Tu Has Venido A La Orilla

"Peter do you love me?"

"Yes Lord, you know that I love you."

"Feed my sheep."

John 21

History, fact, tradition, legend.  Bible, narrative, folklore.  It all has a way of blending here.  The biblical narrative oozes from the hills.  Places commemorate key moments of the life and ministry of Jesus, and though we have no way of knowing exactly where any of the stories, healings, and teachings happened, the point is they happened very, very close to here.  Along that very lakeshore you see above.  From the shore of the Sea of Galilee, up to those hills which surround all sides of this north and northwest corner of the lake, yes right here, most of the early ministry of Jesus took place. And every few hundred yards there is a church, a site, a marker, a view, something which celebrates the ministry of Jesus.  To read all about this area, read Mark 2 - 5, or Matthew 5 - 9.  All of the miracles of Capernaum, the sermon on the mount, the first sermons of Jesus, the walking on the water, the calming of the storm.  All here.  Right here.  And though we cannot prove that Jesus preached the sermon on the mount at the mount of beatitudes -- to read the beatitudes on or near the very collection of hills where Jesus gave them to us?  Among the more powerful experiences I have ever had with scripture.  To remember the loaves and fishes near the site where it is believed to have happened?  The same.  To see the archaelologically reputed home of Peter, the foundation of the synagogue where Jesus would have preached and taught in Capernaum, the area of the town where he might have found Levi and called him?  More of the same.

(Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God - from the little Catholic Church which commemorates the preaching of the beatitudes.)

(The reconstructed 4th century Synagogue at Capernaum.  The foundation of the 1st century synagogue's foundation is just to my left.  This 1st century synagogue would have been the location of all of Jesus's preaching and miracles in Capernaum - Mark 2 through 5.)

(An icon in the church of the multiplication, near the miracles of the loaves and fishes.)

I cannot tell you how special today was to this student of the New Testament.  It was a day spent in scipture and for this I am grateful.

One thing to note, which I never realized until I came here to see it.  Everything is so close.  All the "he went to the lakeside, he went across the lake, he went to the mountain, he went to Capernaum, he went to the land of the Gerasenes" -- all those verses -- it is all so close together.  Seeing all these places has opened up the scriptures to me and I am beginning to understand the movements of Jesus in whole new ways.

One other thing:  as I expected, this place is covered with pilgrim-like tourists.  Just like us.  One can hear every language and any language at almost any given moment.  We all crowd in and push to see.  At one level it can be hard to hear the guide over all the other guides.  But on another level that is as it should be.  The good news of Jesus is not exclusive to anybody's tongue or anybody's church.  It belongs to us all.  Grace is available and sufficient to anyone who might follow.  It is not birthright or brainwashing. It is baptism and welcome.  It is Christ saying, "Follow me," and then following.  And many do follow.

(Our group gets "lost" and pulled toward the "home of Peter" with folks from all over the world.  That church is the Franciscan church built over the site.  From inside the church one can look down into the home of Peter - the sight which letters corroborate from the 4th and 5th centuries was Peter's house.  This would have been "home" for Jesus whenever he stayed in Capernaum.  It is a very busy place, a huge archaeological site, and one of the best things we have seen since we arrived.)

(Our group is on the the left.  Look at the others around.  Groups, individuals.  All trying to glimpse the places and spaces where Jesus likely walked and taught.)

(A panoramic shot of the Franscican church over the St. Peter's site.  The columns commemorate the miracles at Capernaum - which you may read about in Mark 2 -5.)

(Our group rides on a boat on the Sea of Galilee.  This was as relaxing as it looks.  Really allowing for a better understanding of the economy and the lake-like living of Jesus's time and his place.  Boats hustling across the lake all day.  Those same boats fishing at night.)

(By the Sea of Galilee near the spot of the breakfast and the command to "feed the sheep and tend the lambs" given by Jesus.  Read John 21 to seee the whole picture.  That sign to my left says no swimming and no cooking.  If you read the text you might understand why.)

(Our group under a shady tree near the monument to St. Peter.)

For a long time my favorite hymn has been "You have come to the lakeshore," or "Tu has venido a orilla."  It is so wonderful.  Seeing the lake, seeing the hills, I can't sing that hymn the same way again.  Seeing the world changes everything the anthropologist have taught me.  I agreed.  It's different in a good way.

There are days when one is humbled by the privilege of the call to ministry.  Humbled by the privilege to study and read and teach and preach.  Today was one of those days.

