A blessed day in Galilee

I think most of us had another great day in the Galilee & Golan. Warm here. Spring like. Flowers blooming. Bananas & mangoes. Here's some pictures: 

Church on Mt of Beatitudes where Jesus may have preached his Sermon on the Mount. Matt 5-7. 

Replica of Torah reading table in 1st C synagogue in Migdol, Mary of Magdalas home town. Shows reference to Jerusalem Temple. 

1st C fishing boat dug up next door on Galilee shore. Jesus' boat?  Who knows. Be real careful where you dig here. 

Sat  - Jericho to Bethlehem. 

On the shores of the Galilee

The sites and remembered images from yesterday are like the beautiful varied mosaics we saw yesterday- some incomplete pictures but incredible color and pattern.   We visited Capernum and saw the Church of the Annunciation  then the Church of Joseph,  we saw restored caves that were the common homes during the time of Jesus, and Mary's house.  We've contemplated the importance of land, and the importance of the exactness of places where biblical events are said to have taken place.  Yesterday we talked about the aspects of Jesus' life that resonate with us now.  I have always loved the story of the resurrected Christ cooking fish for breakfast on the Shore of the Galilee and inviting the men to join him.  They didn't recognize him at first.  I think of how Jesus comes to us in the ordinary everyday ness of  our lives and invites us to join him there.
Blessings, Kaye

First Photographs of Jerusalem

During the last week, the first group of travelers took hundreds of photos of Jerusalem. I have no doubt that the second group will do the same next week as they arrive in Jerusalem. It's a place full of photo-worthy sites.

So, take a look at the city's appearance in 1844, when the first photographs were taken.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-first-photographs-ever-taken-jerusalem-180949473/

Miracle @ Caesarea Maritima

The Pilgrims II Group landed in the Holy Land on Monday. It is now Tuesday night. It's been thrilling, informative,  eye opening, and exhausting. We has a full day today. Huge breakfast. Bus through Jaffa and Tel Aviv to Caesurea. They have ruins of ancient city and vital port built by Herod the Great. Then rebuilt byByzantines  and crusaders. Destroyed finally by Muslims. There's a big part of Irael/Palestine's story. Divide and conquer over and over. 

  The miracle was there among the ruins. Wins was great. Ruach said God. Add rain. Rough walking. Some where in all that I lost a vital expensive hearing device. But God, new friends like Lenore intervened. Found it. It looked just like the rocks we tramped all over. Device saved. Course I dropped my camera which doesn't work now. 

  Still quite a day. Great food, very different.  Great guide and driver. Good sharing. God rules. 

Pictures later. Sleep now. 

Steve P

Rising of the Sun

I write this from our last flight of our pilgrimage. We've left Newark and will arrive in Louisville in just under two hours. 

We left the Holy Land after watching the setting of the sun and breaking bread with the second group of pilgrims who are experiencing their first full day as I write this. After 12 hours on a plane and a small layover we left Newark just as the sun rose and lit the sky. Staring out the window I cannot help but feel bittersweet in returning home. 

The truth is I yearn to sleep in my own bed yet I mourn the splendor of the Holy Land. I've been thinking about what I've missed the most. Friends, family, church and of course my cat. In this moment however, mostly I've missed the communion table. I've missed the blessed opportunity and privilege to stand behind that table and serve. I look forward to standing behind there and knowing that experience will always be different for me now that I've seen the Upper Room with my own eyes--to know every part of my ministry will be different now having experienced the Holy Land.

Looking out into the great expanse of the sky I understand in a whole new way just how big God's creation truly is, and how fortunate I am to experience it. I look to the familiar faces around me and think that this time fifteen days ago, I had no idea how much I would come to cherish their fellowship. 

What a rare gift to know that wherever God calls us we will always have the Holy Land. Thanks be to God for such a life changing experience. 

Here's to knowing the second group of pilgrims too will fly home changed. 

