Coming back changed

Well family, friends and to those who have jumped right into our journey, today was the biggest day of all!

As always and unsurprisingly, it was BIG because we dove into the deep waters of God's word and all of His magnificence, it was BIG because we had some joyful and harmonious moments as a community and it was BIG because it was the last day (enter awes and tears here). However, since it was the last day, what is a tour if you don't end it with a bang...with the Gospel if you will. Today was filled with the teaching of the Gospel ("good news") as we journeyed through the Passion Week of Christ together. Starting at the Mount of Olives, went through the timeline of the week beginning with Palm Sunday.

Mount of Olives is the place of Jesus' Triumphal Entry. We learned of some validations that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and one statement was when Jesus approached Jerusalem on lamb selection day (we know it as Passover); a day that represents freedom from slavery when a lamb without blemish is crucified for the people. When He came to Jerusalem, he approached the Temple Mount from the east. Why is this of significance? Because God always approached the temple from the east gate. This is where his glory (Hebrew: "cavod") was absent ("ecavod") (all spellings my renders...) according to the people of Jerusalem and so He made His glory very obvious to them when he would come from "mountain that is on the east side of the city" (Ezekial 11: 23) and filled the city with his presence. Guess what mountain this verse is referring to? Mount of Olives. This mountain is where God started his ministry, where He would tell of his return (Matt. 24:3) and where Jesus would continue the ministry with his disciples. Many people thought that Jesus was going to be a political king but as we all know very well, laws cannot and will never make peace. Only Jesus, the Messiah, can bring a kind of Shalom (peace) that the world has and will ever know! It must have been difficult for the people of Jersusalem to trust Jesus' word when he was claiming to be the Messiah and to believe that he was rightfully king over their hearts and of the world. In saying that, we must chose to make Him the King of our hearts. He came to make his power and glory known to us and it is up to us to decide who will be King over our lives and to remember his Lordship and wonders of his majesty-Joy to the World!

My favorite part of the day, we moved onto the Garden of Gethsemane. To break it down and to set the context a bit, "gat" in Hebrew means "press/crush" and "sheman" means "olive"' so Gethsemane means "the pressing or crushing of olives". Friends, this is the place where the deepest part of Jesus was crushed/pressed hard for our sake (Luke 22:24). Jesus' humanity was refined and pressed when he knew he had to face his fear. His fear wasn't death though, His fear was knowing that he was going to be facing the Father's wrath. We see this when he pleads "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will but as you will". The cup was the Father's wrath upon him and the wrath is all of the sin of human kind that he would have to take upon himself to bear for us. Imagine the suffering Christ endured all because of OUR SINS! Jesus took the cup and drank it to the dregs so that you and I wouldn't have to. He gave us the cup that we shouldn't have drank out of-the cup of Grace (Mark 14: 43-52). It was an unfair trade, the righteousness of Christ for the wickedness of man and yet he still submitted his will under the Father's so that we might have eternal life with him and our Heavenly Father. This is why we take communion, it is an act of remembering! We have union with Christ all because he was pressed and crushed for our sins. He crowned you and I with "hesed" (kindness or love) because of his crowning victory over our sins. He switched the cups for us, therefore, the crushing of Christ is also my victory over sin. I don't think I'll ever grasp his love and grace, even after being here.

There was so much that we covered today, I don't dare cover it tonight. Suffice it to say we are coming back changed, and we'd love to answer the question, "How was Israel?" We can't wait to see all of you, and are grateful for your prayers with us.

Caylee Kennedy