I found myself humming quietly as our bus descended the hills, back toward the sea, back toward the lakeside these words from the hymn:

"Lord, you have come to the lakeshore,

looking neither for wise nor for wealthy.

You only wanted that I should follow.

O Lord, with your eyes you have searched me,

And while smiling have called out my name.

Now my boat's left on the shoreline behind me.

And with you I will fish other seas."

Friends, the loaves and fishes can be multiplied!

The peacemakers really are blessed!

The call truly is to feed the lambs and tend the flock!

What a beautiful reminder today of all the God has asked to do.  Thanks be to God for the call, and for the One who first followed, and then called us from the lakeshores.  Thanks be that the Savior then bids us to seek, serve, and love our neighbors near and far.

See

(One of the inscirptions from the documents found with the community rules of the Essenes.  This is from the National Park at Qumram, the location of origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls).

Today was an emotional and spiritual whirlwind for me.  It all happened so fast.  I must have taken 10 pages of notes, 80 pictures, and had 1,000 thoughts.  My guess is that you could ask every member of our group and they would say the same thing.

In order, we visited Massada, Qumram, Jericho, the Mountain of Temptation, and the Jordan River.  I write at this hour only a stones throw from the historical location of Magdala (think Mary Magdalene) as I overlook the Sea of Galilee or the Sea of Tiberias (and it is known by two other names as well).  The moon is full and its reflection on the water brings a peace to the mind.

The challenge tonight is to keep it brief.  I think I have failed.

(Tony, our guide for this part of the journey, shows us the Roman bath house at Massada.  The black line on the wall represents what was found by the archaeologists when they began excavating and restoring in the 1950's.  Everything below the line is "original."  It is worth nothing the terra cotta on the left - it is the way that the Romans heated the air and the walls to make the sauna hot.)

Massada was a truly fantastic experience.  It brought back so many memories.  The first time I read Josephus Flavius.  The first time my mother told me the story of Massada.  It brought forward so many feelings about the deep meaning of Massada and its psychological role in the complexity of the Middle East.  Even during our visit the site was overrunn by hundreds of young Israeli soldiers who still hike to the top to remember the Jewish resistance to the Romans.  Our group heard our guide recite parts of Psalm 121 in a small church that once had stood upon the site - for about 300 years from the 300's - the 600's AD.  Hearing about God's goodness in the hills while standing upon the hill that was and is Massada?  The first of many unforgettable moments from today.

(This picture is - admittedly - here for my children to see.  These are believed to be actual boulders hewn by Romans which they catapulted in their nine month assault on Massada.  If you have no interest in seiges, catapults, or 1st century battlements, simple skip this and move on.  P, G, and A - what do you think?  Actual projectiles!)

(Yes, that is Gloria Johnson who is on sabbatical right now, and happens to be travelling in Israel with a Columbia Seminary group.  The odds on us seeing her were very small.  But there she was, entering Massada as we were leaving.  How about that?)

Then we visited Qumran and like Massada, there is also something singular about Qumran.  If you google it you can see all you want to know about Qumran and why the Dead Sea Scrolls ushered in whole new eras of Biblical scholarship as well as new understandings of the Essenes.  Beginning in 1952, and continuing until today, it also revolutionized biblical archaeology and helped to rewrite the history of this area.

(One of the many caves of Qumran.  It is in a cave like this, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden for 1900 years).

More than anything else, both sights, Qumran and Massada bring into full light the age old conflict between idealism and realism.  Both the Zealots who lost their lives at Massada to the Romans, and the Essenes who hid their great works from the Romans as they fled their homes, were idealists in the strictest sense of the word.  Neither group would survive the Roman suppression of the Jewish revolt in Palestine during the late first century.  As far as 1st century world events go, none casts the shadow this suppression does.   As part of this suppression, in 70 AD the Romans destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem.  A Temple many of the Jewish people lament to this very hour.  The realists?  While the Romans certainly altered their lives and caused great suffering, many of them managed to survive and many of their descendents surely are among those who populate this land today.

North from Qumran we ate lunch in Jericho.  Yes, that Jericho.  Zaccheus.  Bartimaeus.  Jesus on the way to Jerusalem.  The Israelites and Rahab and the walls tumbling down.  Elisha and salt in the well.

(That giant mound is Tel-Jericho.  Somewhere in all of that is the archaeological evidence of ancient Jericho.  Whatever remnants of the walls there may be are likely to be in that pile).

