this place with no trees and no immediate water source. When we were there the wind picked up and I got a very small taste of how it would be like traveling through this land. I'm so glad I had bottled water with me. On a side note, this is where the rise of Christian monasticism began in the 4th century.

From the Wilderness to the oasis in the desert....Jericho. Jericho is actually in the West Bank and under Palestinian control. It was used as a refugee camp for Arabs after 1948 when Israel became a state and is still there today. Actually, Jericho is the oldest continuous city in the world. This is part of the oasis that Moses was leading the Israelites to.

Today is a different story. It is still a beautiful city from afar as you see the palm trees and other greenery. But as you come near and go through the check point (that Israel controls) you see on the left a building with multiple gun rounds in it. You see many abandoned buildings. And you see sadness. That is, until you look at the people's faces. They were all happy to see us. It was said that the Jews tell people not to go to Jericho. But they begged us to go back tell people to come back to their city. They were very hospitable, and I felt safe the whole time. It was a truly unique experience.

The day wound down with us going to Qumran where the dead sea scrolls were found. And from there we headed back to Jerusalem for another meal and some much needed rest.

In the love of Christ,
greg