Read: Galatians 3:26-29 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/galatians/3.html)
Sing: They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love, TFWS 2223 The Muslim Quarter is the largest and most populated (approximately 20,000) of the four quarters in The Old City. Developed by Herod the Great, organized by the Christian Byzantine Empire, and then occupied by the Christian Crusaders, even this section is full of churches and Christian shrines. The main streets, El-Wad (which leads to the Damascus Gate) and Via Dolorosa (which runs from the Lions Gate to intersect El-Wad), are bazaars with Muslim shopkeepers ready to sell the Christian Pilgrim a plastic crucifix or olive wood nativity set. When Jesus walked through these streets to his crucifixion they were busy even then and would have been filled with shops. Closer to the Temple Mount buildings from the Mamelukes’ reconstruction of the city from 1250 to 1516 can be seen. This area today preserves some of the fine medieval Islamic architecture. The Jewish Quarter is a thriving modern community with more than 1,000 families. It has been rebuilt out of the rubble that was left from the Jordanian occupation of the area from 1948 until the Six Day War of 1967. Since the destruction was severe, the Jews who returned to The Old City in 1967 excavated the quarter’s archaeological remains first and then built their city over, around and beside the ancient discoveries. Today there are numerous synagogues and schools for Jewish studies, along with contemporary shops and restaurants up and down the streets. The ancient Roman Cardo Street (135 AD) with its old Byzantine bazaar (325 AD) has been preserved and is filled with trendy new businesses that sell a wide variety of items, including original art work by local artists. It also has a hamburger shop that makes really good burgers. The Christian Quarter is the most visited quarter of the Old City because it includes the site of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection - the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This quarter is cluttered with a seemingly endless array of churches and holy sites whose roofs, domes and facades are built so close together that they are at times indistinguishable from one another. The streets are filled with narrow storefronts leading into shops that continue long narrow paths to the back. The market streets are noisy with modern pilgrims and shopkeepers trying to lure them into their stores.
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Devotional Trip – Day 8, Site 1 ... Shopping in The Old City
Read: Matthew 10:40-42 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/Matthew/10.html) Sing: As Ye What Great Thing I Know, UMH 163 Today is a free day for those of us who are going on to Egypt tomorrow. The fabulous five from the maroon bus have decided that we want to sleep late and then go into The Old City for shopping and sightseeing at 10:30. If you are looking for the hustle and bustle of a real Middle Eastern Market then entering through the Damascus Gate is where you want to go. Be prepared to negotiate on prices and you might be able to find the best bargain of your trip. Our three ladies were excellent shoppers and drove hard bargains with a number of different shop keepers. James and I were not really into the shopping but we did enjoy just absorbing the ambiance of the market. The variety and quality of items was quite high and it seems you can find almost anything you want or need in The Old City. It was a pleasure to visit with so many of the people of Jerusalem – everyone we talked with was unfailingly kind, helpful, and genuinely glad that we had come to their city. There is no doubt that tourism is the major industry of the Holy Land and the people go out of their way to make you feel welcome. But they are also trying to get you to leave as many of your dollars with them as they can. Devotional Trip – Day 7, Site 8 ... The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Read: Mark 15:22 – 16:8 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/Mark/15.html) Sing: Up from the Grave He Arose, UMH 322 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is usually crowded, it is large, and it is complex. This can make having a meaningful visit difficult. It helps to have a basic understanding of what you are seeing and how the different parts of the church are related to one another. There is only one entrance to the church. You can see that this one entrance was once a double entrance – the right doorway has been sealed. It is usually much darker inside so take a moment to let your eyes adjust, then turn right. You will see a stairway that will take you to the top of Calvary/Golgotha to the place where Jesus was nailed to the cross and crucified. It is a bit disconcerting to see a place that you know was outside the city walls now on the second floor of a building inside the city walls. At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion this site was outside of the city walls. The area had most likely been a quarry. The rock that was left exposed had been deemed unworthy for construction but suitable for executions and tombs. But now, what was outside is inside a room that is highly decorated with religious implements and symbols. As you wait in line you pass the place where they nailed Jesus to the cross. Then when it is your turn you kneel and bow below an altar to put your hand through a circular hole in the marble floor to touch the place where his cross once stood. After you have spent some time contemplating the crucifixion you move to the left and away from the altar and down a different stairway. This brings you back to the entryway where, to your left, you see the place where they cleaned Jesus’ body after he was taken down from the cross. If