Blessings and Peace,

Caitlin

First Impressions

It is early Tuesday morning.  Traveling through different time zones often makes the first night of sleep challenging.  But being awake makes me think of my first impressions of yesterday.
   Tel Aviv is a big city with lots of construction giving on.  Skyscrapers going up everywhere with prime views overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.  And the sea was beautiful.  Lots of waves with some brave souls out in the water.  We are staying at a hotel in an Arabic neighborhood.  As you go through different neighborhoods, you see signs in different languages.  Here they are in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.  Lots of wonderful little shops that you can see into from the bus.  Several of us commented on the shops selling teddy bears - bright red ones - for Valentine's Day.  I think all of us have been so focused on getting here that it didn't dawn on us that Valentine's is just around the corner.
   We've passed a Church of Scotland, headquarters of a Greek Patriarchate, and seen a mosque.  There is a lot of religious diversity here and you see it everywhere you look,
    And you see memories of history.  An old wall.  An Ottoman clock tower.  Buildings built on top of buildings. An unkempt cemetery.  Today when we visit Caesarea Maritima the memories of history will be even more visible.

Goodbye Sweet Jerusalem

Well I’ve woken up in the Holy Land for the last time for this trip. A few days ago my energy was waning and I would’ve told you I was ready to go home; but now as I sit in this lobby with familiar smells, sounds and faces I don’t know how to leave a place that has quickly become part of me. I cannot help but wonder if I will be able to capture this sense of renewed drive and spirit within me and get it home, or will it stay here? Will I be able to pray with the same rawness and authenticity as I have discovered at the Western Wall? Will I remember to give thanks often for the many blessings around me? Will I remember everything as clearly as I do now once I leave? Will I ever be the same again?

I don’t know about most of those questions, but as for the last one—I can proudly answer ‘No.’ I came here to be transformed, to make lasting relationships and to ask God help me on my path to ministry. I never expected to get all three and so much more; words cannot express the thanks I feel for such an opportunity.

As for yesterday I finally, with the help of friends, was able to find where my grandmother once stood at Gethsemane and complete my quest to stand in three places my grandparents stood over 30 years ago. I danced before that spot with joy, had my picture taken with hers, and then cried tears of fulfillment, sorrow and grace all at once. We all cried together and reminisced about all we have experienced. I could write a book about this place and still never be able to relay what it feels like to be here. What it feels like to walk through the market and take a right turn, then a left turn and find yourself standing in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; or what it feels like to drive through green landscape filled with trees only to go around the curve and be met with the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Galilee or the Dead Sea( or what it feels like to put your feet in all three…and fall in one!). What it feels like to worship in a space surrounded by countless languages, sometimes different faiths, and still pray and worships together as one body. I wish I could bottle this whole trip up and bring it home to each of you.

I will mourn leaving this place and the grand wonder that exists here. The healing that I’ve experienced and witnessed and the renewal of faith I know we all have experienced in one way or another. I will always cherish growing and loving together as pilgrims. Twenty-two people is a big group to travel with but I can say I have gotten to know each of them better and cherish the growth I have seen in all of them and myself, and the relationships we’ve formed together.

I will always read scripture differently. I will always remember the distance and terrain between Jesus’ arrest, his trial, the path by which he carried the cross and the place he died and rose again. I will always remember being atop Mt. Arbel and feeling the Spirit dancing for the first time, and then the gift of seeing it dance everywhere from Tel Aviv to Galilee to Bethlehem and Nazareth and Jerusalem.

Truth be told I have no idea how this trip will impact my ministry and no clear idea what God has in store for my life. But, I do know my grandfather walks beside me, that God has called me to serve and the whether in Louisville, or Israel—the sun rising and setting is the most glorious way to start and end a day. I’m sure you will hear from me again and I know I could go on for pages and pages about this trip, but the sun rises soon and I have a date with friends and the hotel rooftop to take in one more Jerusalem sunrise. In case I’m too tired after I get back—thanks for being so faithful in reading our trip blog. Knowing you were there to read it gave me the strength to keep writing it. Thanks for taking the journey with us—I hope you’ll continue, as I will, as the next group of pilgrims set foot in the Holy Land and share their experiences.

