Taking Just a Moment

We just got back today from our epic journey to Italy and the Holy Land and I'm back in the office, getting ready for tonight's service.  I thought I would take just a moment to reflect on today.  As far as important days go in the life of the church, today is one of the most important.  

It's Good Friday, the day when Jesus was crucified for the sins of the world (read here to find out one explanation of why it's called Good Friday).  It is a day to remember with reverence what took place just outside of Jerusalem on that difficult day nearly two thousand years ago.

Here's the thing that I'm wondering about: if we celebrate the excitement of Palm Sunday and don't take any opportunity to reflect on what took place on either Holy Thursday or Good Friday, we're missing a major part of the celebration story of resurrection.  I'm not posting this as a rant against persons who haven't done that reflection - sometimes life just get busy and it is a hard thing to be able to set aside time to reflect on the importance of this day.  Certainly I understand how life goes... this isn't about that.

What it is about is being able to realize that if there is no Good Friday, then there is no Easter Sunday.  

Just take a moment to ponder what that means.  We cannot have Easter Sunday if there is no Good Friday.  If (and this is a big if for all of us) - if we have taken a moment, just a moment, to pause and be reverent for what that means, then the true significance of the price Jesus paid more than likely makes it a tougher day.  After all, he paid the price for our sins - even if we think we've never done anything wrong.  Jesus paid it all.

I hope you'll just take this moment to pause - just a moment - to reflect on what that means.  Good Friday is here - yes - and Sunday is comin'...

When in Rome...

After traveling from Tel Aviv to Rome on Monday, Nancy and I made the trip with Erin back to Rome on Tuesday.  We arrived here in the early evening with our only agenda item being a five hour tour of the Vatican on Wednesday.  I was really looking forward to finding out more about the central location for all things Catholic.  In the afterglow of discovering more about all things Jewish and the beginnings of Christianity, I've been trying to process all of the things that I've learned and seen.  This might take a bit more than a few days.

We scheduled a cab to pick us up and drive us to the USO in Rome, the organization that supports our military women and men by providing many sponsored events that help Americans stay connected while they are stationed in foreign lands.  The tour we were about to embark upon was sponsored and set up by the USO.  The cab arrived on time and we were on our way.  

One thing I had rarely (if ever) experienced in the U.S. was a cab ride or a Uber ride.  When we arrived in Tel Aviv, we were picked up by the nicest driver - David was his name.  He was talkative and made us feel welcome and safe in our journey to the Middle East.  The ride back to the airport wasn't the same - no warm, fuzzy experience here.  The driver did not say one word on the 40 mile trip from the Garden Tomb to Ben Gurion Airport.  It wasn't a very comfortable ride.

With that background, we were headed to the Vatican with an Italian speaking cab driver.  No words were offered.  I began to wonder if the language barrier was the primary issue.  That makes sense when you think about it.  As I sat in the front seat, I just wanted to get there safe and sound.  Then something happened that broke the barriers.  The driver reached down and offered me and everyone else a small wrapped candy.  I expected it to be candy or some exotic Italian chocolate.  How nice of this non-English speaking cab driver to break the ice by offering the worlds most universal and perfect food.  I was impressed.  It literally took my breath away.

It did take my breath away because I wasn't an exotic candy or chocolate - turns out, it was a menthol cough drop.

I didn't dare spit it out because I didn't want to offend the driver.  All the way to the USO office, I sat in the front seat with a cough drop in my mouth.  This world is such a strange world sometimes.

The Vatican holds many pieces of religious art and sculptures that tell the story or God's love for all people.  That really surprised me.  We walked through room after room looking at paintings that were over a thousand years old from famous artists like da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo - to name a few.  The pinnacle of our visit was being able to walk into the Sistine Chapel.  When I walked through the sanctuary door, it was the second time today that I had my breath taken away.

