Presby-Musings

Some of our band of Holy Land pilgrims will be leaving us today, but others of us will be journeying a bit longer, and one of the places we'll be visiting today is En Gedi National Park.   En Gedi is a beautiful and historic park with a great hike that leads you to the spring-fed David's Waterfall.  The waterfall is so named because of this story from 1 Samuel chapter 24 where a disturbed King Saul is chasing David into the wilderness near the Dead Sea.   24 After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. Can I tell you that the descendants of the wild goats that are mentioned here are still  roaming around En Gedi.  You can see them all over the place when you visit.  Let's continue the story, though:   3 He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave ...

Today is our last day of pilgrimage in the Holy Land, and no trip to the Holy Land would be complete without a visit to Yad Vashem , the Holocaust museum in the northern suburbs of Israel on Mt. Herschel.   The meaning of the words Yad Vashem  in English is essentially, "everlasting name," and comes from Isaiah 56:5, which reads: "To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever." The 2-3 hour tour through Yad Vashem is an incredibly sobering and heart-wrenching experience.  As you walk through the exhibits, you feel as though you are traveling deeper and deeper into darkness.   I have found myself being brought to tears of repentance as I read the way that Christians all over the world twisted Scripture and did violence to the Gospel in order to justify not only their participation in the Holocaust, but also their indifference to it. ...

As we're on pilgrimage in Jerusalem today, our Holy Land pilgrimage will take us to the church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, a name derived from the Latin for "cock's crow."   The church is built on the site where the High Priest, Caiaphas, lived, and where Jesus was brought to be interrogated after he was betrayed.  Peter followed behind as Jesus was brought to Caiaphas bound and beaten, and he hung around outside in the courtyard of Caiaphas' house.  It was there that he denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted he would--"before the rooster crowed" at the dawn.   I've always been intrigued by how Peter had to escalate his denials.  Read through the passage and see if you find it interesting:  69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. 70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. 71 Then he went out to...

Today our band of Holy Land pilgrims will be visiting the Southern Steps of Herod's Temple.  These were also known as the Teaching Steps, because it was a common sight to see rabbis teaching their disciples upon them.   You can still stand on a portion of those same steps not long after you walk on the first century streets that led worshippers and visitors to the Temple by a marketplace.  Jesus almost assuredly would have walked those same streets, and he undoubtedly taught on the Southern Steps.   But the story that we'll be focusing on today is from Acts chapter 2---the Day of Pentecost, which occurred roughly fifty days after Jesus was raised from the dead.  It was the Feast of Shavuot, or the "Feast of Weeks," one of the great feasts in the Jewish tradition.   The Feast of Shavuot commemorates the moment when God gave the Law to Moses--49 days after the first Passover when the Israelites fled slavery in Egypt.   In Acts chapter 2, Peter...

Among the many places we'll be visiting today in our Holy Land pilgrimage, we'll be spending some time at Jericho.  Jericho is now officially under the governance of the Palestinian Authority, so our guide won't be able to guide us in an official capacity.   When you visit Jericho, you'll get the opportunity to see Elisha's Spring, a spring that once flowed with bitter water, until it was healed by the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:21), and you'll probably want to take a photo by the mosaic fountain that is emblazoned with the words, "The Oldest City In The World."   But it's the "Tel" that will take up most of your visit--a large hill with thousands of years of civilization buried beneath it.  The story that captures our imagination the most, however, is the one we find in the Hebrew Scriptures in Joshua chapters 5 & 6.   This is of course the story of how Joshua and the Hebrew people conquered the great walled city of Jericho w...

Today our pilgrimage in the Holy Land will take us to the Jordan River and the Yardenit baptismal site.   The site we'll be visiting is far from the traditional site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, which is to the south, near Jericho.  This site also happens to be the spot where the Israelites miraculously crossed the Jordan River on their way to enter and take the Promised Land.   Some scholars also believe that it's also the site where the river miraculously parted when Elijah struck the river with his cloak so that he and his apprentice Elisha could walk over on dry land.  Elisha in turn struck the river with Elisha's cloak when he returned from seeing his master taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.  So the baptismal site of Jesus (the traditional one) is pretty important.   Mark's Gospel notes the baptism of Jesus with these words:  9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jor...

Today our Holy Land pilgrimage will take us to the Mount of Beatitudes, the traditional site where Jesus is believed to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount.  The Beatitudes are found in the first few verses of Matthew chapter 5:  3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn,     for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek,     for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,     for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful,     for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,     for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers,     for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,     for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and...

For the next couple of weeks my daily devotions will be drawing inspiration from the Holy Land, which is where I will be during that time frame--leading a group of 33 pilgrims.   Today our band of Holy Land pilgrims will be visiting (among many other sites) the Mount of Precipice, a cliff just outside the city of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up.   After Jesus is baptized by John, and then tempted in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, according to Luke, he returns to Nazareth and is invited to read Scripture and teach in the synagogue.   Jesus reads a prophecy from the prophet Isaiah:  18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,     because he has anointed me     to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners     and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  In a stunning claim, Jesus tell...