Blessings and Peace,

Caitlin

 

Jesus' Last Supper and Church of the Holy Sepulchre

It is just after 6am here in Jerusalem and I woke this morning in a surreal haze as I remembered that just yesterday we stood at the site of the Last Supper, Christ’s death on the cross and were able to enter the sacred site of the empty tomb. I couldn’t help but think ‘Did that really happen?’

But it did.

The Last Supper room is a small gathering space—kind of like the space we have met in twice daily throughout this trip. It’s always been a room big enough to seat us comfortably and always one that allows some privacy. This room was the same; out of the way and just enough space for a comfortable last meal together. As a Disciples of Christ (DOC) the Last Supper is particularly poignant. Christ welcomed all to the table, without exception. For several reasons this open table often leaves me in tears of joy. Perhaps it’s because I know what it’s like to be denied communion for one reason or another. To stand at the birth place of the open table was a moment I will never forget.

We have previously walked through the spots where Christ was arrested, sentenced and the path he carried the cross. As we approached the Church of the Holy Sepulchre I didn’t know what to expect but as we walked in I was overcome with a sense of awe. Just as you walk in the front doors is a massive mosaic depicting Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Just beneath that is a slab of stone believed to be the site of where Christ was cross stood as he was crucified. People from all over the world were bowing before the stone and praying. Some even rubbed their hands on the stone and then their hands on their bodies to bless their bodies with the holiness of that stone. Others took their items, jewelry, candles, etc. and rubbed them all over the stone; perhaps to bless them. Continuing with my acts at the Church of the Nativity I kissed my hand and laid it on the stone.

You then go upstairs and wait to approach an altar surrounded by Golgotha stone (the type of stone said to be used for the tomb) and as I approached it the crucifix hanging over sent a wave of emotion through me. As I kneeled under the altar and placed my hand on the Golgotha stone I prayed a prayer of thanks to God for the gift of a son who came to save us.

From there I waited in a long line of fellow Christians to enter the site of the tomb and see the slab of stone that Jesus once laid upon. The line was a bit intense because we were shoulder to shoulder and people got frustrated a few times, but for the most part we waited in shared anticipation. I was fortunate enough to enter with three of my fellow pilgrims and we stood together round the tomb and each said our own silent prayers. I could have sat before that slab for the rest of the day but a monk quietly ushered me out to allow the others a chance to see. For some reason I sang Amazing Grace while entering the tomb and continued to sing it the rest of the day I also got to light a candle in memory of my grandfather at the site of the Golgotha stone--, we have had many opportunities at other sites to do that; but for some reason this site felt right  
 
 
 
 
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I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again; I wish you could have been there.

Whatever description I give, whatever pictures I take just cannot express the reality of what it feels like to be in these sacred spaces. I read scripture differently even now, while still here. The imagery is more vivid and walking the landscape myself provides insight into just what a journey might have been like. I am interested to see what this will mean for my theology and my ministry. I have always been someone who connects to people and spaces emotionally. I am emotionally connected to this whole place and I don’t know what that will mean for my ministry. I do know that my call feels stronger than ever and I am excited to see what God has in store for me.

Today is our last full day here and it seems surreal. This morning we will attend the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as worshippers; what a blessing.

 

Please pray for the second group of pilgrims as they begin their travels today and will arrive tomorrow afternoon.

 

Blessings and Peace,

Caitlin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope and Faith

Yesterday we visited the Holocaust Museum and the Museum of Israel. While the Israel Museum was filled with countless artifacts and provided glimpses into ancient peoples I could not get the images from the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum out of my mind.

The first thing we did was walk through the children’s memorial. No pictures are allowed inside any of the exhibits and I think even if I had pictures they wouldn’t tell the story properly anyway. We walked into a dark room where the wall was lit up with some pictures of the 1.5 million children murdered in the Holocaust. A quiet female voice is reading off the names and ages and your heart drops and you lose your breath. Struggling to recover you walk into the next room and a single candle is lit—but with the use of mirrors that single candle is amplified into millions. I couldn’t have counted them all if I tried but there they were, a light for each child lost.