The story of how Michelangelo painted the ceiling was told to us before we went in.  I just had no idea how impressive his work would be.  The one particular panel that caught my eye was the center one, the creation of Adam panel where God is reaching to touch man's finger.  I instantly recognized the panel because I saw it in one of the most moving praise songs that I have sung, The Majesty and the Glory.  I've mentioned this before and I'm not afraid to say it again - that song always touches my heart, reminding me of my own humility at the same time how much God loves me for who I am.  Even in my weakest moments.  Even in my darkest nights.  Even in my failed attempts to demonstrate faith.  

In all of these things, I know that I am loved.

Knowing that really takes my breath away.

Walking Where Jesus Walked: Palm Sunday

Morning broke over the Holy Land and blue skies were everywhere.  How could it be otherwise?  It was Palm Sunday and our tour group was ready to go to the Mount of Olives for the event of a lifetime: taking part in the Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem.  The weather did not disappoint and neither did the procession.  Palm Sunday in Jerusalem was everything that we thought it could be and more!

We needed to get there early because of the sheer number of people taking part.  There was no possible way to tell how big that number was, but it was a lot!  We weren't the first ones getting ready - others had already shown up.  For us, the route began at the Church at Bethpage on the Mount of Olives.  It would mirror the route that Jesus had taken nearly 2000 years ago.  That would be impossible today because of the many houses and streets that have been built up since then.  The route would take the procession down the Mount of Olives past the Garden of Gethsemane and up into the Old City of Jerusalem, stopping finally at St. Anne's Church.  Our tour guide told us we would be bowing out after half of that journey.  Turns out, that was great news!  


As the 2:30 p.m. start time grew closer, more and more people began to show up.  There were people from so many nations - Germany, Africa, Asia, America, Israel - just to name a few.  Many came dressed with the same colors to identify themselves (we wore our lime green baggage straps with pride - they also helped to keep us together!)  Many brought musical instruments - guitars, drums, singers.  Many had palm branches and if they didn't have one, the local Israeli boys were only to happy to sell them one - never mind that it was a torn off branch from an olive tree.

Many of us had never seen anything like this.  Once the procession began, we waited for the first few "official groups" to pass by - boy scouts, girls scouts and other local groups.  Then we joined the procession.  We held tightly to each other, weaving our way through the procession like a religious conga line.  In front of us a delegation from Germany was singing "10,000 Reasons" in German - we sang it in English.  Halfway up the first hill, a group from Africa had moved in behind us and provided some very cool music for us to sing along with and dance to (if we felt like dancing).  You can hear them in this video we posted on our church YouTube site.  Palm branches were waving everywhere.  Every so often we would see an Israeli police officer or an Army soldier or two - we felt very safe in that wonderful, chaotic moment.

People were so nice all along the way - it was as though any differences that might exist between countries or nations or religions just fell away.  Everyone was there for one reason: to celebrate the King of kings!

I'm not certain that the full impact of what we experienced has set in yet.  We were all exhausted, but in a good way.  Still weary from the procession, we sat in restful silence in our bus ride back to the hotel.  Through the help of our tour guide, Moshe, we were able to upload a couple of videos for the First UMC worship service - I heard that everything went well.

We leave Israel tomorrow - one final stop at the Garden Tomb and then Erin and I travel to Tel Aviv ahead of the rest of the group as we return to Rome.  It's been an amazing trip - one that I would recommend to anyone in the future (Vicki is planning another tour in 2020 - put it on your prayer calendar as you consider what it might be like to be transformed!)  One comment shared by one of our group was especially meaningful - I'm paraphrasing "All the things that all the ministers have tried to teach me all make sense now.  It's been better than any Bible study I could have taken."

More to come as I put my weary feet up and get some rest.  I appreciate your willingness to travel with me these past few days and your prayerful support as we walked in the places where Jesus walked.

