OLD CITY JERUSALEM
It still does not seem real, to have a couple of hours off
and head to old town Jerusalem and check out the sacred sites.
After a meeting on Monday one of my teammates and I strolled through old town and we came to a church or maybe better called a shrine. We did not know where we were, but we saw a lot of devotion being displayed, smelled a lot of incense and waited for nearly an hour to see whatever it is that we saw.
After a meeting on Monday one of my teammates and I strolled through old town and we came to a church or maybe better called a shrine. We did not know where we were, but we saw a lot of devotion being displayed, smelled a lot of incense and waited for nearly an hour to see whatever it is that we saw.
Saturday evening I was back at it and tried to find my way
around via my map in old city. Did not see Zedekiah's Cave, a guard cat was on duty.
I know I
went around in circles a bit, seeing the same old timers having coffee a couple
times. It is not really easy to determine where you are.
At one point, I heard a tour guide speaking in English. He said something about this door, I took a
picture but I am not sure what was special about it.
I decided the next time I am in Jerusalem; I will be part
of a tour in the old city.
I did, however, enjoy seeing this Jerusalem cat enjoying a relaxing evening in Old Town.
I did, however, enjoy seeing this Jerusalem cat enjoying a relaxing evening in Old Town.
SUNDAY A TOUR
I was part of a tour, it started at this beautiful YMCA in Jerusalem.
I had many surprises including the fact that I could have picked up the
tour in Bethlehem saving myself a night in the hotel in Jerusalem.
However, I took advantage of being in Israel
not the West Bank. In Israel, water is
no problem they have adequate. I have an appreciation of a shower that I never had before living under occupation.
In the West Bank, Palestine, Israel controls the water that is allowed in the West Bank. They have made their wall on land that according to international law belongs to Palestine. This wall was carefully placed to include sources of water. At our apartment in Bethlehem, we have to be VERY careful about water. It is yuck, but we can only flush our toilet according to this saying, “if yellow let it mellow if brown flush it down.” We are not allowed to shower each day and are expected to wear our clothes more than one day.
Only a few Palestinians are allowed into Jerusalem. There they see the lawns being watered, and swimming pools. The water conditions cause my heart to cry out for justice, and then I remember my underground sprinkler at home.
I remember the laws of reversal so often spoken of in the scripture, “the last shall be first.”
As God is bringing Justice to the world, I place myself under the cross; crying for Christ’s mercy brought to humanity here in this Holy Land! Pray with me for Wisdom to see the changes we each need to make to live out God’s mercy through our lives.
ON TO JERICHO
The view changed as we went from seeing the stubby green to smooth caramel mounds and brown velvet moonscapes, punctuated by camels and Bedouin tent encampments. 
These are the Bedouins displaced and yet again, being driven off the land, moved in violation of international law. As we went past, I remember the afternoon I spent in one of these camps, a previous blog entry. I remembered their love of family and their desires for a life for their children. Even the school they build so their girls could be educated is under demolition orders. They live under electric power lines, but are not allowed to have electricity.
Mount of Temptation and Monastery of the Qurantul
Out of my comfort, zone again, a ride up the side of the mountain to the Monastery of the Qurantul (Monastery of the Forty.) So far below sea level and yet so high up! And yet only about half way up the mountain.
This monastery is commemorating Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. Jesus was tempted twice in the wilderness and once in Jerusalem on the top of the temple.
This monastery is commemorating Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. Jesus was tempted twice in the wilderness and once in Jerusalem on the top of the temple.
I can verify that it is wilderness!!
The life of a religious hermit was explained. We saw the small spaces where they stayed. 
The very stone where Jesus sat where the angels ministered to him is all part of the story here.
While my faith journey has not had much to do with icons; this part of the trip into this monastery revealed a lot of them. Rich in symbolic meanings, I can begin to appreciate how they direct the mind toward spiritual realities.
Tel Es-Sultan (Ancient Jericho)
I thought the old city Jericho might be like Old Jerusalem, however it is archaeological site. The layers of civilization available for viewing took us back some 8000 years. Even a tower, now lower than the surroundings, shows evidence that this was perhaps a fortified city.
Old stones and I are not the best of friends.
Elisha's Fountain
This ever flowing water was what brought people to this area in the first place, 10,000 years ago.
Tree of Zacchaeus
Brought me back to my Sunday School days singing about the
wee little man, Zacchaeus. Climbing in this very tree to see Jesus!
The message
of Jesus comes through the 2000 years of this tree to us letting us know that
Jesus has come and is at our house to be with us, even now.
Dead Sea Scrolls
To feel the heat and look out over this countryside and to
see the excavations showing the life of those who came to this area for
religious reasons amazed me. It was not an
easy life.
Our guide did not go into the history of the finding of the
scrolls, but it has to have been a gift from God for us. Now that I have seen where they came from, I
am going to get to those three books on my shelf back home that deal with these
scrolls. This visit to this area will be
continued in the comfort of my home.
Dead Sea
In the extreme heat of the day and the exhaustion of the
trip, the consensus was to skip the trip to the beach. Those with me had been a few days before and
I did not bring swimwear. The idea of
being covered with “dead” somehow does not appeal to me. It is perhaps another day off trip. Left to itself, the Dead Sea is
disappearing. There is some talk of
connecting the Dead Sea and the Red Sea.
REFLECTIONS
Even in this trip, I learned more about myself. My time here is not about old stones. It is about the living stones, the believers
here that are suffering. I remain open
to all God wants me to learn while here in the Holy Land.
We must stay convinced that every land is holy as believers carry God’s
light and love to all we meet.
I spent a quiet evening after this trip, early to bed since
my first assignment the next morning started at 4:00 AM, checkpoint monitoring.
