Stations of the Resurrection Pilgrimage
Travelogue

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April 29, 2007
Sunday
Day Five

For worship this morning, our group divided up to attend four ELCJHL congregations, in: Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Sahour (Beit Jala and Beit Sahour are both adjacent to Bethlehem), and Jerusalem. Each congregation was given the gift of an icon from our pilgrimage group. All were moved by the hospitality in worship, remarking as well about how all Lutherans like to converse over coffee hour (they have tea at the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem)! Many hymns were familiar, though sung in Arabic (He leadeth me, All glory be to God on High, Nearer my God to Thee, Jesus Loves Me).

Following worship, lunch was served at the café in the International Center (at the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem), where some families from the ELCHL joined and shared stories.

In the afternoon, our tour guide Naim walked with us to the historic Church of the Nativity (a fifteen-minute walk downhill), where we began in the grotto underneath where Jesus was said to be laid in the manger. To enter the church, you have to duck underneath the door of humility, constructed so as to prevent animals from coming through! We saw the part of the church administered by the Greek Orthodox community with forty pillars and many hanging oil lamps. Under the floor is an older subfloor that is a mosaic of tiles with Christian symbol. We then went below to cave-chapels administered by the Latin (Roman Catholic Church). Upstairs on the other side is yet another attached church dedicated to St. Catherine and the Virgin Mary which is administered by the Franciscan Order, which has custody of many of the sites in the Holy Land.

With time to explore Bethlehem and have dinner on our own, we regrouped in the evening to process some of our experiences and to end our day in prayer.

Tomorrow we learn about the many programs of the International Center in Bethlehem, then go to Beit Sahour (the Shepherd's Field) and to the Deiheishe Refugee Camp in Bethlehem, for our second full day in the West Bank.

The International Center is beautifully laid out, with artwork, a theater financed by the Finnish government, a craft center and gift shop, a wifi connection, and tastefully decorated guest rooms. We are enjoying our accommodations!

Tim Keyl
Christ the King Lutheran Church
Nashua, New Hampshire


Click here to see Pastor Tim's photos of the Pilgrimage on Flickr.
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