Stations of the Resurrection Pilgrimage
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May 3, 2007
Thursday
Day Nine

Farewell to Jerusalem, hello to the Galilee!

Our morning was spent hearing two presentations, one by Muslim scholar Abu Mustafa Sway of Al-Quds University ("Al-Quds" is the Arabic term for Jerusalem, meaning the "Holy City").

Dr. Sway is American-educated, and affirmed the treatment of Muslims in the United States, in general. Using the idea of the saying "you can't judge a book by its cover," he suggested that we all need to "check under the hood." Not all Muslims are alike. Most Muslims are peaceful. The five pillars of the Koran were explained. With wit and eloquence, Dr. Sway helped us dispel stereotypes of Muslims as terrorists and proved empathetic to the American experience of 9-11.

Boarding the bus, we said our farewell to Jerusalem and our lodging at the Knights' Palace of the Latin Patriarchate by New Gate, and traveled back to Bethlehem and the (Lutheran) International Center and Christmas Church, where we were greeted by its pastor, Mitri Raheb. Pastor Raheb reviewed the vision of the International Center, which is that we might have life, and have it abundantly. Rather than "pamper" a congregation, he suggested that the church is also responsible for its role in society. People have called him crazy to start a project like a college, but he answers it is crazy, and we need other crazy people to help realize the vision. Rather than give into death, or to answer violence with violence, Pastor Raheb feels that Palestinians need to celebrate their "weakness" and show their strength in being successful in the abundant life that Christ gives, evidenced in the many programs at the International Center. Empowering women, for instance, is shown as women are all department heads in the IDB programs, while men do housekeeping for the guest rooms! Pastor Raheb gave strong witness to the grace of God and the responsibility to live in that grace by our actions, and to model a theology of the cross.

Nancy Wright, pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington, Vermont, presented a check for $2,400 plus handmade cards from Sunday School children. Ascension is a companion congregation to the Christmas Church. Susan Thomas presented Pastor Raheb with an icon of the Humiliation of Christ that is being given from our group to all ELCJHL congregations.

We then left Bethlehem to go through the Judean desert, down to sea level, then to Qumran, which is 1,200 (?) feet below sea level. It got really hot! The day has also been hazy due to sand blowing around from the south.

We heard about the accidental discovery of a scroll by a Bedouin boy looking for lost sheep, who threw a rock into a cave to make sure it was not water-filled and instead broke a container stuck in thousands of years of mud, where he pulled out a scroll. Our own tour guide Naim was part of the excavation in the early 1960's. The findings included fragment of every book in the Hebrew Bible except for Esther, the Community Rule, many and places for ritual baths (held as often as twice a day). The community lived with a heightened sense of righteous living, purification for sins, and living as sons of the light instead of the darkness. Some scholars think that John the Baptist may have been an Essene like those who lived in Qumran.
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We walked around the housing, baths, and home areas of the community, and saw many of the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. The sun was quite hot (in the 90's), but always a strong breeze was blowing.

Within sight of Qumran is the Dead Sea, which is 26% salt water and holds no life, but many minerals. We rode down to a beach where many, including bishop and blogger, floated like corks. It is believed that the salt and mud in the Dead Sea has healing qualities, and products are being produced all over touting these benefits (Ahava being the biggest company, represented in the Qumran store). With glee, many pilgrims found refreshment together, and our representative dancer Ruth led a little water ballet!

Our final stop before heading directly to the Galilee was in Jericho, the oldest settled city in the history of civilization, the place of many biblical stories, including when Joshua and the Israelites brought down the walls on the way to the promised land, and where Jesus invited Zacchaeus to come down from the sycamore tree (we saw an old sycamore tree from the bus). It is today a Palestinian city where many from Jerusalem come for recreation in the winter. We walked up the Tel (hill where the ancient civilization thrived) to see the surroundings, including the Mount of Temptation (in the Judean desert), where Jesus experienced two of his temptation (the third being at Herod's palace in Jerusalem), and today there are cable cars going up to the Mountain and where there is a monastery. Many bought local fruit from a fruit stand, boarded the bus, and headed on the two hour trip to Tiberias by the Sea of Galilee (also know as Lake Genessaret of Kinessaret). The road is an ancient route through the desert, with Israel/Palestine on one side, and barbed wire and no man's land leading to Jordan on the other side.

We arrived safely at Pilgerhaus which is near the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes Benedictine Monastery right by the Sea of Galilee, a rather large complex geared for pilgrims, with air-conditioned rooms! We ate dinner, and prayed night prayer in a chapel. Gute nacht! Good night!

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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