Author: admin

Muslims, Jews, and Christians, all of us Seekers

Posted by
Tuesday, May 1 ~ Judy Hammond
Our day started very early today. We were on the bus at 7:30am with a very full itinerary ahead of us. Our bus driver started for the nearest checkpoint, but, upon seeing the long line of buses waiting to be allowed to leave Bethlehem for the short drive to Jerusalem, he wisely decided to take the long way around, saving both time and aggravation.

Jerusalem from Mt. of Olives

We arrived at the Mt. of Olives, along with throngs of tourists and other pilgrims, and I was awestruck by the stunning panorama of the Old City in the distance, especially the glittering gold Dome of the Rock. We began the steep descent along the Palm Sunday path that Jesus took, through olive trees and vast graveyards, before stopping for a poignant devotional led by Pastor Luke. He read from Luke, chapter 19, which describes Jesus’ ride from the Mt. of Olives as he is being hailed a king, but he stops and weeps as he looks toward Jerusalem, noting that enemies will encircle and hem them in.  It was hard not to weep for Bethlehem at that moment, walled off and isolated as it is today. Pastor Luke then led us in a beautiful and meaningful refrain, “Salaam, salaam, the peace of God to every race. Salaam, salaam, the peace of God in every place.”  Our next stop was the peaceful Garden of Gethsemane, filled with ancient olive trees. It’s easy to imagine Jesus praying there with his disciples, even though we saw it today surrounded by tourists and noisy traffic.

Our guide at Al Aqsa, Aouni Bazbaz

Our time at the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa  Mosque was inspirational. Our guide Aouni was a fount of information, giving us religious, cultural, and historical context, and the mosques were beautiful beyond words.

Al Aqsa from inside the main Mosque

Next we began our journey on the Via Dolorosa, stopping first at the church of St. Anne, named for the mother of the Virgin Mary.  And there I met a very interesting man from China.  He was pulling some “weeds” next to the church, which he said was a medicinal plant. He told me that he was a Christian and a priest in China. When I told him I had carried many bibles into his country for Chinese Christians, he gave me a hug and a very touching blessing.
We enjoyed a great lunch and a rooftop view at Ecce Homo before continuing on to the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. These are both sacred places, the Wall a sacred place of prayer for Jews and the Church believed to be the site where Jesus was crucified and buried before he rose from the dead.  Awesome, indeed.  Both sites were exceptionally crowded!

Pilgrims at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

What stood out most to me today?  The cacophony of noise, the vibrant colors of all the goods and souvenirs, the amazing smells of exotic food and tempting spices! But I was struck even more by the number of languages I didn’t recognize and the crowds of pilgrims clamoring to be near these holy monuments. Muslims, Jews, and Christians, all of us seekers, here in this same sacred place from all over the world.

Salaam.  Shalom.  Peace.

Salaam, Salaam, the Peace of God in every place

Posted by

Tuesday, May 1 ~ Randy Hart

Our Pilgrims of Ibillin group spent a long and slightly exhausting day in and about Old City Jerusalem. The whole day was most stimulating and instructive, but two parts of it stood out in particular for me.

Devotions on Mt. of Olives

We began by visiting the Mount of Olives, followed by the Garden of Gethsemane. Pastor Luke Hyder, a member of our tour group, led a very meaningful devotional time in the quiet and peaceful surroundings of the Dominus Flevit Church (where Jesus wept over Jerusalem). The text of his talk was the passage in Luke 19:39-44 which reads “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes.  The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embarkment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and your children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you. This reflection on Jesus part preceded his entry into the temple to drive out the sellers and money changers. The devotional ended by our singing, with Luke leading on his guitar, the Egyptian tune,

“Salaam, Salaam, the Peace of God to every race.
Salaam, Salaam, the Peace of God in every place.”

Dalia Landau with Luke Hyder

The second very stimulating experience occurred at the end of the day when we met with Dalia Landau, a Jewish woman featured in the 2006 book The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan. The book presents “An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East.” It traces the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through parallel personal stories. Our session included Dalia repeating much of what was written in the book but expanded the subjects a great deal. She invited members of our group to share a number of issues, including why individually we were making this pilgrimage, what we felt the answer to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians was. Dalia is a very stimulating, animated woman who has personally done much to advance peace and understanding between Muslim, Christians, and Jews. The time together was most instructive.

I was impressed by the depth of insight expressed by several of our group during this discussion. If this one session foretells what is to come during the rest of our time together, it promises to be rewarding and spiritually instructive experience.

Hope

Posted by

April 30 ~ Katherine Campbell

Hope School Beit Jala

Fresh young faces, girls playing soccer, boys in their bedrooms.

Kindergarten art in colors as bright as the floor.

All learning to live in tolerance and friendship under the loving face of Jesus in the mural.

Hope School Chapel Mural