The gift of remembrance

We began the final day of our pilgrimage in the Holy City of Jerusalem with a visit to the Pool of Bethesda. The site where Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath. The site of the pool is on the grounds of St. Anne's Church, so after we had taken in the pools our Rabbi Tim led us into the church. There we stood in a circle and closed our eyes. After a moment the sound of one beautiful voice began to sing. Echoing on itself, resonating in the building's unique acoustics our dear Christine sang a love song to Jesus. As she continued, Tim joined. Following his lead, we as a group joined and the building reverberated with our song. It was a powerful experience.

From there we split into our family groups in the garden of the church and prayed for the hurts in our life that need healing. After some minutes of reflection in the garden we took back to the streets, walking through one of the Muslim cemeteries. We made our way through the winding streets until we arrived at the ancient city of David. There we saw remains from the time of David and the wall that was later built by Hezekiah. From there, we descended into what felt like the belly of the earth to traverse the tunnel dug in Hezekiah's time. There is still cool water varying in depth running the course of the tunnel. So, flashlights in hand, we stepped into the water and inspected the long ago chisel marks of Hezekiah's men. The more we walked the more impressed we were with the determination this task required. Somewhere along the line Rabbi Tim had us pause, turn off our lights, and as we stood in utter darkness we followed our Rabbi in the song “Amazing Grace.” Its powerful lines taking on new meaning as we stood in the darkness where our forefathers of faith once stood.

Continuing, the tunnel let us out right onto the first believed sight of the Pool of Siloam. Recent archaeological digs have found the actual site not far past it. From there in groups, we caught buses to a mystery site which our Rabbi did not clue us into until we had descended and traversed a narrow corridor. We were then told it was an ancient sewage tunnel. One that Jews had retreated to for refuge during the Jewish revolt. In our ascent, we saw enormous stones that were lodged on their way tumbling down; dating back to when the Romans tore down the temple walls. Once we came up from below ground, we found ourselves beside the wall of the Temple Mount. From there we rounded the corner to see the Southern Steps. From there our Rabbi took us to experience the Western Wall where we had time to pray and reflect.

After that, we were free to explore on our own or walk with our Rabbi through the maze of the Old City. For us that chose to explore, we followed each other closely through the press of the crowds milling about. Some got to experience the commerce of the city bargaining for trinkets and food. Once we'd had our fill we freshened up, put on some nice clothes, (i.e. no hiking boots!) and followed our Rabbi once more through the city. He led us to a rooftop feast ready and waiting for us. After eating more than our fill of kebabs (explained to us as meat and other meat), hummus, olives, pita bread, and a full array of mystery sauces and spreads we thanked our wonderful tour guide, Ariel & bus driver, Eli. Then we headed back to our hotel for a final debrief. We started with funny moments which had us all in stitches remembering them. Then we switched gears and discussed the moments that had impacted us. Going around the circle and hearing every account made it clear that the Lord had shown up mightily in our time in Israel. As a gift of remembrance, our Rabbi gave each of us “tzitzit.” Finally, to seal the days, Rabbi Tim donned his prayer shawl and swept its knopf over every head in the circle blessing us. This ended our Israel pilgrimage and as we set off on our journeys back home we reflect with deep gratitude the hard work and humility of our guides and teachers.

For myself, I have quite a few special moments from this trip that I know will be standing stones, sources of strength, for the rest of my life.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

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It was said by those emerging from todays refreshing wade by flashlight that the group was in high spirits, acting like a bunch of school kids. Thanks Hezekiah! Very cool.

Our pilgrimage to Israel ended with voices mingled in melodies of praise at St Anne's, following the steps of Jesus on the temple steps, prayer at the Western Wall, and a rooftop dinner overlooking Old City Jerusalem as the light of day turned to soft shades of sundown. Abigail summed it up with her pilgrimage motto, "Just knock me over, I'll die happy!"

After delighting in platters piled high with shish kabobs, we reveled in a final "family" gathering at the hotel. A few souls shared their funniest Top Ten lists. After some good belly laughs, Tim asked each of us to briefly share one meaningful experience of the trip. We were moved by the many ways God showed up in answer to our prayers and hopes. And this was what made this a pilgrimage rather than a tour. We were seeking God and found the humbling reality that He is seeking us too. God who came and dwelt among us dwells among and within us now. Huzzach!

By Christine

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Elliott's Top Ten follows:

Top Ten Signs You Were in Israel with Tim Keiper and Paul Petersen

1. You saw a wedding that was so celebratory that it put your wedding to shame (if you’re married) or gave you some ideas for your own ceremony (if you’re not).
2. You wished just one time you could have bacon at breakfast but you knew it was never going to happen.
3. You heard an Israeli border guard ask you if you were going to choose Trump.
4. You now have a marble paperweight from Caesarea even though you no longer use paper.
5. You got a little sense of satisfaction every time your pee came out clear.
6. You heard Kurt start singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” in Hezekiah’s tunnel (though Elliot might have suggested it)
7. You saw the eyes in portraits in the Knights’ Palace follow you around like you were in an episode of Scooby Doo.
8. On a hike in the Judean wilderness, you may have heard Sheryl say, “Go on, save yourself!” (another quote from Sheryl that day: “There isn’t even enough shade to curl up and die in.”)
9. You saw Ariel grab a large rock out of the luggage bay and lay it in the road to help the bus get traction as it went around a hairpin turn.
10. You saw Kathy relieving herself by the side of the road near Bethlehem because there was no room on the bus.

Poem author unknown
Forwarded by Suzie

O God,
Let something essential happen to me,
something more than interesting,
or entertaining,
or thoughtful.
O God,
Let something essential happen to me,
something awesome,
something real,
speak to my condition, Lord,
and change me somewhere inside where it matters,
a change that will burn and tremble and heal
and explode me into tears or laughter
or love that throbs
or screams
or keeps a terrible cleansing silence
and dares the dangerous deeds.
Let something essential happen in me
which is my real self,
O God.