The Garden Tomb

Sorry about the delay. Church, class, sick kid, they start adding up!

The Garden Tomb was a wonderful way to conclude our first day of touring. It is not the actual tomb of Christ, apparently archeologists are sure the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher holds that distinction. What is great about the place -- it's really a private park run by a British christian organization -- is that it more fits the image western Christians have of what Golgotha and the tomb look like. It is a very quiet place of reflection, available free of charge by appointment only; a volunteer guide showed us around, giving us a brief history of the site. It was a beautiful place.

They led our group to a small venue with benches where we could take communion. They provided juice and matzo bread for the sacrament. The juice came in small olive wood cups for us to keep. We sat together and read the scripture of the Last Supper, then after the meal we sang some hymns and choruses (we were a choir group -- we sang A LOT).

It is always a wonder how and when God's spirit chooses to move. It was late in the day. We had already walked almost three miles through Jerusalem, most of which included stairs and hills. We were jet lagged from over 18 hours of travel the day before, some still suffering the affects of motion sickness. Many of us, Brenda and I included, fought off sleep as we tried to focus on the moment, forging our way through a haze of exhaustion. But it was then, at our weakest point, that God chose to move.

Several members of the group, including me, reported God speaking to their hearts about specific situations. Everyone was touched, most were in tears, feeling the joy of the Lord's presence. It was a sacred time. Our team went to the Holy Land with open and expectant hearts filled with a desire for a greater understanding of our Savior. Anytime Christ's servants humble themselves and truly seek Him with open hearts He will change lives. That is exactly what He started on that first day.

Next: What God spoke to me after communion.

First Day

Our first day of touring we went to the Temple Mount, built on the site where Abraham brought Isaac for sacrifice. The sites we saw that day were numerous, including St Anne's Church near the pools of Bethesda, the East Gate, the Via Dolorosa (all 14 stages), the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which included Golgotha, the Stone of Annointment, and the Holy Sepulchre Basilica.

Something really stood out for me about the East Gate into the Temple. This is the gate where Jesus entered the Temple Mount after His triumphal entry. Our guide, Samir (a Palastinian christian) told us that the Muslims, when they took over the city many years ago, bricked up the gate to discourage the Christians, thinking that Jesus could not return for His second coming if the East Gate was blocked. Isn't it wonderful that Christ came to enter the temple of our hearts? Nothing can stop His second coming. He will come when He is ready, when God the Father deems time to be fulfilled. But Christ waits at the door of each heart to enter and save. Praise God!!

Next post: The Garden Tomb

We're back!!!

What an amazing trip!! We just made it home this morning around midnight. It was a total of 25 hours of travel to get home. The only way to describe the trip is truly life-changing. God moved and spoke to Brenda and I as well as the others on the trip in ways we never dreamed He would.

The holy sites were tremendous, our time at the Garden Tomb as well as the house of Caiaphus were nothing short of moving. Also, the experience of worshiping with other Christians in Israel and Jordan was a blessing. We were from different cultures and spoke different languages, but we were united by the same Holy Spirit. Wow!!

I will be blogging about the various experiences at least every day or two for a while. Please keep checking for updates. I cannot wait to share the experiences with you!

Tuesday

We are supposed to meet at the church just over 30 minutes and the airport still lists our flight as scheduled for an on time departure. Please keep praying that we make everything out on time tonight. I told my father in-law that God just wanted to grace him with my presence for another day. I took his silence as a prelude to rejoicing.

Delayed

God has His own way of working and His timing is not always ours. Our flight schedule is to leave Indianapolis and fly to Newark, New Jersey, then from there to Tel Aviv. We just received word that Newark is forecast to get 6 to 10 inches of snow along with some sleet tonight. (For those of you who live in California -- that would be bad.) So, even though it is beautiful in Indiana, the airline has postponed our flight 24 hours, we now leave Monday at 5:02pm.

Please keep praying that God will keep the worst of the weather away from the airport and that we will be able to fly safely out tomorrow. We are still excited and we know that God will be glorified throughout the trip.