Jericho is among the handful of cities which claim to be the oldest in the world.  It is the lowest city in the world.  Like the Dead Sea, it is hundreds and hundres of feet below sea level.  It is towered over by the Mountain of Temptation.  Where Jesus (according to legend) went for the 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism.

(Icons in the monastery on the Mountain of the Temptation.  The entire monastery is built around the rock where, according to tradition, Jesus was tempted for 40 days.)

The Orthodox Church has a monastery high upon the montain and the mysticism and sacredness of the place certainly felt foreign to this rational man of faith.  But I also can sense "holy" and know it when I feel it.  As I recited the story of the temptation to myself, and as I prayed the Lord's prayer ("lead us not into temptation") in that place, two men from Russia came into the room and completely prostrated themselves in the space beofre the rock.  They poured their whole selves into the prayers they prayed.  Each word was critical and important.  Their tears were real.  As I prayed my prayer near them I could not help but wonder if we in the rational West have lost something along the way?  No, we are not likely to be snookered by a religious charlatan, but sometimes in our "head first" dedication to our methods I think we miss the mystical.  And sometimes when we miss the mystical we dismiss the holy.  I was reminded once again (perhaps by the Spirit?) of the danger in neglecting the holy when it is in our midst.

About the distance from White Memorial to the N C State Veternary School is about how far it is from Jericho to the banks of the Jordan where "our" best guess suggests Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.

(Members of our group visit the Jordan River on the westside, the Israeli side, of the river.  While difficult to describe, I will try to explain what you are seeing in this photo.  The water is high and full of sediment as it rained very hard earlier in the week.  Many scholars think that Jesus actually entered the water from the  east side, the Jordanian side of the river, directly across from us.  The church in the background is the Roman Catholic Church constructed on the sight in 2000 or so.  There is also a Lutheran Church and an Orthodox Church, all on the Jordanian side.  Behind us is a large pavillion that is wide open.  All around us were people reading and studying scripture - Christians and Jews.  People going well into the water, praying, singing.  The group across from us had drawn water from the river, and using the huge font in the center of the screen, were baptizing people there.)

I don't think I can really articulate what it meant to me to be there.  I gathered our group closely and we shared the story of Jesus' baptism.  I encouraged them to touch the water, remember their baptisms, to pray or recite whatever they desired to pray or recite.  Each person embraced the experience in a very personal way, and that felt right.  After I shared the story of Jesus and his Baptism, which was somewhere in the general vicinity of this spot some 2000 years ago, I touched the water with my left hand, and then my right hand, and I thanked God for my baptism and for the gift of forgiving and saving grace.  I then asked The Lord to bless my family and our church and I once again recited The Lord's Prayer.  I didn't take any water.  Instead I left my prayers with the water.  That felt right.

My overall feeling there was joy.  Being there made my incredibly joyful.  I pray I will be slower to anger, and more able to give myself to joy when it arrives.  I was able to do so today, and for this I am grateful.

For as long as I have read scripture, I have always felt drawn to Luke's gospel.  In Luke 18 and 19 we get the back to back stories of Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus.  Bartimaeus is blind, poor, a beggar.  Zacchaeus is rich, rich, rich - a tax collector.  They both need to see.  Bartimaeus because of his blindness and Zacchaeus because of his short stature.  They both need to see the new thing God is doing, to behold God's goodness in the world around them.  Both in Jericho, though different, they have a similar need.  And it is in Jericho they both gained their sight and saw clearly.

What did they see?

I cannot know.  But I trust that it was grace.  Grace abundant at that.  Grace in a loving God and loving Savior who would touch them and direct them to the fruits of the Spirit.  

I think that is why people come here.  I saw people catching a glimpse of that today.  Praying in a shrine.  Stepping into a river.  Looking into the water.  Standing near the story of our faith in order that they might see more clearly.

"God of all sight - that of the eyes and that of the soul - fill us anew with wonder ever day.  That in the Jordan or in our homes, we might see, see, see.  See clearly the wonder of your love, the beauty of your Spirit, and the mercy of your Son.  Amen."

 

 

Down, down, down...

Bet you didn't know that White Memorial was a seminary academy, did you?  Neither did we until we got to Israel.  Our group really liked this sign unti I declared that there would be a test at the end of the week.  

All kidding asdide, we were greeted by this sign in the window of our bus in Israel where Tony and Majdid picked us up.