For the next couple of weeks my daily devotions will be drawing inspiration from the Holy Land, which is where I will be during that time frame--leading a group of 33 pilgrims.   At some point today our group of Holy Land pilgrims will be landing in Tel Aviv, Israel and will begin the arduous process of going through customs, retrieving our bags and somehow getting all 34 people in our group to the bus that will carry us to the Sea of Galilee.   It's possible that on the way we will be able to make a stop at Mt. Arbel, a cliff that rises sharply on the west side of the Sea of Galilee to a height of nearly a thousand feet above the lake itself.   Did I mention that the Sea of Galilee is not actually a "sea?" It's a freshwater lake that is essentially seven-and-a-half miles wide and thirteen miles long.  It's known in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee, but also the Sea of Tiberias and Lake Gennesaret (a word that means 'garden of riches').   As you ...

For the next nearly two weeks I will be leading another tour group to the Holy Land (my fourth such group and my fifth overall trip to Israel), and my  daily devotions during that time will be using some of the highlights of this journey as inspiration.  I hope you enjoy. "Blessed are those whose strength is in you,     whose hearts are set on pilgrimage ." - Psalm 84:5 Today I will be leaving Austin to join 33 other pilgrims from all over the United States on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  You might be asking at this point, "Why are you using the word 'pilgrimage' rather than 'tour?'  Aren't you just leading a tour?"   Technically, I suppose you could call what we will be participating in a "tour."  We will be riding on a tour  bus to particular sites and we will be led by a tour  guide once we get to these sites.  Additionally, the name badge I have been issued by the tour company indicates I am a tour  host... so...

Later this month, my wife Merideth and I will be leading a group of over 35 people from several different churches on what will be our third trip to the Holy Land as a couple.  Honestly, I can’t wait to return to Israel .  It is a special place to me personally—a feeling I am sure that anyone who has been there shares with me. While we are on tour in Jerusalem , we will visit a first century tomb on a site that has come to be known as “The Garden Tomb .” Whether it is the actual site of the tomb of Christ, as opposed to the traditional site under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is a matter of some debate. But what I do know for sure is that the tomb we’ll visit at the Garden Tomb site is empty.  So is the tomb under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher—it’s empty as can be.  And, for that matter, so is any other tomb that might be uncovered and thought to be the real tomb of Jesus . Because Jesus is risen, my brothers and sisters.  He is risen indeed. ...

Several years ago, I went to the Holy Land Experience amusement park in Orlando .  It's a strange place, to be honest.  I'm not sure just how much of the amusement park itself is representative of the Holy Land ... but it's an experience , so there's that. At the Holy Land Experience amusement park there is a replica of the Empty Tomb of Jesus .  This is a photo of the inside of the tomb: Yes. That is a door in the back of the Empty Tomb .  I have used this before in a sermon, but it's just too good to not use again.  I can't tell you how many deep theological problems this back door to the Empty Tomb creates.  But there it is. I've had the opportunity to go on two different pilgrimages to the actual Holy Land in Israel, and am preparing for a third trip a year from now. As part of the trips I lead, we visit an area just outside of the Old City of Jerusalem that is believed by many to be the site of the garden where Jesus was buried in a bo...

Before we returned from our second trip to the Holy Land in as many years, my wife Merideth and I began planning our next one. We hoped to return once again in the Spring after Passover and Easter, which seemed to us like the perfect time to go. We also wanted to make sure that we secured who we believe is the very best guide that anyone could ever have on a trip to the Holy Land: Erez B'Galil.  And we wanted to add some exciting components, provide our pilgrims with the opportunity to experience some of modern Israel , and have more opportunities for me to teach onsite, and offer learning opportunities that are catered to our particular group. Well, we did it.  All of those things fell into place, and Merideth and I will be getting the chance to lead another incredible trip to the Holy Land in April, 2015 and I'm offering a great opportunity to folks who would like to join me. Merideth and I are inviting our friends, family, church members or anyone who is interest...

On a recent visit to the Holy Land , we were given a tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher , one of the oldest and holiest Christian sites in all of Jerusalem , which basically makes it one of the oldest and holiest Christian sites in the world. Our guide took us to a small chapel that stands opposite the Shrine of the Holy Sepulcher--a chapel that had been nearly destroyed by fire once, and never rebuilt.  There is a light bulb hanging from the ceiling in the chapel, which gives the smoke-ruined room it’s only light.  The guide proceeded to tell us the following story once we were inside: It seems that the bulb burned out in the chapel many years ago after the fire.  None of the Christian denominations that vie for control of the Church itself wanted to concede authority over the chapel to another denomination, but none of them particularly wanted control over it themselves.  So no one changed the bulb.  On the one hand, the bulb needed changing, ...

Yesterday our little band of pilgrims began our first full day in the city of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas. As part of our journey we travelled down the Mt.of Olives through the Garden of Gethsemane and then to the house of Caiphas--the High Priest. Caiphas' house is underneath a French church that is called St. Peter in Gallicantu which means St. Peter of the Crowing Cock--named for the moment when Peter realizes that he has indeed done exactly as he said he would never do and denied Jesus not once but three times. If you recall Peter waited outside in the courtyard of the house while Jesus was being held and beaten on the inside. Below the house of Caiphas there is a pit that was filled in during the first century converting what had once been a ceremonial bath. The only way into the pit was through a hole that one had to be lowered into from above by ropes. Jesus was left in this pit no doubt probably manacled to a spot on the ceiling of the pit itself. Once the t...