Sifting through the hidden layers of life

Today we were introduced and challenged by the world of hellenism. What kind of story are we telling with our lives? Above the ruins of Bet She'an, we circled around the four pillars of Hellenism: media, education, athletics, and healthcare. None of these four elements are sinful, but what amount of our identity have we allowed to be defined by them? Too often, God's narrative in our lives is put in a haze behind an identity wrapped up in our social media presence and consumption (media), what kind of degree and career field we have scrambled into (education), whether we're Crossfit-ers or marathoners or something else (athletics), and whether we are vegan, carnivore, paleo, or naturopathic (healthcare). If we were to stack our identity upon the Text and God's story in our lives, how would we live differently?

In the ruins of an ancient theatre, we studied Luke and the history of Herod Antipus, who gave his life to the me-me-me themes of hellenism. In Zippori, we meditated in the houses of Herodians—Jews who did their best to love God without necessarily forsaking their culture. In the belly of one affluent house, we found a beautifully detailed mosaic of Pan, the pagan god of fertility. If archaeologists were to come and sift through the hidden layers of your life, what hints, what sketches, what traces of pagan culture that pursue pleasure outside of God's design would they find?

Finally, on the banks of the Jordan River, we put flesh on the schemas we struggled with throughout the day. We practiced Tavilah Shuva—a baptism of repentance. Something in the discipline told a different story and bound our hearts to God together in community. I hope I never forget the sight of 32 faces, sitting happily up to their shoulders in a dirty creek, laughing, tipping over, grins stretching across sweaty faces, and looking ridiculous for the glory of God.

Written by Elle