Stations of the Resurrection Pilgrimage
Travelogue

| 4/23 | 4/25 | 4/26 | 4/27 | 4/28 | 4/29 | 4/30 | 5/1 | 5/2 | 5/3 | 5/4 | 5/5 | 5/6 | 5/7 |
| Travelogue Home |

May 5, 2007
Saturday
Day Eleven

Today enabled us to see a few other places that helped us to understand the lay of the land in the Galilee, how Jesus' life and ministry might have been shaped by the landscape, and what history, communities and monuments are contained in this area known for its beauty around the Sea of Galilee.

We rode to Nazareth (lower Nazareth) through the town of Cana. Nazareth is now a town of about 70,000; lower Nazareth 75% Muslim and 25% Christian. A centerpiece is the Basilica of the Annunciation, built over a stone grotto or cave that is in Christian lore Mary's home. There the angel Gabriel announced that she would bear Immanuel, God with us, and would name the baby, Jesus. An alternate story embraced by the Orthodox tradition is that the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary as she was fetching water from the spring in Nazareth with her water jug, this commemorated in Nazareth's Greek Catholic Church.

The Latin Basilica of the Annunciation is a grand structure with many depictions of Madonna and Child from a variety of countries. The lowest part is the cave or grotto which serves as a chapel for meditation. Over that is a lower chapel built during the Crusader era, and over that is an upper chapel built in the 1960's. So there was much to see just in the Basilica itself, including statues, annunciation artwork, architectural design, and just within sight some artifacts of a Byzantine (the earliest) Church.

Going through the Basilica we found another chapel dedicated to the guardian of Jesus St. Joseph, which is a smaller building adjoining the Annunciation site again with an older stone excavation underneath and artistic renderings of Joseph in stained glass and paintings.

Further into Nazareth we journeyed to the Sisters of Nazareth convent, which was first built in the mid 1800's after the order was requested to send a community from France to teach the Palestinian girls living in the Galilee. Upon renovating their quarters in the late 1800's, they came upon a wonderful discovery of a first-century home, with stone walls and archways over which were built crusader-era stones with mortar work. With a cistern, and artifacts such as pottery and cloth, it was a pretty significant find. The most interesting part that was discovered, however, was a well-preserved first-century tomb. Walking down under the convent, five at a time could see a Roman stone that covered the entryway to the tomb, an antechamber, and two caves that would hold bodies. Over time, the bones would be put into a box called an ossuary and other bodies would be placed in the tomb.

Lunch was at the Holy Land Restaurant in Nazareth, owned and operated by a Christian family in a building that is over 150 years' old. The full lunch included soup, coleslaw, spaghetti, pot roast and potatoes, and for dessert, macaroons. Yummy and filling!

Our final day's stop was at a representation of life in the times of Jesus at a place called Nazareth Village, run by a group of Mennonites. Some from our group likened it to a kind of Williamsburg of Nazareth. Our guide walked us through darkened rooms back through history rehearsing those who ruled the land and what life was like in Jesus' time. We reviewed Roman rule, how persecution and crucifixion worked, and how the people of the land lived. Outside the displays, we walked through excavations and re-creations of things that reminded us of Jesus' life and story-telling in the Gospels, like olive trees (reminding us of not hiding the light under the bushel), rocks, thorns, and fertile soil (reminding us of the parable of the sower), sheep, a carpenter's shop, a synagogue, a house with a weaver, and terraced plantings of grapes. The guide gave witness to the Word of God and the light of Christ through our encounter with first-century life in Nazareth.

Back to the guest house for dinner, and after dinner, Holden Evening Prayer in the Meditation Room with Elaine leading us with the violin.

Tomorrow some of the group is going to Banias (Caesarea Philippi), while others will remain at the Pilgerhaus to worship with the Benedictines and find time to reflect.

Two more days until our return home!

Tim Keyl
Christ the King Lutheran Church
Nashua, New Hampshire


Click here to see Pastor Tim's photos of the Pilgrimage on Flickr.
| CtK Home | Travelogue Home |

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 3 Lutheran Drive, Nashua, NH 03063 (603) 882-6142
If you have problems with this web page contact: webmaster@ctknashua.org