Gospel Reading: Luke 4:14-21, Sermon Message: Why Should I Belong To This Church? from the January 24, 2010 Sunday Worship at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Gibraltar Mi.

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Gospel Reading: Luke 12:13-23, 31-34, Sermon Message: Calendars, Checkbooks & Other Faith Statements, from the January 17, 2010 Sunday Worship at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Gibraltar, Mi.

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Gospel Reading: Luke 3:15-17. 21-22; Followed by Pastor Terry's Biblical Story of Yoseff witnessing the baptism of Jesus, then the Sermon Message- You are My Child, My Beloved" at the January 10, 2010 Sunday Morning Worship at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Gibraltar Mi.

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Gospel Reading Matthew 2:1-12, Sermon: Deep Truth of Life Revealed  from the January 3, 2010 Sunday Worship at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Gibraltar, Trenton, Mi.

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Sermon Message - What do we do when faced wth revelations of truth from God? from the Dec 6, 2009 Sunday Worship Service at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Gibraltar Mi.

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We have a few hours to kill before we leave for the airport at 12 A.M. local time to begin the long journey home. It is time to go home. It has been a phenomenal trip but it is time to go home and reflection and digest and process all of the information and experiences gained over these past two weeks and after all that process of review is complete then to decide how to begin to help in the attainment of peace & justice in this troubled section of our world.

We started off today with an in-depth briefing at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In this briefing using many slides of maps and statistics via a Powerpoint presentation, this UN officer presented a careful detailed description of the systematic violation of Palestinian human rights (under international law) as perpetrated by the Israeli occupation of Palestine. This was confirmed in a ruling by the International Court last year but the judicial findings are unenforceable because the Security Council vetoes any action against Israel. These violations affect every aspect of Palestinian law and are every bit as much of an Apartheid as was perpetrated by South Africa against its native population. The consistent veto on the UN Security Council against action to force Israel to conform to International Law is wielded by the U.S.A. We left the briefing feeling the weight of our complicit guilt in these actions.

We returned to the Old City of Jerusalem and had the opportunity for our very knowledgeable guide to lead us on one last tour of the City. We chose to go to the Temple Mount, the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall and St. Mark’s church (the site of the Last Supper).

The access to both the Temple Mount and then again to the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) requires going through metal detectors due to previous incidents that have occurred over the years. The Temple Mount is held by Judaism to be the location of the original Great Temple that was destroyed by the Babylonians after the Jews revolted as well as the replacement Temple that King Herod built which was destroyed by the Romans after the Jews revolted.  There has been a long history of violence and destruction on this site. Jerusalem is reported to have been destroyed some 30 times in it’s history.  That is one reason that in some places the level that was the road surface 2000 years ago when Jesus walked these grounds is 10-30 feet below the current surface level. The Temple Mount is also held as Sacred Ground by Islam as the site of where Abraham would have sacrificed his son if not stopped by an angel but also and perhaps more importantly as the site from which the prophet Mohammed was lifted up into heaven in his night journey to receive their Holy Book of the Quran. The Dome of the Rock is a beautiful golden dome Mosque built over the rock where Abraham made the sacrifice of the lamb instead of his son as well as where Mohammed landed. There is also another Mosque built on Temple Mount which is used for Islamic worship on a routine basis. Both of the Mosques are not open for tourists and access to the Temple Mount has very restricted times for tourist access. Jews are forbidden by their Rabbi’s to access the Temple Mount as they hold it to be contaminated by the presence of the two Mosques.

This was the second trip to the Western Wall for us on this trip. The first was on the Jewish Sabbath and so I limited my visit and actions to insure I did not impinge on their Sabbath observance. On this trip, I did place prayer requests in the Wall and again offered prayers for both Congregations, our extended family as well as guidance for my ministry. The men were able to access a tunnel that the Wall projects into and found a large library housed in their containing many religious volumes to be used in prayer at the Wall. The Western Wall is also known as the Wailing Wall over the Jewish lamentations offered for the destruction of the first two Temples as well as prayers for the coming of the Third Temple which will mark the coming of the Messiah. The Wall itself looks wet from condensation in the late evenings and early mornings which some say is a sign of the Wailing of the Wall. I have seen numerous Jews from Strict Orthodox in their unusual clothing and hair to modern dressed Reformed Jews in deep and active prayer at the Wall often with tears streaming down their faces. This is definitely a theological “thin spot” for them where they easily connect with the presence of God. Over dinner, Sinclair and I reflected on our observance of the prayer practices of both Jews and Muslims and concluded that Christians don’t pray enough and certainly don’t regard intimate connection to God on a daily let alone hourly priority in their lives like Muslims and Jews do. We have a lot to learn from these faiths.

