A Good Friday Prayer

Day 4 of Immersion: Holy Sites

Above:  Today’s first activity. #jolieneinthemiddleeast (at City Of Nazareth)

After a conversation at Sabeel, we began our tour of holy sites in the Nazareth and Galilee region.

One of the first places we went had uncovered a first century Jewish home.  Perhaps it was similar to the home Jesus grew up in or homes that he played in as a child.

Above:  A home from the time of Jesus in his hometown. (at City Of Nazareth)

Above: Some believe this is the site of the Annunciation. (at Basilica of the Annunciation)

Here are some more views of the Church of the Annunciation:

Church of St. Joseph. (at St. Joseph’s Church, Nazareth)

We continued in Nazareth to the Synagogue Church, a church built atop a synagogue that some think may have been where Jesus worshiped while living in Nazareth:

Above:  Some believe this site was that of Jesus’ synagogue. (at The Synagogue Church)

 After this, we went to the Wedding Church of Cana at Galilee.  This spot is supposed to have been the site of the miracle in which Jesus turned water into wine.  This is the jug which they believe Jesus used:

Above:  (at Wedding Church in Cana of Galillee)

Believed to be the site at which the wedding at Cana took place. The Franciscan church believes this is the jug. You may be able to tell that the jug is HUGE.  It's much bigger than I'd imagined it would be.  Apparently first century Jews enjoyed their wine.  There is an Orthodox church across the street that has a jug, too. Somewhat surprisingly, there is a lot of graffiti here.

Above:  Beautiful art in Cana of Galilee. (at Wedding Church in Cana of Galillee)

When we went to the Wedding Church at Cana of Galilee, a group was singing inside:

We next went to Mt. Tabor, the site where Jesus' transfiguration took place and is now where the Church of the Transfiguration stands.  We got there close to sunset, which meant the views were beautiful.

Above: View from Mt. Tabor, believed to be the site of the transfiguration. (at Church of the Transfiguration)

Above: (at Mount Tabor) Church of the Transfiguration

Above: Inside the Church of the Transfiguration

Some of the church dates back to at least the year 427:

Above:  (at Church of the Transfiguration)  Mosaic floor that predates 427, when the emperor outlawed putting crosses on floors. 

Walking the ground of the holy sites brought the stories alive.  To breathe in spirit while gazing through cold air into a shaking sunset, glistening on the horizon is to breathe in God.

Video of a day in Nazareth, although Google mistakenly threw in a few from Jordan.

Good explanation of the Israel/Palestine history:

Someone who films colonist attacks.

This below video is of an Israeli settler (who is living illegally in Palestine with the protection and support of the Israeli government-- effectively taking more land from Palestinians and exacerbating relations between Israelis and Palestinians).  He is climbing a wall that appears to divide the settlement from a Palestinian building, which flies a Palestinian flag.  This video is of an Israeli settler in Palestine trying to remove the Palestinian flag from Palestinian property.  In a different video that uses a clip of this encounter, subtitles show that the settler is saying that the land is "his."  This is the mentality of Israeli settlers: Palestinian territories belong to them, by virtue of their Jewish identity.

Day 3 of Immersion: Last Day in Jordan and Crossing to Palestine

Our next day began with a drive to Madaba to see a church built on the remains of a mosaic floor:


6th Century mosaic on the floor of St. George Mosaic Map Church in Madaba.

Above: St. Georges Mosaic Map Church Madaba, an Orthodox Church in Jordan.

After visiting the church in Madaba, we headed to Mount Nebo.  Along the way, we passed many Bedouin homes.

Above: Bedouin dwellings in Jordan. 

Mt. Nebo also has a 6th century mosaic and is said to be the spot from which Moses viewed the Holy Land.  The views are, of course, spectacular.  The idea of approaching the mountain top and seeing below it a piece of fertile land that a wandering tribe could possibly call their own... the hope was real.  The hope in my own heart felt real as I glimpsed it from a distance and longed for the coming moment when I would walk on that ground with my own feet.

Above: Mt. Nebo, where Moses is said to have viewed the Promised Land.

I thought about Moses.  Our stories suggest that Moses never made it to the Promised Land.  I imagined him looking at the Holy Land with longing, like many Palestinians do.  Maybe he saw that place and knew in his bones a sense of belonging, yet also knew he would never be able to touch it with his own hands.  I imagine Palestinian children today, looking at a wall that blocks their view of the land they have heard their parents talk about... I imagine that key to a house that an Israeli family lives in today being passed from hand to hand as the house is described from memory.  

