Sunday Morning Reflection 11-29-09

The Islamic Call to Prayer and the numerous Christian Church bells have once again succeeded in arousing the world from its slumbers or at least it has succeeded with me. J May God bless us all as we begin our Advent Journey today.

We began yesterday with a trip to Taybeh which is a village in the countryside outside of Jerusalem. The village was renamed during one of its occupations as it was originally the village of Ephraim where Jesus fled to when the plots against his life were being initiated by the High Council under their belief “that it is better  for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed” (John 11:50-54).

On our way to Taybeh we once again sang our morning liturgy in the van along the way. It makes the hassle of passing through check points to be a time of Christian witness and it’s a great way to begin each day centered in finding God in our lives.

 We went to visit a brewery which happens to be the only Palestinian brewery. One young man traveling with us is a master brewer for a local microbrewery in Detroit. So he and the owners got into a lively discussion of the whole brewing process. This small business is only 12-15 years old and it was good to see the entrepreneurial spirit alive and bringing hope to this region. The owner’s son will be attending Harvard soon. In Taybeh, we also visited the ancient church of St. George which has been rebuilt numerous times in its long history. Some of the structure was the constructed by the Crusaders.

Traveling to and from the region of Ephraim, going up and down steep hills laden with rocky ground, it brought to mind just how vigorous traveling this countryside by foot would have been 2000 years ago. Seeing first hand this rugged terrain brings great meaning to the short Gospel sentences such as:    “Jesus no longer walked about openly with the Jews, but from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples”.  That was not a simple short pleasant stroll along a smooth path. Jesus lived a very Intense and demanding life in order to bring us the Good News.

Sinclair & I spent the afternoon with another Pastor wandering through the Old City of Jerusalem. We didn’t get lost but from time to time were a bit confused as the streets are narrow, winding and filled with people and shops. So we were exposed to all the sights, sounds and smells of the Middle East. I wondered if we stood still for 10 minutes just how many different languages we would hear being spoken as people pushed their way by us in the crowds. Dozens of languages would be my guess.

We found our way to the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) which is the last remaining portion of the Second Great Jewish Temple. The first was destroyed in the Babylon invasion in the seventh century B.C.E. and the second temple was destroyed when the Romans conquered the Jewish rebellion in 70 C.E. We had to pass through metal detectors to enter this Holy Site which is to be expected in our current times. The Jewish understanding is the Great Temple (and it’s remains) contain the essence of God. This is not my theology as I believe that God is present everywhere in His God Creation but still there was something about this place and touching and praying at that Wall that touched my soul. It is what Gaelic Theologians would refer to as a “thin spot” in my life in which I could more easily sense the presence of God. I offered prayers for both Congregations, for my family and for myself during this visit. The access to the Wall is divided with men’s only section and a woman’s only section as Sinclair found out when she was summoned away from the men’s section. This was Saturday which is the Jewish Sabbath and area of course was filled with Jews of all descriptions, clothing and rituals as they came to be in touch with the presence of God in this their most Holy and Revered place on this earth.

We attempted to access the Dome on the Rock which is the 3^rd holiest site for Islam (after Mecca and Medina) but it was not allowed since the Muslims were observing their major religious holiday of Eid which marks  the observance when the angel Gabriel stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son and showed him a lamb to sacrifice instead. Muslims hold this was his son Ishmael where Christians believe it was Isaac. At any rate, we will need to see if a visit might be allowed on another day. The Dome of the Rock is the site where Muslims believed that the prophet Mohammed received the Quran from God. 

We then went to the “Via Dolorosa” which is the street that marks the way of the cross. There are signs along this street that indicate the “Stations of the Cross” which is how Catholics observe the significant events of Christ’s suffering and death. We went to the stations which report to be the places of Jesus trial, of his scourging, of his carrying the cross and when he encountered the women along the way that wiped the blood from his face. We hope to later this week to visit the church of the Holy Sepulcher which is built over the location of Calvary where Jesus died on the Cross and the tomb in which he was laid.

There is something about being in this land and especially in this ancient city of Jerusalem that just touches the soul. Not just the stones of the streets, buildings and memorials but more importantly the “living stones” of these people. I thank God for this opportunity and these experiences. I don’t think I will ever be the same.

Last night, we had a wonderful Middle Eastern feast at the parsonage home of the Pastoral Couple who are the mission team leading the English speaking congregation that shares the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem with the Arabic speaking congregation and the German speaking congregation.  The parsonage is on the grounds of the Lutheran World Federation on the Mount of Olives. The view out the living room window looking out over the night sky of Jerusalem was breathtaking. The hospitality extended to us was heartfelt as all the hospitality during this trip has been.

I need to be wrapping this up as it’s time for worship. Hope that God touches us this day and all of our days!   Pastor Terry