After that we entered the museum and began the one way journey. You weave through each room and onto the next. Photos, facts and texts are everywhere. The gravity of the Holocaust gets heavier and heavier every step you take. All around videos are playing interviews with survivors and their stories of terror are almost unbearable. About halfway through beneath the floor is a huge pit of shoes belonging to those who died. Adult and children there are shoes everywhere. For me, that pit was the most powerful and the most painful to see. Tossed aside as if they were toy shoes—but people once walked in those.

A shining light for me was the way in which the museum kept you moving in one direction—we kept moving forward. I cannot say, although I wish desperately I could, that oppression and violence like that is behind us-because it’s not. However, when we really try, and I mean rally together as a peoples, when we make human rights a real priority—we can keep moving forward.

At the end of the museum there were guest books that we could sign and write a note. I stood staring at the blank page struggling to find something positive to say after experiencing the pain of those rooms now behind me. When times are dark faith can be so hard to keep. In the last room there were images of the first Shabbat (Sabbath) held for the Jewish people since the start of the Holocaust. Thousands of people gathered to observe a sacred part of their faith. Through all that faith was still there. So with that in mind I wrote the following:

Amidst pain and sorrow

Surrounded by injustices

God is there.

I’ve no proof-just faith and hope.

Amen.

                Later last night we were provided the opportunity to observe Shabbat at a local synagogue here in Jerusalem. I’ve been to several services back in Louisville—but this was different. They sang with real joy and praise and as an outsider they helped me follow along and be able to sing and praise with joy, too. I didn’t understand any of the Hebrew and I have no idea what the sermon was about (although, I’m pretty sure I heard Starbucks in there somewhere)—I know that hope and faith exists there.

                It is hard to believe that this trip is almost over as we will arrive in the states on Tuesday; much of it has felt like a blur. Whether it be Israeli or Palestinian, Christian or Jew or Muslim, ancient or modern one thing I know for sure; hope and faith exists here.

Blessings and Peace,

Caitlin

Dome of the Rock

The magnificent Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

 

Mosaic panel

We were given rare access to the interior.

Palm trees are plentiful. They remind worshippers of how God cared for Mary by providing her dates after the birth of Jesus.

The interior of the dome. Cleaning and restoration are an endless process.

Our host, Mustafa Abu Sway.

A kind and generous caretaker goes out of his way to make our visit memorable.

Professor Tyler Mayfield

Mark listens intently as Christian, Muslim, and Jewish issues are discussed.

Meanwhile, a Muslim man and Israeli police officer walk across the plaza.

What is Church?

What is church O' God?

Is it a building, or does it reside in the open fields of Galilee?

Church, my God, is where you are.

And You are everywhere.

Let us worship here and everywhere.

In Your Glorious name-Amen.

Above is a poem I wrote after visiting the Dome of the Rock and the Church at St. Anne's. I write this blog as two Muslims have jovial conversation with a Christian in our hotel lobby. 

I first wrote asking the question of how three faiths could coexist in and around each other. I'd bow answer with one word; gracefully. Why? Because God is everywhere making room enough for all.  

Blessings and Peace,

Caitlin

Cats of the Holy Land

The guide cat at Caesarea Maritima. It kindly followed us around as any good host should!

A real beauty posing for her close-up outside the ancient crusader village at Akko.

Lounging on chairs under the shade of the table.

Watching Mark eat his tuna sandwich and hoping for a share!

Warming up on the tile outside the church containing Jacob's well in Nablus.  

The close up of his face is pretty fierce!

My beautiful friend at the river Jordan.

Ancient site at Megiddo, a city perched high above the valley. Long after humans abandoned it, a cat continues to keep watch.

Cat on a hot tin roof in Jerusalem.

The dirtiest cat that ever was... (Outside of St. Ann's church in Jerusalem.)

His much cleaner cousin :)

Former site of the Hospital of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. Now it hosts local cats and trash.

There are no words to describe  the beauty of the (traditional) Garden of Gethsemane so I will not attempt to do so. Instead, here is a photo gallery of the garden and The Church of All Nations.