Tonight we sleep at the Ein-Gedi Kibbutz Hotel.  We are at the lowest point on the earth's surface, along the banks of the Dead Sea, in the heart of the Rift Valley.  We are 1200 feet below sea level.  Surrounded by desert the Kibbutz is a shear act of will and land management.  It looks like a Spring blooming in the desert because it is.

Animals roam freely.  Plants from all over the world grow in every imaginable manner.  It is incredible.  Especially considering everything around it is a moonscape.  Desert.  In every direction.

(Hotels and resorts dot the shore of the Dead Sea.  These are half way between our overnight accomodations and the city of Eliat, where we entered Israel).

There is so little alive around here (including the sea), that the life-spring of the Kibbutz is enchanting; I find myself drawn into it.  My heart seemed to beat a little lighter as our driver turned into it, taking us from the desert and into something green, cool, life-supporting.  More on this later.

Most of the day was spent simply moving around from place to place.  We can say now that we walked into Israel.  Literally.  The bus dropped us off in Jordan.  We walked 100 or so yards through a severely fenced area, and, after more than 90 minutes in security and passport control for the 19 people in our group (there were only 4 others in line with us when we first arrived) we were able to enter Israel.  I have no pictures of this as cameras and security officers did not seem to be all that compatible.  It was a simple, but painstaking experience.  A good reminder of the complexity of this part of the world.  I can only say that from the travelers perspective the people in Jordan could not have been more pleasant or kind.  And, the Israeli's we have met so far are just as welcoming.  Kindness on both sides of the border.  Go figure.  And the painstaking security, most bags handchecked, every passport scrutinized, questions asked of each of us is a good reminder of the complexity of situation on both sides of the border.  And let's face it -- within a matter of miles of the Israeli city of Eliat, the nations of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel all converge upon the Red Sea.  And that makes it complicated.  The kind of complication one cannot just wish away.

(Members of the group say goodbye to Jordan, and the east side of the Jordan River -- often overlooked parts of the Holy Land).

On the lighter side, we did get to "swim" in the Dead Sea.  It was the strangest sensation I think I have ever had.  The bottom is pure salt:  as if salt had turned to smoothish rock.  And the water simply will not allow a person to sink.  

Tomorrow we head out to Massada, before heading on Northa to Jericho and then Galilee (that is a slight schedule adjustment -security took 1 hour longer than expected).  

It is truly a full blessing in every sense to be here.  One experience builds into the next.  One thought leads to many, many more.  One insight to more insights... Were Sodom and Gomorrah near Mt. Lot, on the southern end of the Dead Sea?  How much did Jesus know of the tensions surrounding Massada - would he know what would happen there and how it would come to be a psychological and national symbol for the Hebrew people?  What will we feel as we journey to Galilee to the Mount of Beatitudes?  How close were we today to the spot where the Israelites walked over and through the Red Sea?

All around us the Biblical story unfolds and the metaphors of the Bible  - water, life, well, strength, sheep, shepherd -- they come to life.  One cannot help but wonder how green plants and life will return tomorrow when we start north and get beyond the Dead Sea and nearer the Jordan River.  It is little wonder that John and Jesus shared Baptism there, really.  From where they were there was desert all around, the Salt Sea (Dead Sea) to the South -- reminders of the fragile nature of life.  And in the place of convergence -- where outflows from two mountain ranges converge in the Jordan River -- where all the water and life gathers to sings songs of praise to God, that is where Jesus began his ministry.

Here at Eid-Gedi, we are closer that we have yet been.  I'll confess -- for my own part, I am excited about that.

"God - grant to us now the wonder of new eyes.  For faith.  For perspective.  For deep seeded feeling. Help us to see that, though far removed, the stories of your gospel migh preserve us yet.  Here in the land of your covenants and your promise, help us to know our own past more clearly, that we might, through your light see clearly into a future through which we might serve you with greater clarity:  loving you and our neighbors as ourselves.  In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit we pray these things.  Amen."

Petra

I remember back at Seminary when a group of my friends went to the Middle East and to the Holy Land.  To be sure they talked about following in Jesus' footsteps.  But they also all talked about Petra.   

I have now spent an entire day in Petra.  I think I walked its grounds, surveyed its crags, up and down slopes in and out of caves for nearly 9 hours.  In all I think I walked 10 or more miles.

And like near everyone before me, I am speechless.

