To The Ends of the Earth

Written by Shawna George

We started our morning on the shore of the Sea of Galilee before we left one of our favorite places in this land. We read about Peter and some other disciples fishing in the same water we just swam in for days. Jesus appeared to them after he rose from the dead in John 21. We thought about why Peter (and the others) would go fishing after being a full-time disciple with the Son of God—after his crucifixion and resurrection. If we look back to John 18, Peter denied knowing Jesus—not just once, but three times—after Jesus was arrested. Peter is likely ashamed and thinking he threw it all away. How could he go share about all Jesus had done when he said he didn’t know him? Jesus appeared to a man who thought he had to go back to the life he had before encountering the life-changing love of God and he let him know God’s grace is even bigger. He invited Peter back into the mission he was made for. We are invited into this grace as well. Jesus comes to Peter to share the unconditional love God offers to all of us. Even when we mess up, He forgives. God wants to use you, and He wants to use me, to continue to build His kingdom no matter what our stories look like.

We then hiked and rock climbed up to the top of Mount Carmel. Stacie shared with us the story of Elijah in 1 Kings. Elijah loved God so much he was willing to give up everything and work with all the strength he had for Him. He was willing to stand alone and call on the Living God in front of all the people of Israel. As many of these people called upon the name of other gods, the one true God revealed Himself through Elijah’s faith, dedication, and obedience. Elijah lived with relentless passion and love for the Lord, so much so that he was willing to climb a mountain (the one we had just climbed), climb down, climb back up, climb back down, and then run 19 miles all for the Lord’s work. Elijah knew who he was and what he was meant to do. I want to passionately live with this same sense of identity and purpose.

Our final hike of the day—and the trip—was through Caesarea: an impressive city built by Herod the Great with the help of Caesar Augustus, a city built to provide fleeting pleasures of the world, a city built to glorify man and all that he can do. Herod was known for this; he made hills flat, he made mountains bigger, he made pools in the desert, he made a harbor in the Mediterranean Sea creating access to the rest of the world… Herod built a lot of things that we’ve seen in our time here, or at least the shambles that remain. However, nothing can stand against the Lord God Almighty, no one and nothing is greater and all else will fall. Even so, God can use a place like this for His glory—and He did. Paul boldly proclaimed the Gospel, as you can read all throughout the book of Acts. He gave everything he had to the kingdom of God, even through persecution and prison. He was sent out (from the harbor built by Herod) to appeal to Caesar in Rome and he shared the Gospel with everyone he encountered there. The Good News has continued to spread until this day to all corners of the Earth. God used even a place like Caesarea as a launching pad for the greatest story ever told. We can only see the broken remains of Herod’s work, but we can experience God’s work in, around, and through us still today.

In a stadium built for chariot races in Caesarea, we reflected upon our own race—our journey with the Lord. We can be encouraged by the stories of the faithful people who have completed the race: from Abraham to Moses to Paul to our own faithful friends and family members that have finished the race before us. They have passed on the baton to love God with all we have and love our neighbors as ourselves and they are cheering us on as we go—let’s cheer each other on too. Let’s walk with people when they need to, so they don’t have to do it alone. Let’s pray for our friends that we have faith will see the starting line. Let’s rely on the strength of the Lord. We have been called to be witnesses wherever we go, to continue to share to the ends of the Earth.

We have spent two full weeks hiking long distances in high temperatures. Yes, we are tired, but I hope to be even more exhausted at the end of this race. I want to passionately work, serve, and worship with all that I have until the end. The finish line will be worth it.

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