FROM THE HOLY LAND
I arrived in the Holy Land on Tuesday. Most of our group arrived Wednesday, but we had 50 people who were stranded for a day in Frankfurt, along with thousands of others, due to a major communications cable being cut that kept flights grounded. Everyone arrived by Thursday night. Yesterday we visited Bethlehem and the sights associated with Jesus’ birth. Today, we began the day at the Dead Sea archaeological ruins of a community where John the Baptist likely lived, and where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We then traveled to the Jordan River, remembering our baptisms in the Jordan River. It was very powerful. While we were baptizing two Indian men waded in the water with their clothes on asking if I would baptize them. It reminded me of the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in the Book of Acts – very cool. We then traveled to the Wilderness, had an Ash Wednesday service, then sent the entire group to spend 30 minutes walking in the wilderness as they read the story of the temptations of Christ, and then spent time in prayer. Very moving. After lunch in Jericho, (by some accounts, the oldest city in the world), we made our way to the Sea of Galilee. We just checked into our hotel, and I’m running to dinner as soon as I finish this paragraph (we’re 8 hours ahead of KC time). Tonight, I’ll be interviewing Rabbi Art Nemitoff, who is with us, about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict (last night we had a lecture from a Palestinian Christian professor). Then we’ll talk about the Jewishness of Jesus and hear a rabbi’s insights into Jesus’ ministry as he listened and joined us for our journey these last two days.
Here are a few pictures I thought you might enjoy. Don’t miss worship this weekend, it will be powerful!
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Our group gathered at the Shepherds Fields where we remembered the story of angels visiting the shepherds to announce Christ’s birth.
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The Church of the Nativity, built in the 300s atop the grotto believed by the earliest pilgrims to be the sight of Jesus’ birth.
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Inside the grotto, under the church, there is a star under an altar, reminding us of the birth of Christ in this place.
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Caves where may of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
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Praying in the Wilderness
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Preparing for baptisms in the Jordan River
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In Christ’s love,
Adam