Walking Where Jesus Walked - Part Six

Today's travel schedule was really a prelude to the big event we've been moving toward all week: the Palm Sunday procession.  We met this morning on the top of the Mount of Olives overlooking the Garden of Gethsemane and opposite of the famous picture of the city of Jerusalem.  After enjoying 80 to 90 degree weather all week, we were brutally introduced to the high winds and sudden shifts of temperature and climate that Jerusalem can offer.  It was terrifically windy and of course, cold.  We were huddled masses, I'll tell you (I'm remembering a quote from my daughter when I complained about the cold wind near the Syrian/Israeli border - "Suck it up, buttercup - you're from Minnesota".  Yeah, she set me straight - I was okay after that.)

When I say we got a prelude to tomorrow's procession, I mean a prelude - it was a bit like it's going to be but nothing like it's going to be.  There were a lot of groups there this morning, rehearsing and preparing for the main event tomorrow.  Many nations.  Many denominations.  Many difference expressions and levels of faith.  All there to celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.  The pathway was steep and the high winds, cold and misting rain didn't help at all.  But it hasn't dampened our spirits as we prepare for the highlight of our trip.  

I'm planning on sending a video to First United Methodist Church's YouTube channel, so tune in there to view it (sometime after 10:30 a.m. tomorrow morning).  We are trying to coordinate sending our video feed to this site and we hope it will work before worship at 10:30 a.m.  You can go that site anytime and subscribe to the channel - no cost, just the time it takes to connect.  Hopefully it will send a notice that says the video has been uploaded.

We visited some other important sights and locations, but the one that was most meaningful to me was St. Anne's Church in Jerusalem - right by the Pools of Bethesda.  I stood outside of the church, wondering about the story of the man that Jesus healed by telling him to take up his mat and walk (which he did and he was healed).  I couldn't help but selfishly think about my own physical situation.  We've been walking an awful lot here in the Holy Land.  I've been diagnosed with a mild form of arthritis in both knees and now my left hip.  Some days it's been painful.  Sometimes it's okay.  I really wondered what it would be like to be completely healthy again - I know, it was selfish on my part.  But don't you think it's natural to wonder about such things when you are standing on such a meaningful location, wondering what it must have been like?  

Later that evening, I heard one of our group talking about the challenges of walking.  Her husband struggles with chronic pain, similar to mine.  But his comment to her was "I need to suck it up..." [what is it with Minnesota people and sucking it up?] "...because it's just a little bit of pain compared to what Jesus did for me."  

He was so right.  What a jerk I am for thinking about my own needs when Jesus sacrificed his very life for what should really be mine.  And yet, that's why Jesus came - yes, for people who wonder about being healed and one day will be.  I can be more than okay with that knowledge.

We were inside the church (St. Anne's) when Erin [my daughter] sang one verse which really speaks to the above.  I was glad to hear her sing again.  It did a great deal to help me work through my own pain - lame as it may be.  Listen to her here and I wonder if you won't agree.

I can deal with my physical pain because it is well with my soul.

Walking Where Jesus Walked - Part Five

I'm conflicted about how to share where we visited today and what it all means.  Let me explain: we started off the morning being the first group at Vad Yashem - the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.  We walked through the center and heard stories from the survivors of the World War II event that shook the Jewish people and the world.  It was a deeply moving experience, especially since most of these stories were told by older adults who were just children at the time. 

The most poignant moment of the tour was walking through the Children's Memorial, an underground cavern that takes only five lit candles and through positioning of mirrors transforms them into a starlit sky of 1.5 million lights, each representing each child who was a holocaust victim.  As I walked through the memorial, a calm voice chanted the names of each child.  It will take the voice over seven months to say all of the names of the children who were killed during that horrific time.  So many children.  So many innocents.  So senseless.  So tragic.

That is how we started our day.  Every one of our group was silenced by what we heard - what we saw - what we felt.  While many of us had parents who understood the impact the holocaust made, we could only respond from a distance in years.  It made me feel helpless.  Powerless.  I wanted to help those children, but knew that I wasn't able to.  Vicki Tiede, our tour leader, challenged us to consider speaking out whenever we see injustice in our communities and the world.  Seems like such as small thing to ask when you consider the magnitude of what happened during that terrible era.  Yet such a small thing is sometimes the hardest thing we might ever do. 

