Pilgrims, not tourists

My prayer for our team has been that we would see and experience this trip as pilgrims and not as tourists. Today I felt we entered fully into that "Jesus centered" focus as true pilgrims.

We began the morning on a beautiful part of the rolling hillside of the Sea of Galilee. The area is where tradition says that Jesus proclaimed his "Sermon on the Mount", recorded in Matthew. 5-7.

A surprise to us was that five members of our team had memorized this entire section of Scripture. They stood and recited these words of Jesus with conviction and passion.

Follow this wonderful presentation, the team walked in silence down a path towards the lake. This allowed time for needed reflection and personal application. The Holy Spirit was present as a few tears were shed, spiritual commitments were remembered and these truths challenged us anew.

We then traveled a short distance to Capernaum, the fishing village that was the center of Jesus' ministry and home of the Apostle Peter. Here again we were given extended time to contemplate all that transpired in Jesus ministry in this area.

Here I encountered two unexpected friends, one old and one new. The first was Sam Makarios, the guide who led the first pilgrimage/ tour that my wife and I made to Israel in 2012. Sam is an Egyptian Christian who was raised in Jerusalem. He is a "Rock Star" guide among many churches in Bellingham, having led many tours with locals over the past few years.

The second was Mark, an Irish Presbyterian Pastor from Belfast. He asked me to take his picture which led to our conversation.

Pastor Mark is on a sabbatical leave from his congregation and chose to come on a solo pilgrimage to Israel. A year ago, he attended Summer School at Regent Seminary in Vancouver, BC, the school where I've done my graduate work. As pastors, we shared our common call and also a desire to serve and help renew God's church.

These two encounters really only impacted me from our team but I was encouraged and blessed by both. There is such a joy in surprise connections with fellow global pilgrims! I thank God for these two men who happened along my path today on the pilgrim way.

Also today we visited Katzrin. This site has a reconstructed stone home dating to the 400s. This home is similar to those of Jesus' day. We crowded into its dim interior, some climbing a ladder and tucking into an upper room. We read the Gospel account of a group of friends who had the chutzpah to break through the the roof and lower their friend down to Jesus for healing. We then brought our own friends and family before God in prayer. We look forward to seeing how our loving God moves through our prayers.

Written by Paul