There is more to write than I can write.  More to say than I can say.  There is a reason that the world is trying to preserve it -- there are Unesco and USAid stickers in lots of places. It is, by my reckoning, singular.

Constructed in the hills of southern Jordan, bordering Israel, the Nabateans (who spoke Aramaic) and who were near the height of their power at the time of Jesus dominated the lands west of the Jordan River for hundreds of years.  They were master builders -- particularly of aqueducts and cisterns.  They were master traders.  Dominating the trades roots across Arabia -- connecting Africa, Europe, and the Far East.  So powerful were they, that they resisted the Romans until 106 A.D..  Which for a near-Meditteranean people, is a long time.  

The city would be polytheistic, then Roman worshipping, Christian, and Muslim before it was abandoned and turned over to Bedouins.  Lost to the West for hundreds of years, it was rediscovered as a lost city in 1812 by a Swiss explorer.

I think it is an important part of our trip for many reasons.  Primarily because it is amazing and it is singular in the world.  But also, and even more, it gives an idea of the complexity of the world in which Jesus was born, in which he taught, and then died and rose.  Look at the picture above.  It is the most famous Nabatean monument and it is a tomb for a 1st Century (BC) King.  Constructed just before the time of Jesus, it is a piece of multicultural and multi-national genius.    The figures?  Nabatean.  The urn at the top?  Greek.  The columns and the triangles?  Roman.  They had traded all over the world, and multiple cultures were infulencing their thinking and styling.  These people who spoke Aramaic, the language Jesus would have spoken at home, were world travelers and wanted to be seen as cosmopolitan, current, and engaging.

Are we any different?

I don't think so.

It boggles the mind.

The world in which our Bible takes place was complex, diverse, and in flux.  We'll see even more evidence in Israel.  But for now in Petra (Greek name), Sela in the Bible (Isaiah 16 and 2 Kings 14), the land of the Edomites in the days of Moses and later, Jesus, we saw evidence a plenty.  It is a day I shall never forget and I thank God for allowing these eyes to behold the majesty of the mountains and a specific genius of people, like us, created in God's image.  Both forms of genius are in abundance at Petra.

(Our group with Naim.  Naim led us off on a side trail, which included some light caving.)

(You might see someone you know here as we enter the cave.  I am proud to report everyone got out just fine.  I suspect we were very different than the folk who lived here 2,000 years ago.  The insides were plain but amazing.  Imaging this -- all that you see in this blog was cut by hand.  I'll say it again, it was cut by hand.  And the walls inside? Smooth-ish and realtively straight.)

(This is called the monastery because it was a tomb so large that it was made by the Christians into a Byzatine church for 300 or so years.  Yes, it is that big.  And it is up about 1000 feet or more above the rest of Petra.  Climbing up here was like climbing the trails near Montreat.  Only in desert conditions.  Again, remember, all carved by hand.)

(A Panoramic of the "Grand Canyon" of Jordan.  Way out to the west and in the distance are Israel and the Red Sea.)

(One of my personal favorites.  This is the cistern and baptistry of the Christian church excavation at Petra - you'll note the modern covering left by US archaeologists.  There was a church here from the 300's to 600 AD.  This was at the end of the day, and seeing this site, looking at the mosaics which still remain, and getting to pray here and recite a favorite Psalm or two was my worship on this Lord's day.  A blessing of a different sort.  An unexpected treat for me, really.)

Too much...

(a section of the year 2000 Jubilee monument at the Basilica of Mt. Nebo)

Already.  Day 4 and I have already reached the point where I have too much to share.  Today was a day here on our trip which appeared straight forward at a glance.  But when I stretch the experience out just a little it was a day deep with meanings - personal, historical, and intellectual.

The day began at Madaba, Jordan.  Antiquity holds this as the city of Ruth and it is mentioned in Numbers and Joshua.  What a lovely city with very nice people!  We went there to see the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, or the Church of the Map.  The floor of this church is a 6th century mosaic which is the oldest existing map of the Holy Land.  It is stunning in every way, a piece of art I will not soon forget.  I have more to share than I have space or energy to write and my reaction to the ancient work of art was more moving than I expected.  I found a great blog a little while ago which can tell you about it:    

http://mosaicartsource.wordpress.com/2006/12/31/marble-mosaic-jordan/

(Panoramic of the interior of the Church of the Map. My photos of the mosaic floor were poor.  See the blog above.  And remember, the map/mosaic is 1500 years old.)