After leaving that location, we visited the Israel Museum where a model scale replica of the Old City of Jerusalem was built.  It was an amazing look at what the city possibly looked like right around Jesus' time.  The detail was amazing.  After the short ride from the Holocaust experience to this one, we were forced to move on from the emotional heartbreak to a more neutral position of learning.  We saw the Dead Sea Scrolls and learned how they were preserved, giving authority to God's Holy Word as those documents provide authentication.

Then the focus of the day changed.  We went to a Jerusalem marketplace.  Wow!  What a location.  It was literally bedlam!  There were foods of every kind.  Shops with bakery goods.  Clothing stores and places that sold every kind of nut imaginable.  The people were just as varied.  All shapes - all sizes - all colors - all ages.  Every one (except me) seemed to know exactly where they were going.  The memories of tragedies of long ago began to fade.  Erin and I stopped in a candy store and purchased 12 ($4) shekels worth of various kinds.  Then it was on to Bethlehem and the West Bank, Palestinian occupied territory. 

In some ways, we were reminded of the strife that gripped our imaginations earlier in the day.  We heard that most Palestinians just want to care for their families.  Just like the Israelis who just want to be safe and make sure no one group will ever persecute them again.  We were riding along a narrow road (what am I talking about, all the roads are narrow!) when a car was trying to pass our bus on the left while coming down a hill.  The car didn't see the car ahead and we heard brakes screeching and the sound of metal, plastic and glass in a collision that took place right at the back of our bus.  We looked back and saw the two drivers, getting out so they must have been okay.  I can't believe they were very happy though.

Our last two stops for today were the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd's Fields.  There were hundreds of people waiting to make the trip down the stairs to see the grotto where Jesus was held by his mother Mary as she placed him in the manger.  This was a very cool place, even though we were there in March.  After about an hour long wait, we were each able to reach down and touch the place where the baby Jesus was laid in the manger. 

A little later we listened to our tour leader share a devotion while we were at Shepherd's Fields - a location believed to be the place where the shepherds were frightened by the angels but left to make the four mile trip to the manger, to see the child who would save the world.  We sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem" on that hillside so far away from our homes, our traditions, our families.

I realize many of the children who perished in the Holocaust were Jews, but I have a hope that Jesus was right there with them when their lives were tragically ended at such a young age.  I have this hope because of the covenant the Jews still have through Abraham - "I will be your God and you will be my people" says the Lord. 

The child of Bethlehem has come to give every one hope - children who may have lost hope, marketplace participants who wander about looking for something in life, people who lives collide in momentary crashes, people who are just tending to their own business on the hillsides of their lives.

The Child of Bethlehem gives each one of them (and you and me) a reason to hope.

Walking Where Jesus Walked - Part Four

We entered into the busy streets of Jerusalem, riding our bus and listening to the music of "The Holy City" (a traditional song that is usually offered when pilgrims enter Jerusalem).  After days of scaling steps of unearthed settlements and cities, walking along pathways where Jesus and his disciples walked nearly two thousand years ago, and traveling from the northern most part of Israel to the southern part of the parameters of old Israel, we had arrived.  We are now in Jerusalem.

Our tour will take us to some key places in the next few days: Bethlehem, several locations in Jerusalem that tell its history, and of course, the entrance into the Holy City on Palm Sunday.  We being told that experience is going to be fantastic, with thousands of followers from all over the world joining the procession.  Each nationality and religion will have its own identity, their own songs of "Hosanna!" and they will bring large numbers to the joyful throng.  

"Hosanna!"  It is a joyful sounding word and it is meant to be exactly that.  The people were so excited and thrilled that Jesus was finally in Jerusalem and now, really great things were bound to happen.  So many stories of power, wisdom, and teaching that this could finally be that Messiah to come and save the people, which is really what the word "Hosanna!" means.  "Save us, please!  Save us!"  The key point in this Palm Sunday story about Jesus and his entry into Jerusalem is focused on salvation, but salvation from what?  