The last scheduled event of this trip was to the Shufat Refugee Camp. To access the camp, the taxi dropped us off at the Checkpoint which we had to walk through both going and coming from the camp. The going to the camp is not a significant concern to Israeli Security, the return is and so we were closely scrutinized once again when we exited. There are numerous Israeli Police cars and Army vehicles stationed at and around this checkpoint and there was a helicopter constantly circling the camp the entire time we were there. . We were met and escorted through the Camp by Dr. Salim Anati  and his son. Dr. Anati is the only Doctor in this Camp of 30,000 refugees. When the Israeli Security Forces close the checkpoint for whatever reason, this Doctor and four Nurses are the only source of medical aid for 30,000 people. This is a sufficient concern for pregnant women that they find any way possible to move out of the Camp for the ninth month of pregnancy in order to have access to a hospital in the event something goes wrong with the birth. People injured from car accidents have died awaiting transport to the hospital while trying to get through the closed checkpoint.

The Shufat Refugee Camp was started around 1965 for refugees from the 1948 war who were then residing in Old Jerusalem when the decision was made to relocate them to the site of this Camp. They were promised farm land in order to leave Old Jerusalem but instead got apartments of 9 square meters for families of 6 to 9 or even more people. In 1965, there were 3000 Palestinians in this Camp and today there are 30,000+ but the number of acres occupied by the Camp remained the same amount. The Tents of the Camp are long gone and the people reside instead in tall closely packed Tenements on narrow streets and alleys built by the United Nations.  There is an atmosphere of tense and bitter frustration that is present in these Camps. I remarked to one member of our group that I would not be surprised to hear of it erupting in response to the Occupational Oppression in the near future.

The Doctor’s clinic was closed so he instead took us to a small recording studio which was in a room about the size of an American bedroom. He introduced us to the individual that was the main director, writer, producer and artist of this Recording Studio. After showing us gracious hospitality by giving us mint tea (which I am becoming quite fond of), the director told us how he uses this studio to develop young musicians in the Camp (Youth Choir, Bands, Rap artists, soloists) to compete on a global basis. He also uses this studio to edit and produce music videos that carry the message of the Palestinian People out to the world. It was really quite impressive what he has accomplished with such limited resources.

The Good Doctor and his son guided us back through the Camp to the security checkpoint. When I thanked this teen age son for the gift of his time and how important it was for me to be able to interact with the people of this land. He stopped me and stressed how vitally important it was for Palestinians to have us take the time to visit them.  When I said good bye to Dr. Anati, he asked that whenever I go to God in prayer to also remember the Palestinian people in those prayers.

It is now time to get ready to go to the airport and also the time to begin to ponder and reflect upon the experiences of this trip. May the Spirit of our Gracious Loving God continue to guide and bless our life’s direction.

Well it was back to serious work on Weds as we resumed our meetings to gain perspectives on how people are living in this troubled land of Palestine.

We first visited the Lutheran Vocational Training Center in Beit Hanina. This is a 2 year school whose purpose is to give teenagers marketable skills to use in the workplace. They have a student body of around 200 and offer classes in basic computer use, technical drawing, electronic repair, cabinet making, metal working, welding, plumbing, HVAC and auto repair. The school has trouble holding on to students for the second year due to a combination of the difficulties encountered crossing the borders to get to the school as well as some students take what they get out of 1 year of technical education to find the necessary work to help support their families. Poverty rates in the West Bank are greater than 50% so kids need to help the family economics at an early age. As to be expected with these high poverty rates, everything in the neighborhood is behind security bars and fences. The student access to the school has improved somewhat as the “temporary security checkpoint” nearby which was there for 10 years has been relocated. Occasionally the students and staff would have several hour waits to get through the checkpoint. The principal of the school told me that from time to time depending on the current security status, they need to look up and down the side streets for security forces lying in wait before letting the students out to travel the 30 yards from the classroom campus to the shop campus. Otherwise the students might be detained for questioning and never make it to their next class. The technical shop campus reminded me of the shop classes in my old Technical High School some 45 years ago. They are doing good things here although I had to hold back my latent Plant Manager’s urge to give everyone a major chewing out for the poor housekeeping in the shops which made them health & safety hazards to my western eyes. The student body for these shop classes is primarily boys as is to be expected in this culture. The school is doing important work to give these kids some basic technical skills to obtain employment with or to perhaps run their own small service business out of a garage or shop. But the school only handles 200 kids so there needs to be another 50-100 of these schools to make a significant impact on the tremendous needs of this society but at least it is one beacon of hope in a oppressed society so in need of hope.

