israel

Last March I had the privilege to go to Israel. I didn’t have any idea what to expect. I was a bit fearful given what we see on the news everyday but I completely trusted Vickie, the person who was leading the trip. I have traveled to several parts of the world with her and I trust her judgment. She has a deep love for Israel and I knew she wanted to share that with me.

The trip was packed full. It was frustrating to not have any time to reflect on what I was seeing and how God might be speaking to me. I would jot very quick notes down in my journal to help remind me later what had happened. The images I’ve held most of my life, of where Jesus was born, where he died and all the parts in between were dismantled as I saw shrines here, there and everywhere and all these different churches vying for these holy places. There also is the reality of the painful human drama that is unfolding in that region. Jews, Muslims, and Christians all staking claim to the part of the world that holds their spiritual heritage. And then ..... the Palestinians. I don’t have the words to express the conditions under which they are living, in the city where Jesus was born.

In the midst of all this information overload there were two times that I was moved to tears. The first was on the Sea of Galilee. We were in a boat and moving on the water. I was overcome with emotion as I thought about Him being here, teaching here, eating fish that had been caught here. It made me feel close to Him. One thing I love about the Sea if Galilee…you can’t put a shrine over it! It is there is all its natural beauty just the way it was when Jesus walked on its waters.

The second place that moved me was the Garden of Gethsemane. Again, it didn’t look like what I thought it would but, still, it was a place that was so meaningful to me. Some of the olive tress that grow there can be dated back to close of time of Christ. They are beautiful in a strange kind of way. They have thick, gnarled trunks that twist and turn into artful contortions. It occurred to me that they were a fitting background to the drama that was unfolding as Jesus spent His last moments of solitude with His Father before His death. Tears came as I thought about the love that sent Him to this earth, to this grove of olive trees, to His knees as He sought comfort from God, and strength to face the cross.

I don’t ever want to lose these images. They help me to stay in touch with both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus. I invite you to spend some time today, thinking about his love for you. Allow yourself to feel that love and rest in that love - for that love is the foundation of the relationship we have with Him.