City Hall and the Airport Chapel

Today we visited two sites that are far north of the region we have been exploring. The first site was an archeological site called Tel Hazor. Hazor was the site of the palace for Canaanite kings, 14th-13th centuries BCE. This particular city was detroyed by fire during Joshua's conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 11:10-13). Although Hazor was never an important Israelite city, experiencing the city gate has given me a new (and more accurate!) understanding of what actually happens at the city gate. When, for example, we read about Boaz securing the right to marry Ruth, it happens at the city gate (Ruth 4). I have always imagined a bunch of guys standing around under some trees ... but this is not the case! In ancient days, fortified cities had "meeting rooms" built into the walls next to the gate into the city. This way, if foreigners had business in the city, they could be received at the gate and taken to one of the meeting rooms - they never had to actually enter the city. So these meeting rooms at the city gate served in much the same way a City Hall serves today - it's the place where the city's business was conducted. If you wanted to get a building permit for a new shed, you'd go to the city gate! But instead of heading "downtown" like we do today, you would head to the edge of town.

The second site we visited was Caesarea Philippi, the traditional location of Peter's confession to Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" Many of us wondered what Jesus was doing all the way out here ... and how did he get from Caesarea Philippi to Mount Tabor for the Transfiguration in only six days? (Or was it eight days, as Luke suggests? Or perhaps the Transfiguration happened on the much closer, but less traditional, Mount Hermon ...) My answer: I don't know. I do know, however, that the physical characteristics of the locations for both of these stories add a dimension to their depth. Caesarea Philippi is the site of the Sanctuary of Pan, a Greco-Roman god. Because of the multi-cultural nature of the Roman Empire, and particularly of Caesarea Philippi, the Sanctuary of Pan was recognized as a holy site by many different groups of people. So - if the ancient "city gate" was equivalent to the modern-day city hall, the ancient Sanctuary of Pan might be compared to an interfaith chapel at an airport - many consider it sacred space, but few agree on the details of its sacredness.

Jesus' two questions to his disciples are meaningful questions, but the fact that the story is located in such a multi-cultural (dare we say "relativistic") location as Caesarea Philippi adds a whole other dimension:

"Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

"Who do you say that I am?

A Different Perspective

I wasn't able to write yesterday for two reasons. First of all, our morning excursion ran late; I promised to help our "theologian in residence," Roberta Bondi, on some rather difficult Su Doku puzzles but since we got back late, I didn't have time to do my reading and reflecting in the afternoon. After dinner, I was exhausted, so a bunch of us just hung out for a little while before bed. It was fun - not very productive, but extremely re-creational.

Secondly, I thought I didn't have a lot to write about yesterday, anyway. We took a 3-hour boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, and we went by the places we'd already seen the past two days. All we did was see the same old things from a different perspective ... then I thought, yes, that's the whole point, isn't it - to experience these sites, these stories, these traditions from a different perspective?

Speaking of a different perspective - it has finally happened ... I've been spiritually and emotionally moved. Or as Wesley said, "my heart was strangely warmed." And it happened, of all places, at the Grotto of Mary, traditional home of Jesus' mother. It looked like a home much more than Peter's house did, and our tour guide said that graffitti had been discovered in it ("Ave Maria," etc) that dated back well before the early Church was trying to identify holy sites. I was expecting to see a big gaudy display, but I was very impressed both with the holy site and the church that above it. The Franciscans have done a wonderful job in terms of their stewardship of these sites (well, in my humble opinion - I know some who would strongly disagree!). So, did I see the actual home of Jesus' mother? I have no idea. But I am strongly reminded again, not just intellectually but existentially, that even though I don't know what happened here 2000 years ago, I am absolutely sure in the core of my being that SOMETHING happened, and it was pretty significant, and the world is still responding to it, and whatever it was, my life is better because of it.

Capernaum, "Blessed are They," "If you love me ..."

My day began badly, but turned out that the bad thing was a good thing ... I still haven't fully adjusted to the new time zone, and I slept through my alarm this morning. This means that I didn't make it to morning prayer at the Church of the Multiplication. Turns out, however, that the Sunday morning prayer service isn't open to the public; so it's actually a blessing that I slept through my alarm! I don't know what kind of day it would have been had I cut my sleep short and walked to a church that I couldn't pray in!

I got to talk to Kathy, Reed, and Lucy this morning. It was wonderful. Conventional wisdom is that, being on retreat, I should cut myself off from the happenings back home. However, one of my lessons I need to learn while here is that this is a real place with real experiences for me ... and if I need to remember that the Holy Land is real when I'm in Atlanta, I must also remember that Atlanta is real even while I'm in the Holy Land.

We saw the "traditional" house of Peter, right next to an ancient synagogue. There is a new church built above Peter's house. Our tour guide suggested that the size of the house, and its proximity to the synagogue, suggest that Peter was a wealthy and powerful man in Capernaum - and would have been a good "sponsor" for Jesus' ministry. You'd think he'd come off looking better in the Gospels if he were providing all the financial support!

Next, we visited the traditional site of the Sermon on the Mount, and the beach where Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love me?" We celebrated communion near the beach. This was a good day of pilgrimage.

Arbel Cliff and the Church of the Multiplication

Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles — the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned. (Matthew 4:15-16)

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, Jesus looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowd. (Matthew 14:19)

Our first actual day of pilgrimage! We went to a place called the Cliff of Arbel, from which we could overlook Magdala, Capernaum, Tabgha, and Bethsaida, as well as the Wadi Hammam (Valley of the Doves), through which a traveler from Nazareth would pass to enter Galilee. Behind us was Mount Tabor, which is where the Transfiguraion (traditionally) happened. An amazing insight from looking down on this area is how incredibly small the area of Jesus' Galilean ministry was. These towns are rather close together - very easy to get between by car! (I'm sure it would have taken longer on foot, but we're not talking about a lot of land here.) In fact, some in the group commented about the improbability of such an insignificant figure in such an insignigicant location would end up becoming the standard by which Western civilization is both inspired and judged.