That sense of longing is real, too.  Perhaps like the Jews of the Exodus, many of the Palestinian people are landless.  While they don't quite wander through the desert, since their movement is so restricted, I imagine their longing for the home they know from memory or from a parent's story.  It must be terrible to live in a refugee camp, knowing that only 50 miles away, your home is there-- so close and so far.

The sense of belonging and longing for the Holy Land is felt by many people... I often think, however, that folks have trouble imagining the longing of others.

Perhaps I am getting side-tracked, though.  

After Mt. Nebo, we went to the Jordan River.  We first visited the site of a 3rd century monastery built at the spot believed to be John the Baptist's cave:

Below is the cave (and the monastery built around it):

The site of John's cave was had water access (a spring is nearby) and is surrounded by reeds that make a beautiful sound.  There is also wild honey and locusts.  The spot felt very intense for me and I had a spiritual experience at the site that I prefer not to share (at least not yet).

Above: Remains of a 3rd Century monastery at the site that may have been the cave John the Baptist lived in. There were locusts, honey, and the Jordan near the cave.

(at Jesus Baptism Site, Jordan River)

• Spot thought to be where Jesus was baptized. Remains of the church around it are from the 3rd Century.

Oh, hello. (at Jesus Baptism Site, Jordan River)

 (at Jesus Baptism Site, Jordan River)

Above: Jesus Baptism Site, Jordan River

Metaphors.

My experience at the Jordan River was intense.  It left me questioning the universe and reality in a way that I cannot explain.  Sometimes you feel in your bones a truth that is more true than other truths.  

Maybe you know what I mean.

Above:  Feet in the Jordan River. I can’t even… (at Jesus Baptism Site, Jordan River)

The Evangelical Lutheran Church at the Jordan River in Jordan gave us our tour at the Jordan.  It was lovely.  The pastor was wonderful in his descriptions and the sense of spirituality he brought to our time.  He gave us lovely blessings in the water and had a great energy and commitment to justice.  After our tour, he invited us back to the church for coffee... of course he did!  Everyone in Jordan has a fantastic sense of hospitality.

Above: Lutheran Church at the Jordan River. (at Jesus Baptism Site, Jordan River)

I found the witness and spiritual work of the Lutheran churches in the Holy Land to be quite impressive.

Above: Altar art inside the Lutheran Church. Stunning.

Above:  Feels after crossing the border into the West Bank. It took 4 hours and was a terribly dehumanizing experience– one that Palestinians go through regularly in their own country. It’s now nearly 2:00 a.m., but we are in Nazareth and will rise early for more. 

We went through a Palestinian border crossing.  Israelis and other groups (like our own) can go through another one, but we went through this crossing, one Palestinians must use, so that we would see what few visiting do: how dehumanizing the experience is for Palestinians who are simply trying to enter their own country.  

There were about 7 different checkpoints our vehicle had to pass through, then about 7 different lines we had to get in to get through the border.  Baggage and Passport.  Passport.  Baggage.  Passport and questions.  More passport and questions.  Baggage.

People in our group were stopped and harassed at various points, but faced only a fraction of the discrimination that Palestinians face… GOING INTO PALESTINE.  It took 4 hours, but likely would have taken more on a different day at a different time, and surely would have been worse if we were Palestinian.  The process treated us like animals.  The atmosphere is strange.  People squish through, simply trying to get home amidst chaos and never-ending lines.  Despite the chaos, one must keep smiling if one doesn’t want to be harassed by Israeli security.  

Happy cows come from…

wait.

Peter observed a young man trying to speak to a member of the Israeli security.  He spoke in Arabic.  “This is Israel.  Learn to speak Hebrew,” said the man.

It was Palestine, not Israel, and even in Israel, one of the national languages is Arabic.

A 15-year-old boy stood next to one of my peers in line.  “Do you see what they’re doing to us?” he asked.

“I do,” he said.

We see it.  We will not be silent.

...

After crossing the border, we had a late dinner in Jericho before heading to our hotel in Nazareth.

Here are a couple of videos that may help you better see and hear what is going on in these lands:

Life in a refugee camp.

We Teach Life, Sir

This.  

So good.

So relevant.

VBS: Art of the Annunciation

Rossitza Schroeder is another great professor at PSR.  I took her "Art and Christianity" class my first semester in seminary.  Byzantine art is her specialty.

Video from Into the Wilderness.

Christianity and Art

ITW doesn't yet have additional Bible study videos posted online, so I thought I would share something else somewhat educational.  This video talks about Christianity in art, including much of the symbolism used that may or may not be apparent.  Enjoy.