you continue forward you will move into the Rotunda of the Sepulcher. The place where Jesus’ tomb was located is now surrounded by a structure called the Edicule. Special examinations of this structure show that what we see today is the fourth layer of the structure, each subsequent layer built around what was there before. You will probably notice a fifth layer – steel I-beams which were added in 1947 to keep the stone edicule from falling over. (These I-beams were removed in 2016-17 during a major restoration of the Edicule.) To wait in line to go into the edicule you walk around to the left. On the back-side of the edicule there is a Coptic chapel and just past the chapel you will join the line. A priest or helper will be standing at the edicule door to let you enter when it is your turn. You will duck down to enter the outer chamber and wait to enter the inner chamber. Again, a priest or helper will signal your time to enter with one to three other people. This time you will duck lower to find the bench where Jesus’ body was laid on your right. The limestone bedrock bench is covered by marble all around and it is only the marble that you can see and touch. You have only a minute or two to kneel and pray here at our most holy shrine. Mark 15:22–16:8 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/mark/15.html)
Sing: In the Garden The Garden Tomb (also known as Gordon’s Calvary) is thought by some to be the site of the tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea, and therefore the site of the resurrection of Jesus. The Garden Tomb is at least a more viscerally pleasing alternative to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Garden is a beautiful place in which you can discover several things that were all present the day Jesus died and which match the accounts in the four Gospels. The Garden Tomb is a quiet place preserved for worship and reflection, with many places to sit and enjoy the surroundings and listen to groups from all over the world worship in their native tongue. At the back of the Garden Tomb property there is a rock face, the remains of an ancient rock quarry, with several large and small formations shaped like a skull. Jesus was crucified at the “Place of a Skull,” Golgotha in Hebrew, and Calvary in Latin. It was also written that the place was where people were passing by, suggesting that it was near a major road, which was a way the Romans liked to advertise their form of justice. Today, the rock face at the Garden Tomb stands above a transportation center for a Jerusalem bus company. The rock-cut tomb is near the street, but we had entered in such a way that we did not see the tomb until our guide led us there. It is a lovely, garden setting and it is easy to imagine the stories of Good Friday and Easter morning happening in this place. We quietly took turns entering the tomb to see the place where he was laid. But the tomb is empty – he is not here! We gathered at a site overlooking the entire garden. We sang and prayed together. We heard the Scriptures read. We shared together in Holy Communion. We have shared more than a trip with each other – we have been united in pilgrimage! We are saying goodbye to some good, new friends tonight. Bon voyage! Read: Isaiah 56:1-8 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/isaiah/56.html)
Sing: We Shall Overcome Yad Vashem (translation: everlasting name) is Israel’s official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Nazi Holocaust, and is dedicated to documenting the story of the six million victims and conveying their legacy to future generations. It is located on a hillside of Mount Herzl, Jerusalem’s Mount of Remembrance. Tree-lined walkways lead visitors through a complex combination of museums, outdoor monuments, exhibition halls, an archive, a library, and other resource centers extending over forty-five acres. The Holocaust History Museum The first thing you notice is the top of this museum’s long central gallery, a triangular skylight which keeps this connecting center filled with light. Ten underground galleries arranged on alternating sides of the central gallery tell the story of the Shoah (Holocaust) from the point of view of individual Jews. The chronological and thematic narrative is punctuated by a look into the worlds of Jews who lived – and died – under the Nazis and their collaborators. The exhibits incorporate a wide variety of original artifacts, testimonies, photographs, documentation, art, multimedia, and video art. After being immersed in the darkness of the human depravity in each gallery the alternating return to the light of the central gallery reminds us that, despite the inhuman cruelty that continues to live in our world, faith, hope, and love abide. The Children’s Memorial; Sing: Jesus Loves Me This unique memorial, hollowed out from an underground cavern, is a tribute to the approximately 1.5 million Jewish children who perished during the Holocaust. Walking through the memorial, we heard the names of murdered children, their ages and countries of origin in the background. Before, behind, and above us we beheld a million and a half points of light moving as we moved reminding us of what we have lost. This stirring memorial was designed by architect Moshe Safdie. Any trip to Israel must include at least a half-day visit to Yad Vashem. Read: Luke 1:5-25 & 39-80 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/luke/1.html)