Next we went to Mt. Nebo.  I read Deuteronomy 34 out loud to our group.  This is point two where I have too much to effectively share.  Our guide, Naim, shared of his admiration for Moses, for what he did, for what he accomplished, for what he means to Christians, Jews, and Muslims.  It was as incredible a moment as I have ever had on a church trip.  I'll have to think about it for a long time to find the words....  But I am truly humbled.

(Naim explains the renovations going on at the Basilica of Mt. Nebo.  It is a huge project.)

(This is my panoramic of the view looking west from Mt. Nebo into Israel.  We got a hazy day.  But to the trees on the left and beyond is the Dead Sea.  This is overlooking the Jordan River valley.  The green in the middle is the area around Jericho.  Down below on the east side of the river is Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where Jesus was Baptized.  Admittedly, not a great picture, but an amazing experience.  Surely it has changed over time, but to be near the place and have a similar view to Moses?  That is a gift.)

(Our group and our guide in front of the Mt. Nebo marker.)

From there we went to Karak, or Al Karak in modern Jordan.  For hundreds upon hundreds of years Karak was a fortress, a citadel, a castle where invading and occupying armies exerted forcible control. For 190 years in the Middle Ages crusaders occupied it.  It is the largest fortress I have ever been in.  I can say that I have never seen anything on its scale or its size.  In order to understand the ancient allure of the Holy Land, the conflict of civilizations East and West, or the drive to conquer and occupy with which we humans have historically been afflicted, it is a "must."  Just look at these pictures, one inside and one outside and try to imagine 50,000+ troops inside while Salladin seiges it for three months.  I should share that from the top of the wall, to the bottom of the valley below seemed like it was 1,000 feet.

(The castle.  Some parts of it are 9 stories, above and below the ground.  Imaging one of your favorite mountains and the entire top had been turned into a fortress.  That is what Karak is like.)

(Recently excavated room in the castle / fortress.  Not the holes in the roofing - for light and ventilation. This room is presumed a soldier barracks.)

The hills in this part of the world are impregnable.  Whenever you read of the Exodus or in the history books of scripture -- if you are imagining it flat, like Kansas or Louisiana you need to know that it is more like the Blue Ridge Parkway (only steeper, drier, and rockier).  I am at a loss for how to describe it.  I have gone through my photos and I am not sure any do it justice.  Maybe this photo?

(This is obviously me, standing high above the Al Mujib Dan and reservoir.  This is the Mujib River, which in the Torah is referred to as the Arnon River.  That ledge behind my right foot is about a 1,000 drop.  The hills/mountains dominate everything.  I am starting to understand better all the language in Hebrew about elevations, heights, and depths.)

We ended the day driving to Petra.  For me, my longest extended drive in the desert.  Again, I cannot describe it to you.  Imagining our faith's ancestors surrounded by that desert?  Imaging Abram trudging across it?  More than my mind can bear.  As we headed south for hours, I was blessed with my first desert sunset to the west.

And the full moon to the east.

   

The nothingness -- it is all dry and brown and rocky -- made me want to stay until dark.  Just to get a glimpse of those stars?!?!?!

Then I noticed that there were, every so often, streams in the desert.  Like a prophet, or a psalm, or an anthem sung by a choir, there were streams here and there (it has rained and snowed since we've been here) and water flowing.  And everywhere there was water?  There was green.  Not much.  But enough.  Water.  Life.  Plants.  Food.  Sheep grazing.  Bedouins camping.  Little road side shops.  And then more desert - it always followed.  Until there was a little glimpse of green on the horizon.  Soon enough, pieces of life would start to appear.

That is what I'd call a spiritual metaphor.  One I am glad I got to see.  One that suggests providence, water, manna, hope on the horizons of even the desert itself.  One that will never let me sing these words again, and not think about that drive from Karak to Petra, or my days in this amazing part of the world:

"I've got a river of life flowin' out of me,

makes the lame to walk and the blind to see.

Opens prison doors and sets the captive free.

I've got a river of life flowin' out of me.

Spring up O well!

Deep in my soul.

Spring up O well!

And make me whole, whole, whole!

Spring up O well!

And give to me, my life, abundantly."

 

March 14... Powerful Past and Unfolding Story

There are many lessons which only become apparent when travelling.  A good friend of mine and I always talk about how travel eliminates prejudice in a way which nothing else can.  We (you, me, or anyone else) cannot know someone unless we have heard their story.  It is hard to understand their story unless we see where and how they live.

