Saturated

Shopping in the Old City of Jerusalem

Greeting from the Israeli airport!  We are waiting to board our plane so I thought I would take advantage of the free wi-fi in the airport and post some of my thoughts.  Andrew has been doing most of the blogging after the first few days.  I was really falling off the wagon because my brain couldn't keep up with everything that was happening.  I found it incredibly overwhelming - in my heart, my soul, and my mind.

How do you actually put into words what it feels like to be in Jesus' hometown of Capernaum?
...to visit Nazareth where Jesus grew up?
...to be floating on the Sea of Galilee, the same waters which Jesus walked upon?
...to see the valley Jesus walked along? to cross the Jordan River as the Israelites did so many years ago (except we were in a bus!!)?
...to be wandering in the desert that God's chosen people also wandered in for 40 years?
...And then to stand on the top of the Mount of Olives and see the route Jesus walked the night he was betrayed?
...to see Bethlehem, Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemene, and the Garden Tomb?

To be honest, I have been disappointed with the commercialism and the busyness of life - and religion - that has taken over many of the holy sites.  I expected them to be more "holy", more sacred, more protected, more honoured.  I was surprised by how everyone was out to make a buck by promoting something very sacred.  I was also surprised by the many, many different religions that are all claiming rights and ownership to many of these sites.  I think I have gone to bed every night thinking, "Jesus, where are you in all of this?"  The Holy city of Jerusalem - His city - seemed to have squished him out.  Bethlehem is now a Palestinian community, barred behind electric fences and Israeli military.  Bethlehem...the birth place of our Lord, now held captive by an internal power struggle.  The call to prayer from the mosque that sits directly across from the Church of the Nativity sings out a loud cry over the city as we await our turn to enter the church that has been built over the cave where they think Jesus was born.  What is that??  This juxtaposition is too much for my brain and my heart.

I think I came on this trip expecting to find Jesus in a different way, and I think I did.  Not in the different way that I was anticipating, but still in a different way.  The Bible is more real, the stories are more vibrant, the emotions more evident.  Jesus is gracious, he is merciful, he is real.  All these things I know and all these things I believe.

Today, our last day, we visited the Garden Tomb.  For me it tied all the frayed ends together and put a beautiful seal on this trip.  Up until today, everything was overwhelming; I was feeling not only saturated, but SUPER saturated.  I couldn't take anything more in and make sense of it.  But then today, God showed up and refreshed my soul as I walked through what very well could be the garden where Joseph of Arimethea buried the body of Jesus.  This was the first peaceful place I had felt since we entered Jerusalem 4 days ago.  It was wonderful.

To God be the glory, great things he has done.
So loved he the world that he gave us his son.

Thank you Jesus.