Sing: Blessed Be the God of Israel, UMH 209 Christian tradition places the birth of John the Baptist— who proclaimed the coming of Jesus, his cousin — in the picturesque village of Ein Karem, four miles west-south-west of old Jerusalem. Ein Karem is still a tranquil place of trees and vineyards, but the municipality of Jerusalem has spread to incorporate the former Arab village. It is now a town of Jewish artisans and craftspeople, but Christian churches and convents abound. The Catholic Church of the Nativity of Saint John, identifiable by its tall tower topped by a round spire is also called “Saint John in the Mountains”, a reference to the “hill country” of the Scriptures. The church combines remnants of many periods. An early church on this site was used by Muslim villagers for their livestock before the Franciscans recovered it in the 17th century. The Franciscans built the present church with the help of the Spanish monarchy a major remodeling was completed in 1939. Inside the church, the high altar is dedicated to Saint John. To the right is Elizabeth’s altar. To the left are steps leading down to a natural grotto— identified as John’s birthplace and believed to be part of his parents’ home. A chapel beneath the porch contains two tombs. An inscription in a mosaic panel reads, in Greek, “Hail martyrs of God”. Whom it refers to is unknown. Ein Kerem is a pleasant place of sidewalk cafes and shop-lined streets. After we entered the church compound some of our group enjoyed a coffee from the gift shop and others read the plaques engraved with the Canticle of Zechariah in many different languages while we waited our turn to enter the church. The church is a quiet place of tranquil beauty and prayer. Our visit here was a good preparation for our next stop. Read: Luke 13:1-9 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/luke/13.html)
Sing: This Is My Father’s World, UMH 144 The Church of the Redeemer is the newest church in the Old City of Jerusalem, but its site has a history going back to Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, in the 9th century. The plain-looking neo-Romanesque building — with a tall bell-tower dominating the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchre nearby — is the headquarters of the Lutheran Church in the Holy Land. It is the home to congregations that worship in Arabic, German, Danish and English. The bell-tower and its birds-eye view of The Old City was the main attraction for Josh and Chris in our early morning adventure. I knew nothing about this tower before they told me that this was where we were going. The church and the tower did not open until 10am so we spent some time in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – which was almost completely empty when we arrived. It was much better to visit the church without the crowds. We had time to spend at each of the Stations of the Cross without feeling rushed by long lines behind us or a docent keeping time on us. This was a much more meaningful visit for each of us. We also had time to get coffee and a coke at an outdoor café in the nearby Muristan section of the city. We found a good spot in the morning sunshine, sat down to talk, and enjoyed our drinks. At about 9:35am we went back to the Church of the Redeemer and waited in their lobby. At 9:50am a docent came and took us to the tower. It was quite a climb for me (178 steps). The spiral staircase was just wide enough for my shoulders and I don’t know what I would have done if I met someone coming the other way – one of us would have to back up. There were two floors we could stop on and I took full advantage of both of them. The view from the top was worth the climb. The morning was clear and bright and I think we all got some great photos. We stayed at the top for about ten minutes and then headed back to our hotel. It has been a great day and its only 10:15am! Read: Ezra 6:13-18 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/ezra/6.html)
Sing: Near to the Heart of God, UMH 472 Jerusalem’s iconic symbol is the gleaming Dome of the Rock, whose golden-roof has dominated the Temple Mount for centuries. This Islamic holy place stands on a site that is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. To Muslims the Dome covers the sacred rock where Muhammad prayed and went to paradise during his Night Journey. The Dome of the Rock was the first major sanctuary built by Islam. Although it is sometimes erroneously called a mosque it is actually not a mosque but an adjunct to the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque. It was commissioned by Caliph Abd al-Malik and completed in 691 AD. Its rich ornamentation was the work of Syrian Christian artists. The roof is covered with gold-plated anodized aluminum. During our visit there was a worker with a ladder doing something around the bottom of the dome. Inside, the sacred rock is protected by a 12th-century cedar wood screen. Crosses on some of the columns show that they were taken from churches. A high reliquary beside the rock is believed to contain a hair of Muhammad’s beard. On the southern side of the rock, steps lead down to an ancient cave, known as the Well of Souls, to which many Jewish and Islamic legends are attached. The Crusaders used the cave as a confessional. By building the Dome of the Rock, Caliph Abd al-Malik symbolized the transformation of Jerusalem – once a Jewish city, then a Christian city – into a Muslim city. Today, of course, the city is both culturally and religiously diverse. The Al-Aqsa Mosque The Al-Aqsa Mosque, originally constructed about twenty years after the nearby Dome of the Rock, early in the 8th century, is Jerusalem’s largest mosque. Its spacious interior, divided by columns into seven aisles, allows room for more than 4,000 Muslim men to stand or prostrate themselves on the carpeted floor during worship. The name Al-Aqsa translates to “the farthest” mosque, a description relating to Muhammad’s Night Journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and back on the winged horse Barak. The mosque has been reconstructed many times for various reasons. It is particularly susceptible to earthquake damage due to the fact that it is built on fill material and is not anchored in bedrock as is the Dome of the Rock. As we entered the Temple Mount platform we could hear two women calling loudly, “Allahu-akbar!” which means, “God is great!” It took us a bit to see exactly who was hollering because they were standing near one of the pillars at the front of the mosque. The women are not allowed in the main mosque but there is a large women’s mosque next door. We were told that we would not be allowed to enter the Al-Aqsa Mosque so we did not approach the doors. Read: 2 Samuel 24:18-25 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/2-samuel/24.html)
