I have to catch up a little bit, as I was too exhausted to write on Saturday, which was a wonderful day. We started our day with a trip to Bethlehem, where we all know Jesus Christ was born unto Mary & Joseph in a manger. For those who don't know, Bethlehem is part of the West Bank, Palestinian ruled. There is a huge wall around the city that is inhibited by Muslims and Christians, called the separation wall. As we were approaching border patrol, Rula, our guide said, "It would be better to build bridges of peace."
Our first stop in Bethlehem was the Church of the Nativity, a 4th century church, where Greek Orthodox, Armenians and Orthodox worship. Underneath the altar, is the cave it is believed that Jesus was born in, marked by a 14-point silver star. The 14 points on the star represent the 14 generations from Adam and Eve to Jesus. There is also the stone manger, where it is believed He was wrapped in swaddling clothing. After we stood in line with other pilgrims (aka tourists), more than 2 hours we were in the cave. What a mighty feeling; I don't think I'll think of the Christmas story ever the same again. I also learned that various faiths celebrate Christmas and Easter on different dates. Those of us in Western churches celebrate Christmas December 25, while the Eastern Churches use the Julian Calendar and celebrate January 7, and the Aremians celebrate January 18. Right next to the church is the Roman Catholic Church, Saint Catherine's. We went into this simple and beautiful church and sang "Joy to the World" to listen to the beautiful acoustics.
Next stop, the Shepherd's Field, where the Angel of The Lord proclaimed the Good News about Christ's birth. The field is just a little way East of Bethlehem, and many churches have been built there. These two stops plus a store for shopping were our stops in Bethlehem.
After we returned to Jerusalem from Bethlehem, we made two more stops--the Upper Room and the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu. Most are familiar with the Upper Room as the place of the Last Supper. However, two other events of significance happened here--Pentecost and Jesus appeared here to show his disciples his wounds from being hung on the cross.
The Church of Saint Peter was beautiful (ok, all the churches are), and commentates the three denials of Jesus by the apostle Peter. Ther is a dungeon here where Jesus was held captive for one night before going before Pontupius Pilate.
Perhaps one of the best parts of the trip, was not on the itinerary. After dinner, about 11 of us, including Pastors Mitch, Todd and John, made the trek to the Old City of Jerusalem, which has 8 gates. It is amazing to me that the city is so old and contained by these walls. People live there, sell their good there, and worship there. We made a nighttime journey to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is used by multiple denominations, including Armenians, Coptics, Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and others. It was amazing to go out when the crowds weren't there. We went to the top of Calvary, where a group was praying, and we touched the slab where they laid Jesus after the took him from the cross, and prepped him for burial, and we prayed in the Tomb of Jesus. Now this is interesting because, I, along with most Protestants have learned about the Garden Tomb just a short way outside of Jerusalem. However, others believe he was buried in the tomb I prayed in Saturday night. People can choose their beliefs, but we all know He has risen! And we won't find him in any tomb!
Along that note, while we were in the church, Mitch ran into this little Aremian man who also believes Jesus was buried in a cave in the Armenian prayer room, so he took us in there a few at a time and did this ritual where he chanted, took our candles and extinguished them on the cave wall, and dipped them in oil and put the oily end of our candle on our heads (a blessing of sorts). I didn't feel any extraordinary presence there, but like I said, to each their own, and it was kind of cool to experience the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the evening when it is less crowded.
And crowded it was on Sunday morning! Holy batman! We started our Sunday morning at the Pool of Bethseda, Bet Hesda meaning the "House of Mercy." If you recall, this was a series of pools where Jesus performed miracles. I prayed and had my Sunday morning quiet time there. Then our entire group sang "Amazing Grace" inside the Church of St. Anne, who is the mother of Mary, grandmother of Jesus. It was beautiful and other groups sang there as well.
Next we went to the Antonio Fortress, the start of the Via Dolorosa, which includes 14 stations. The Via Dolorosa or way of the cross is the path Jesus took from the Antonio Fortress, where they put the crown of thorns on His head, after he appeared before Pontius Pilate. We followed the entire trail to Calvary and the Tomb, which I described above. It was very moving to think we were walking the same trail as Jesus had walked. And it was moving to see other pilgrims actually carrying wooden crosses and stopping to pray at each station.
When we got to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, it was of course Sunday, so many groups were worshipping and we couldn't get many places, let alone fight the crowd of tourists. The Armenians were worshipping in and around the tomb, and it was very ceremonial, and I took video on my phone.
After a tasty lunch of falafel, we had two more sites to visit--the Western Wall and the Teaching Steps. Tomorrow is "memorial day" In Israel and the following day is Independence Day, so much of the Western Wall, was secured for a celebration tonight. Security everywhere was high, and we had to wait for our guide Rula to convince the police to let our bus come pick us up as every road was barricaded.
What an incredible journey. I will post pictures in a separate blog since this is so long! Thanks for reading my friends!
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