So today we went two primary places:  the Amman Acropolis and Jerash.  The acropolish was fantastic as it was a great introduction to the rich archaeological history of Jordan.  Jordan, like it neighbors, sits at civilizations' origins and crossroads.  Digging around here can be very exciting!  In nearly any populated hillside there are to be found prehistoric, Nabataean, Edomite, Moabite, Greek, Roman, Ottoman, Byzentine, and other relics, art, and religious sites.  The ground around here is a place where east and west have met for centuries.  We are on hillsides containing some of civilizations oldest secrets.

(Lindsay with Annan, one of our tour coordinators)

Between the Amman Acroplis and Jerash (about 40 - 50 minutes by bus, but I wasn't paying attention), we drove through the hills of Gilead (yes, that Gilead), over the Jabbok River (yes, that Jabbok River - read Genesis 32:22 and following), and through the hills where Moses eventually led the Hebrews to Mount Nebo.  It was, quite frankly, overwhelming for me.  Already on day 1 of our official touring, my understanding of the 40 years and what that meant and how it might have looked has been changed.

(That's me, down to the left below me is the River Jabbok - I honestly can say that I have never imagined for one moment that I would ever seek this river)

The bulk of our day was spent at Jerash.  I have read about Jerash for years.  Nothing prepared me for the size and scope of Jerash.  A fascinating site, it is significant for both past and present.

(The Cardo Maximus - "Main Street" of Jerash.  Imagine these paving stones surrounded by shops and industry.  Jerash has been inhabited for 6,500 years and the Roman engineering of it was nothing short of stunning.)

(Members of our group at Jerash.  The site is huge.  Excavations could go on there forever it seems.  Our main guide, Naim is in the center of the photo with a black jacket and red and white scarf.  He is a knowledgable and pleasant guide with an uncanny, stunning knowledge of the Old Testament).

There was this moment today that was an intersection for me that I had only imagined.  I suspect there are only a few places in the world where one could have this experience.  Take a look at this picture:

This is a mosaic floor from a Byzentine-era church, Christian church (the floor is full of Christian details).  Out in the distance is Mt. Nebo, Jabbok River, hills of Gilead -- all essential to Jewish history.  We were in the midst of a Roman ruin (which the Byzentine church was built upon) and off in the distance we could hear the calls to daily prayer from the many Muslim minarets.  Think about that... There are only a few places in the world where that historical and religious intersection can exist.  I suspect we'll experience more of that intersection in certain parts of Jerusalem and in Israel.  I look forward to such experiences both intellectually and spiritually.

(Here is picture of a picture of our group at the Forum in Jerash.  To see a family member, simply zoom in).

I suspect the spiritual richness of the entire time here will only increase as we get closer to the "footsteps" of Jesus.  But for now, as we prepare to go to Mt. Nebo and Petra tomorrow (two more places I never thought I would see), I am richly blessed.  I can't wait to see more.  With every site the story unfolds and the understanding of what I have been reading and studying for so long grows a little richer.  

"We thank you O God for the wonders of this earth:  for the hills, the streams, the rocks, and the valleys.  We thank you O God for our history and its richness and we thank for the richness and history of the Jordan river and its surroundings.  Even in its complexity we thank you.   We thank you for the story of people who heard your call and who followed you in trust.  May we have an sliver of their courage, and follow as you lead.  In the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen."

 

Wide Open Spaces

There will be much to write in coming days.  Preview - tomorrow we see Roman ruins in and around the country of Jordan.  That's right we are safely in Jordan.  Everyone in the group just shared a wonderful meal.  Off to bed to catch up on all the sleep we lost :) .

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof!  So exclaims the Psalmist.  And our picture perfect flight today certainly would suggest as much.  Not a bad way to spend a day - lost in the splendor and glory of the Alps, the Mediterranean, and the mountains of Turkey before darkness fell.

(those aren't clouds, those are the Alps)

At this point everyone is hoping for a good night's sleep.  Safely in Jordan, I'll blog more tomorrow after we have seen some of the sights and beauty of Jordan.

When we left the U.S. it was raining and everyone was complaining.  It is raining here and supposed to continue to do so.  Nobody complaining though.  They say it is a blessing.  Which it is.

(commemorative Jordan airport sign)

(last airport shot - here is much of the group as we await Visas and other travel documents - everyone here tired but mostly happy)