Sing: Lord, Speak to Me, UMH 463 The Temple Mount is a massive masonry platform occupying the southeast corner of Jerusalem’s Old City and has sacred connections for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. All three of these Abrahamic faiths regard it as the location of Mount Moriah, where Abraham prepared to offer his son Isaac (or Ishmael in the Muslim tradition) to God. For Jews, this is where their Temple once stood. For Christians, this is where Jesus once taught and prayed. For Muslims, this is al Haram al Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), Islam’s third holiest site. Israel’s King Solomon built the first Temple around 950 BC on the traditional site of Mount Moriah. His father, King David, had purchased a Jebusite threshing floor and “then he built an altar for the Lord” some forty years earlier. Solomon built the Holy of Holies on the high point of Mount Moriah and raised a platform, 861 feet square, around that point to provide room for the temple’s outer rooms and courtyards around the temple. Solomon’s Temple stood for about 360 years until invading Babylonians destroyed it and took most of the Jews into exile. Fifty years later the Jews were allowed to return from Babylon. They rebuilt the Temple, completing it in 515 BC. The Temple Jesus knew was remodeled by Herod (the Great) in a project he began around 20 BC. Although the Temple had already been rebuilt once, Herod’s Temple is still known in Jewish tradition as the Second Temple. Herod began his grandiose project by extending the Temple Mount on the north, south, and west to create a vast platform supported by a retaining wall of huge limestone blocks. The expansion, which nearly doubled the previous area to approximately 37 acres, involved burying several structures, including Solomon’s palace. Herod’s Temple (and everything else built on top of the temple platform) was totally destroyed when the Roman army took Jerusalem in 70 AD as part of the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 AD). After the Third Jewish-Roman War (also called the Bar Kokhba Revolt, 132-136 AD) the Jews were expelled from Jerusalem and the city was rebuilt as a Roman colony and the Temple Mount became a wasteland. Arab Muslims conquered Jerusalem in the 7th century and converted the Temple Mount into an Islamic sanctuary. They cleared the rubbish and erected the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Muslims consider the entire Temple Mount to be a mosque and a holy place behind only Mecca and Medina in reverence. This is another place that I had long wanted to visit – the Temple Mount of Jerusalem! Early morning was the perfect time to be here – so few people and so peaceful. It is too bad that we could not go into these two places of worship. Read: Isaiah 22:8-11 (www.biblestudytools.com/nrs/Isaiah/22.html)
Sing: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus, UMH 462 This particular morning we have some free time – our tour buses will be leaving our hotel at about 11:00 am. I think EO does this because this is the last day of our Israel tour and everyone who is not going on an extension tour will be flying out of Israel tonight. This free time allows those who are leaving time to get organized and packed and it allows those of us who are staying to sleep late or do a little exploring on our own. During our tour of the Israel Museum last night I got to meet a couple of young pastors from Tennessee. They were planning to use their free time to go into The Old City and see some things I wanted to see. So we got up and left the hotel at about 7:30 am. As we entered the Jewish Quarter we came across an excavation site that exposes the Broad Wall. This wall was built during Hezekiah’s expansion of the city. Jews from the northern tribes of Israel, who had been overrun by the Assyrians in 721 BC, fled down to Judah and the city of Jerusalem for protection. They settled outside the city walls on the Western Hill. To protect them and their homes Hezekiah fortified the western part of this newly expanded city around 721 BC with a wall. The uncovered remains of this wall are 23 feet wide and 213 feet long. This portion of the wall ran west from the Temple Mount over the Tyropoeon Valley toward the western corner of the southwestern hill (which is where the Citadel is today). Evidence uncovered during excavation seems to indicate that Hezekiah had to destroy some homes in order to build the wall. This portion that we could see was uncovered in 1970 during the excavations that took place in The Old City after the Six-Day War won by Israel in 1967. The book of Nehemiah (12:38) places the Broad Wall near the Temple Mount wall when, during the dedication of the new wall (around 440 BC), one group of priests walked in procession on the new wall, past the remains of this Broad Wall. |
AuthorIn matters of faith, we at First United Methodist Church, Sealy put primary reliance on the Bible. In scripture, we understand that we are all God’s children; therefore, we will be a church that cares for the needs of our church and local community through prayer, deeds, inspiration, and love in the spirit of Christ. Archives
July 2020
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