Sunday, May 6 ~ Heidi Saikaly

If you are considering touring Israel and Palestine, I encourage you to sign up for the next Pilgrims of Ibilin tour.  Then, tie up the laces of your sturdiest walking shoes, gird up your loins, and get going. You are in for an intense time of learning and fellowship.

This afternoon, we toured sites of Jesus’ ministry on the Sea of Galilee — Tabgha, Primacy of Peter, Capernaum, and Mount of Beatitudes.  One can feel overwhelmed by the glory of the architecture, statues, stained-glass windows, and archaeological evidence of Jesus’ life.  Yet, it was a simple, unadorned plaque on the Primacy of Peter Church that I loved, most–it faces the Sea of Galilee and states,

“At thy word I will let down the net.
Luke 5:5
The deeds and miracles of Jesus are not actions of the past.
Jesus is waiting for those who are
still prepared to take risks at His word
because they trust His power utterly.”

These are life-giving words for our journey, as we prepare to work to honor the stories of our Palestinian Christian friends–each has emphasized Jesus’ uncompromising vision of  peace for ALL God’s precious children of the Holy Land–Jews, Palestinians (Muslim and Christian).

Abuna Elias Chacour with Charlie Lewis

In the evening, we met with Abuna Elias Chacour, who became a refugee in 1948 when his family was forced out of their Palestinian village of Biram by the Israeli government. His Mar Elias Educational Institution schools have given teachers and students a place to build bridges of friendship and understanding.  Abuna says, “God does not kill. All are born as babies created in the image and likeness of God. Christian, Muslim, and Jew are blood brothers, children of Abraham. Peace with justice is the dream and right of all human beings.”

Let us, likewise, get our hands dirty to counteract the world’s messages of tribalism with Jesus Christ’s unifying activity.