Friday
morning we awoke late 7 am to a crisp beautiful sunny day. We were soon on the
bus where our resilient band of Potomac Pilgrims continued their quest to
better discern the life of Jesus. On this 6th day we paid a visit to
a very interesting Israel Museum. We began this stop by climbing some steps to
overlook a scale model 50 x 40 meters of the walled city of Jerusalem. We were
able to locate Golgotha, Mt. Zion, David’s City, etc. in relationship to the
Western Wall and the Temple Mount. Looking over the Mount we saw the Holy of
Holies where the high priest enters once a year to pray. Entering the Shrine of
the Book we saw some of the Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran caves dating from
roughly 200 BC. They confirm the accuracy of Old Testament books.
Our next
stop was Bethlehem. Since Bethlehem is in the Palestinian controlled land our
Israeli guide was banned from accompanying us but our driver David has a
special license to drive us pass the checkpoint and into the city. Our first
stop there was at a craft shop run by Palestinian Christians. From there we
walked up a cobblestone street arriving at a non-profit cultural education
center sponsored by the Lutheran Church. There a we listened to an insightful talk
by our young host Angie. She told us what it is like living as a Palestinian
Christian in a community under authority of a Palestinian government. She
explained that the center’s ministry is to move children, youth, and women from
war to a future based on faith, hope and life.
From there
we walked up to the birthplace of Jesus. The tradition location of the manger
is deep beneath the Basilica of the Nativity.
We were told the Basilica is administered by three faiths: The Roman
Catholic Church, The Greek Orthodox Church and the Armenian Church. As we
passed through the underground cave the priests were refilling the lamps with
oil and purifying the room with incense. We thought it was a spiritually moving
experience to stand in close proximity to such a revered site.
Our lunch
was held in a large restaurant in a mall that was mostly empty because Friday is a religious day when most shops and restaurants are closed. David drove us by the
Shepherd’s Fields, the barriers- electric fences and barbed wire and, new
Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territory. David’s commentary was
insightful. Just before returning to our hotel we dropped some of the hardy travelers
off in the old city of Jerusalem on Shabbat Eve.
Ending the
day we were reminded that one need not bring a Fodor or Michelin guide to
Israel. Your personal Bible describes the sites perfectly.
See attached
photos of our day…
Devar &
Suzie Burbage, Tom & Sherri McKenna
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