Heather at Emmaus

Friday (August 1)

I am happy to report that all of our pastors have returned safely to Atlanta after a long, overnight flight from Israel. Everyone seemed well and in good spirits. I hope that the rest of the day’s travel also brought everyone to his or her individual home! The group from North Carolina arrived on time to a wonderful reception by family at the airport.

We will continue to post notes and pictures to this blog as our group looks forward to reuniting on retreat in November. The pastors made this pilgrimage a success through their wonderful spirit of fellowship, collegiality, and worship. Bill and I thoroughly enjoyed leading this group of outstanding ministers through a spiritual retreat in Israel and Palestine.

Check again soon for more pictures in the “Gallery” section of this blog.

Thursday (July 31)

Today was our free day in Jerusalem. We opened the day with prayers and Eucharist and then let people go their own way. Many of our pilgrims visited the Holocaust Memorial (Yad VeShem) for a poignant remembrance of European oppression of the Jewish people. In the afternoon, many groups visited other museums, toured the City of David archaeological site and waded through Hezekiah’s tunnel, and walked the streets of the Old City one last time. The group gathered again in the evening for an unforgettable meal, hosted by the owner of our local travel agent, Raji Khoury, before loading the bus for our long journey home.

A response from Rabbi Mark Strauss-Cohn approved by Neal…

Referring to the Holcaust as “oppression” is a gross understatement of the events that occurred in Europe as well as the purpose of the Germans and all of their collaborators. Attempted anhilation does not equate with oppression.

The use of this word serves to dilute the enormity of the evil that was perpetrated.

Wednesday, July 29

Today our band of pilgrims traveled to the Dead Sea region to experience the rugged wilderness. We began at the site of Qirbet Qumran, home to an Essene monastic community during the Second Temple period, where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered in 1947.

We then explored the ruins of ancient Jericho before enjoying lunch in the modern oasis city.

Jericho is the world’s oldest inhabited city, with over 10,000 years of continuous habitation by Canaanites, Jews, Muslims, and Christians. It is the site of ancient Christian monasteries and the traditional Mount of Temptation (Matt 4:8-9).

Tuesday, July 28

            This was our day in Bethlehem.  We began with a visit to Herod’s palace at the mountain-top Herodion, with its tremendous vistas of the Judean hill-country.We explored its ruins and descended its ancient watercourse.  We then traveled to Bethlehem.  We toured the Church of the Nativity, which marks the cave in which Jesus was born, and visited with Rev. Mitri Raheb, a Palestinian minister of the Lutheran Church.  Much like our conversations with Rev. Mark Brown the previous afternoon in Jerusalem, Bethlehem was a sobering reminder of the plight of our brothers and sisters in Palestinian territories. 

July 28 (Monday)

            Today was a wondrous day whose experiences cannot be contained within a simple description.  We visited the Temple Mount (or Haram esh-Sharif), where the holy Muslim sites of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque sit atop the Jewish Wailing Wall.  The Muslim mosques are excellent examples of architectural artistry that date to the seventh century CE.  The Wailing Wall was constructed by Herod the Great in the first century BCE as one of the retaining walls of his great rebuilding project.  It is all that remains of the Second Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, and is revered by Jewish worshipers as an especially sacred place.

            We also visited the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu (where Peter denied Christ three times outside the house of Caiaphas) and then drove out to the traditional site of Emmaus at Abu Ghosh.  Many of us wept as we sang, and listened to Heather sing, in the Crusader Church there. 

            Everyone in the group is healthy and doing very well.  We are enjoying Jerusalem and its hectic pace.  

Caesarea Maritima (Saturday)

Herod the Great built Caesarea Maritima as a Roman city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, complete with aquaduct, theater, hippodrome (for horse racing), and other luxuries.  It is a beautiful site, as you can see for yourself.  We had some lighter moments here, too.

From the Mount of Olives (Sunday)

We began our exploration of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives this morning. Here is a shot of the group, with the Old City and the Dome of the Rock in the background. We walked down through the Kidron Valley, with its numerous churches and cemeteries, to Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. After entering through the St Stephens gate, we visited the ruins of Bethesda and the Crusader Church of St. Anne. From there we followed the traditional route of Jesus last hours, the Via Dolorosa, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (impossible to capture in pictures!), where some of the pastors, including Allen, pictured here, touched the traditional rock of Calvary.

All is well in Jerusalem (for us, at least)

We are safely in Jerusalem now and everyone is well, but internet access is more difficult.  I will write more and post some pictures once I find the time and reliable wireless!  For now, here is a brief summary of the whirlwind of Saturday and Sunday.

We left the Galilee on Saturday morning and drove towards Jerusalem.  Along the way we stopped to view the archaeological ruins of Megiddo (home to humans since 3000 BCE and the site of the future battle of Armageddon) and the stunning Roman remains at Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast.  After dinner at the Notre Dame in Jerusalem, we walked to the Western (Wailing) Wall in the Old City, where a throng of Hasidic Jews were celebrating the end of the Sabbath. 

On Sunday we began with prayer on the Mount of Olives and then followed the trail through Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations.  We then entered the Old City through the St Stephens Gate and saw the ruins of Bethsaida and the Crusader Church of St Anne.   We followed the Via Dolorosa to arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the traditional site of Calvary and the tomb of Christ.

As you can see, we’ve been very busy experiencing sites that are hard to describe!  We have had joyous times, wonderful community, and many sobering moments in this very conflicted city.  In summary, the pastors are all very well and very happy, although we do miss our loved ones (churches, families, and pets!).  More details, descriptions, and pictures will follow in the next day or so.  Until then, continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

July 25 (Friday)

Today was a day of rest for our group, prior to driving to Jerusalem tomorrow. Everyone has enjoyed the out-of the-way German pilgrim’s hostel (Pilgerhaus) where we have been staying on the Sea of Galilee. Hopefully we have gotten enough rest to see us through next week’s more hectic pace in Jerusalem.