We also visited the Church of the Multitudes, which was built on the traditional site of where Jesus fed the 5000. The rock that Jesus used as a table (?) is under the altar table in the church. Historically, a Byzantine Church was built on this site in the 4th century, but destroyed when Arab Muslims took control of the area in the 7th century. The site was accidentally rediscovered in the late 1800's by a group of German Benedictine monks, and a new church was built. I participated in the morning prayers (Lauds) at 6:00 this morning, and plan to do so the rest of our time here. The prayer service was almost exactly like the service I've attended at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA - except it was in German. It was still beautiful and meaningful.

About the rock - our tour guide Claudia pointed out that in the history of the Church, venerating a holy site was not adequate, and neither was building a church on a holy site. There needed to be a physical symbol (like a rock) for Christians, especially pilgrims, to see, or touch, or kiss, or bow before ... there needed to be some way for the the faithful to physically interact with the Gospel story. We really are a grounded, physical, yea verily a material people. God created and called good the material world. How ironic that our idolatry of the material world is the direct cause of our destruction of it.

Arriving at Galilee

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; mey heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. (Psalm 84:1-2)

Well, it took me quite a while to get out of "regular life" mode and into "spiritual retreat" mode. During the plane rides from Atlanta to New York, and then from New York to Tel Aviv, I worked quite a few Su Duko puzzles, and I listened to music from High School Musical 2 and Hannah Montana on the plane's entertainment network. I may have been heading to Israel, but my mind and heart had a hard time leaving my Reed, Lucy, and Kathy behind.

Driving from Tel Aviv to Galilee was interesting, but not overly inspiring. The terrain is much like what the Southwestern United States looks like. I spent much of the ride wondering if I was ever going to get into being here. And then it happened. We arrived at Pilgerhaus Tabgha, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is beautiful! It is wonderful! I love it! I finally feel like I'm on a pilgrimage. The facility has the feel of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia (where I have enjoyed several silent retreats), but functions more like a Retreat Center (which it is!). Our room overlooks the Sea ... I will post a picture tomorrow after the sun comes up.

The Benedictine Monks and Sisters of the Church of the Multiplication conduct morning prayer services at 6:00 AM - I am looking forward to joining them tomorrow. The church takes its name from the tradition that this is where Jesus fed the 5000. We will visit the very mountain (!) tomorrow.

Why Psalm 122? (Part 3)

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: 'May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.' For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, 'Peace be with you.' For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good. (Psalm 122:6-9)

It is hard for me to imagine a romantic trip through the Holy Land - seeing where Jesus was born, where 5000 were fed, where demons were cast out, where crucifixion and resurrection took place - and not be painfully aware of the current strife that defines Israel / Palestine. It seems downright disrespectful to long for a transcendent divine experience in a land so full of brokenness, strife, enmity, and violence. How does one encounter the Prince of Peace in the midst of such intense hatred? But Psalm 122 directs us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Reinhold Niebuhr taught us that the core of the Gospel message is that there is hope in the midst of tragedy. For the sake of our relatives and friends, and for the sake of the world, we turn to this Holy Land, the birthplace of three great religions, and we seek its good. This Holy Land has been a land of strife and contention throughout its entire history (beginning with the book of Joshua, c. 1200 B.C.E.). Indeed, the three religions that find their roots in this Holy Land have been both source and victim of strife and contention during different times in history. Yet, ultimately we find hope in the midst of tragedy. We do not divorce beautiful stories of the Bible from today's ugly reality. Rather, we witness through the stories how divine beauty can transform the worst expressions of human tragedy.

Why Psalm 122? (Part 2)

Jerusalem - built as a city that is bound firmly together. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David. (Psalm 122:3-5)

This is so not the time to leave Atlanta for two weeks. First of all, I am missing the last Sunday of the school year; the Sunday we traditionally recognize graduating students. Secondly, I am missing the final meeting of a Covenant Group I co-facilitate for commissioned deacons and elders in the North Georgia Conference ... and we really stress how important it is to not miss a meeting! And finally, I have never been away from my family and my daily routine for such a long time. I am a creature of habit. I spent most of Georgia Tech's spring break in my office on campus! But Psalm 122 reminds me that this is not a vacation I'm going on, nor is it a continuing education program or even a retreat. It is a pilgrimage. All of God's people are called to make pilgrimage, to intentionally break from our daily routines for the purpose of remembering what it means to be a child of God, and to give thanks for all that entails. Pilgrimage is hard - that is why God issues a decree rather than an invitation!

Why Psalm 122? (Part 1)

Admittedly, I was not all that excited about taking a pilgrimage to Israel. I only applied because I was personally invited to, and then only after much goading from my wife Kathy. My reasons for my lack of interest:

I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord!' Our feet our standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. (Psalm 122:1-2)

As much as I love reading and wrestling with the Bible, direct connections to actual physical places has never been important to me. The reality of One who creates, redeems, and sustains us - as proclaimed in our baptisms - is far more profound to me than the fact that the Jordan River is the particular river in which this One was baptized. Yet, Psalm 122 reminds us that the Bible is not just a story, it is our story, MY story - a real, live, physical story that takes place in history. Standing with my feet within the gates of Jerusalem makes real the fact that I live my life literally grounded and dwelling in the house of the Lord.