I'm home as of last Friday (1/28), and it's Monday morning now. I'd intended to try and finish out the days of the trip yesterday afternoon, but following church and a trip to the grocery store that quickly devolved into a long sleep-a-thon. You may not be able to catch up on sleep, but it does not keep you from making the attempt.
Now, somewhat rested, and with events still relatively fresh - working from my journal notes - I want to try and get the rest of the days into the record...
This was my favorite moment of this trip, because it was planned, but not in the way it turned out which was wonderful. Our second night in Jerusalem, I wanted to get up at 4:45 a.m. so that I could be at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher around 5:00 a.m. when the doors were supposed to be open. This would give me time to do my morning prayers and be back in plenty of time for breakfast and to be on the bus at 8:00 a.m. I woke up and looked at my iPhone which said 5:15 a.m. I was a little put out with myself for not waking up when I intended, but thought I could still make it with plenty of time. I got up, got ready and was out the door. Went to the Damascus Gate and into the Old City.
Virtually no one on the streets, I thought it would be light, but not that empty. I remembered which way to go when the road forks, but went a bit past where I was supposed to turn to get to the church and ended up at the Jaffa Gate. I turned back and passed two men who helped me find my way the last little bit. Walked over to the Tomb of Christ where there was a worship service going on and marvelous chant style singing. I went over to the steps that lead down from Calvary and did my morning prayer right there. No foot traffic to speak of, so no one's way to be in at that section of the church. I figured this was because the folks were all over at th worship service at the tomb.
I finished and walked briskly back to the hotel when it began to become clear to me that something was amiss in my calculations. That moon way up in the sky should have been a clue. Turns out my iPhone had the right time...in the United States. I had made my little trip to the Church at 1:00 a.m. rather than at 6:00 a.m. like I had thought. I am still not certain why the door of the Church was open at that hour or what the nature of the worship service was that was going on, but it was a wonderful walk under the Jerusalem moonlight. Okay, back to bed for four hours and then up to meet the day.
The day was one of those days that I heard described as "drinking from a fire hose" - way too much to take in, but awesome. Our first stop was at the Temple Mount. This is the area above the Western Wall where Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple once likely stood and which now is where the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa Mosque now stand. We were allowed up on the Temple Mount in 2000, but not in 2001. Thanks to Julie asking the guide about it we started our day at 7:30 a.m. rather than 8:00 a.m. and got to go and walk around on this amazing site.
We came down from the Temple Mount over by the Lions Gate to the Old City where we visited the Pool of Bethsaida (where Jesus healed the man who had been able to walk for more than thirty years and had nearly given up hope of being healed as a result of his being unable to get to the pool while the waters were moving).
(The Lion's Gate)
(The Pool of Bethsaida excavation site)
Near to the Pool is the Church of St. Anne. The acoustics in this Church, which is named for Mary, the mother of Christ's, mother, are remarkable. There was a group ahead of us, singing in a language I could not pinpoint, that was breathtaking. A young woman from our group sang and it sent chills through the body and brought tears to the eyes. Remarkable.
We visited the Antonia Fortress site, behind the Temple Mount, the beginning of the Via Delarosa, as it is the location where Jesus stood trial before Pilate. We then walked the Via Delarosa, the Stations of the Cross through the Old City. Again, this is a place where many pilgrims seem unhappy with the experience. They would prefer it quiet and reverent - instead it is a walk through streets that are alive with shops and people on their way here and there and shopkeepers inviting you to stop and view their wares. I love it. And I think the experience is much closer to what Jesus would have endured as he carried his cross. I don't suspect they shut the place down and all grew quiet. I think he walked through a living city that was going about its business - not unlike what we walked through.
(mural in the basement of the Antonia Fortress site at the beginning of the Via Delarosa)
We then visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the church of my 1:00 a.m. morning prayer and the spot selected by Helena to build on as the traditional site of the crucifixion and the tomb of Christ. Local tradition when Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, was visiting the Holy Land some 1600 plus years ago indicated that this was the location held as the spot by early Christians. Further there had been a Temple to Jupiter built on the spot around 200 C.E. which argues that someone was trying to erase the meaning of the location by building a Temple to a different god on what was revered as a holy spot. I can't say enough about the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The feel, the smell, the touch, the weight of the veneration that has been offered in this place. Celtic spirituality talks about thin places; for me their is not thinner place than the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
(lines of pilgrims waiting to visit the Tomb of Christ, best news - he's not in it)
We had lunch at a cafe near the Church in the Old City. Best lunch of the trip - great falafel sandwich.
From there we went on to the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall, the outside retaining wall of Herod's Temple. For Jews this is the holiest site. I had been entrusted with prayers from Peggy French's church in Okolona (she was going to make the trip but ended up with a bad shoulder that has postponed her trip) and was also carrying prayers from members of Hebron. A great moment of connection of the past as I stood at the Wall and the present as I prayed the prayers of the folks from Hebron and placed them in the wall along with the prayers of the folks from Okolona.
(the Western Wall, a retaining Wall of Herod's Temple)
(our prayers placed in the Western Wall)
We ended our touring for the day with a look at the archaeological site at the teaching steps of the Temple. We had a nice devotional by Karen Stigall who reminded us that what we were experiencing was great, but would really find it's purpose if we carried it home with us and let it inform our faith and energize our congregations on oru return. These steps may be the very place where Rabbi's gathered round there students and taught them about their faith and about the Scriptures. Perhaps it was on these steps that the twelve year old Jesus stayed behind when his family went to Jerusalem for Passover and where his parents found him when they returned looking for him.
(a very happy pilgrim on the Teaching Steps)
A day that began with a highlight wound up with another highlight. Rula, our guide, let those who wanted to do this, out at the Jaffa gate where we purchased tickets that allowed us to climb steps and literally walk on the ramparts of the walls of the Old City. I had known this was possible since I had been there in 2000, but hadn't been able to figure out how I was going to be able to fit it in logistically. Rula got us through our formal day by 3:00 p.m. which allowed us to do the walking on the walls.
(view from the City Walls, standing on the New Gate looking towards the Damascus Gate)
Really magificient. Words fail. I'll conclude the day with a few shots of daily life in the market in the Old City.
(lots of citrus in Israel, lots of citrus groves)
(hard to tell from this distance, but the man in the middle of the picture is pushing a handcart - what's in the cart? - a 50 inch plasma screen television - old meets new indeed)
(street just inside the Old City, leading to the Damascus Gate)
All in all a great, great day.
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