We all know the people expected Jesus to save them from the oppression of the Romans.  They wanted their freedom back.  They didn't want the Romans in their faces any longer.  It was time for them to head back to Rome and if anyone had the power to do that, it had to be Jesus.  

But of course, we also know that isn't why he came.  It wasn't to save the people from Roman oppression, but to save them from the oppression that sin creates in us.  He came to overcome something to be sure, but that something was related to each and every soul in that procession on that day and for every single person since then including today.  

He came to overcome death.  You see, the penalty for sins is death.  Jesus is the only one who had the power to overcome that penalty.  So it isn't salvation from Roman oppression.  It isn't reclaiming a sense of power or freedom from an outside country.  It is all about restoring a relationship that had been broken at the dawn of creation - restoring a right relationship with God - and it affects every one.  No one is exempt.

Palm Sunday in Jerusalem.  No doubt our tour group will be shouting our "Hosannas" to the King, waving our branches in the air.  For me (and perhaps for you) my shouts will be to save me from the oppression of my sins, because only God knows how much salvation I need - we all need - in that area.  Even as I write these words, I hear the sirens of emergency vehicles twice within the past hour, racing to help others in the holiest city in the world.  Everybody needs saving.

"Hosanna - save us, Lord, please save us!"

Walking Where Jesus Walked - Part Three

Today our group made a trek from the Sea of Galilee to the northern most reaches of Israel.  We ended up about two miles from the Syrian border at an Israeli memorial site for soldiers who lost their lives in a 1973 battle to protect Israel from Syrian invasion.  Our tour guide engaged us in a fascinating conversation regarding the history of the region and why Israel is such a source of interest with respect to rival nations.  

So there we were - two miles from a country that is currently involved in a civil war - a country that despises Israel - a country that doesn't care for any allies that Israel has, like the United States.  Even though that might have been a little disconcerting to think about, add to that the presence of an Israeli troop of soldiers who were preparing the site for a commemoration of the event and a memorial to the soldiers.  The Israeli soldiers gave us a little breathing space when they sent a drone camera right over our heads, looking down at us.  When we waved at it, they burst out in laughter.  It helped to defray an otherwise tense moment.  If these soldiers who were in harms way were not concerned about being two miles from the Syrian border, then why should we?

The thing that impressed me about today's theme was the number of wars and skirmishes and disputes Israel has had to deal with over thousands of years.  We can believe that Israel's geographically strategic position is key for some of its unruly neighbors who don't have access to water.  It's a valid point.  But I wonder if the battle hasn't been one of a spiritual nature - and continues to be.  Let me say a bit more...

We were at Caesarea Philippi just before traveling to the border.  This location is mentioned in scripture as a place that Jesus and his disciples came to just before heading toward Jerusalem.  This location was a place where the residents were not God followers.  They worshipped the god Pan.  The city, which sits at the foot of Mount Hermon, butts up against a large cliff, referred to as the ‘Rock of the Gods’, in reference to the many shrines built against it.  Shrines to Caesar, Pan and another god (possibly the fertility goddess Nemesis) were all built up against this cliff. 

In the center of the Rock of the Gods is a huge cave, from which a stream flowed (after 19th century earthquakes, the stream began flowing out from the rock beneath the mouth of the cave).  This cave was called the “Gates of Hades”, because it was believed that Baal would enter and leave the underworld through places where water came out of it.

Jesus asked the disciples to tell him who do people say that he was.  After their response, Jesus asked them who they say he was.  Peter said he was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.  The verse following that one is telling... here is what Jesus said to Peter: 

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." - Matthew 16:18.  

We can take that to mean that in that location, Jesus is defying the gods of the world and saying they will never win.  Can you see the spiritual battle?  No matter what "god" we serve, it will not be enough.  We can only prevail in life when we place the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob first in our lives.

What is our spiritual dilemma or the gods of today that we serve?  We have to know - they will never prevail.  Only the Lord God.  Only through Jesus Christ.  None other.  At no time.  In no place.

It's your decision.