We then traveled to Ramallah which is the City in which the “temporary” headquarters for the Palestinian Government is located until they are permitted (if ever) to return to East Jerusalem. Our purpose in being here was to visit the Lutheran School of Hope in Ramallah. This is an exceptional school where kids are taught English starting in first grade, German beginning in third grade, math, science, literature and the arts up through high school. 100% of these kids intend on going on to the University to complete their education. Like the other advanced Lutheran school we visited in another Palestine village last week, most of the funding for this school comes through donations from Europe & America. The students have a tuition charge for about 1/3 of the cost but many get additional support for that on a need basis. We were joined at the school by a group of ELCA Bishops , who like us are on a tour of Palestine to become familiar with the issues. This was a smaller group of 12-15 which were unable to attend with the rest of the ELCA Bishops (60-70) when they toured.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has a made a major commitment to support Palestinian Christians specifically and to support the issues of the people who live in Occupied Palestine in seeking justice. They are “walking the talk” through the visit of all of their Bishops as well as by leading educational tour groups like we are on.

While we were at the School of Hope, we were treated to a performance of the Dabkey Traditional Folk Dance by the students.  This is a dance troop that has toured the USA performing the traditional dances while doing cultural exchanges with other students. Sinclair & I saw them at the Trenton Theater about a year ago. After the performance, we had the opportunity to have lunch with these students and to engage in one on one discussion with them. Sinclair was talking with a 14 year old student that was remarkably out-going, self assured and quite capable with the use of English which is her third language. This school lives up to its name as a beacon of Hope for this community.

We then went next door to the Lutheran Church of Hope to hear from their Pastor and a church elder on the situation of being a Christian Church in Ramallah. They told us they are the minority of the minority. In that as Lutherans, they are the minority Christian denomination and of course Christians are the minority of the Palestinian population. The number of Christians continues to shrink as due to their higher educational attainment, they are the group of Palestinians most able to immigrate to other countries to find gainful employment and to prevent their families from having to live under the oppression of the occupation. So this church elder has two grown up children living in the USA. He says that the congregations does not allow their status of being the minority of the minority to prevent them from being an active presence and doing “God’s Work” in their community. So even though they are small, they are doing great things to meet the needs of the poor and elderly in their city. Listening to him speak about their programs in the areas of hunger & health, reminded me of the great things that our 2 small congregations in Flat Rock & Gibraltar are doing to meet the needs of the poor in our area.

We then drove in circles in Ramallah trying to find our next appointment. Directions in this land is never an easy issue but it seemed even more difficult in Ramallah. Street & traffic signs are almost non-existent so most directions are in relation to a major building or landmark in the area. We were looking for the offices of Addameer and I am glad that we find found them as their presentation to us was very enlightening. Addameer is a NGO (non government organization) which is focused on providing legal assistance and advocacy for Palestinians who are political prisoners. The lawyer that made the presentation told us of numerous cases where people are arrested for being active in politics or public dissent to the Israel occupation of Palestine. The security tactics that she described to us were a chilling reminder of tactics that have been employed by us in the name of the war on terror. Military courts, secret files, incarceration without charge for 6 month increments which can be endlessly renewed. She told us of one case of 14 year old girls who were held without charge for 6 months so that the security forces could interrogate them at length about an uncle. The lawyer was never able to get access to the “secret files” on the girls to understand what charges to defend them against because there were never any charges. The girls were finally freed after a public protest. Over 750,000 Palestinian people have been arrested over the course of this occupation. There is not a single Palestinian family that has not been touched personally by this.  Palestinian prisoners are relocated to Israel and the families have to apply for permits to cross the checkpoints to visit them. Permits are not issued to males between the ages of 14-40 so the visitation and support of the prisoners falls on the women members of the family.

We left Ramallah for our next meeting and to do so we had to cross a checkpoint between Israel and the West Bank. It was “rush hour” and so traffic was heavy and backed up. Army presence was highly evident with soldiers standing with automatic weapons ready or sitting inside their Humvees. We were sitting in our Mini-Van taxi jockeying to get our place in line for the checkpoint when out of nowhere I saw 3 boys rush forward with a chunk of concrete which they hurled at the side of a Humvee and then quickly disappeared. The soldiers came flying out of the Humvee with their weapons searching for the kids. I though for sure we were going to see a major incident. But the kids were no where to be found. We then progressed up to the security checkpoint but I could see the inspecting soldiers get a radio call about us because they turned and focused on us even though we were 2 cars back. When we got to the checkpoint they demanded our passports (which is always a case for anxiety) but our driver got out and managed to get the passports back by telling the soldiers that we were very important Americans who were going to be late for an important meeting if they continued to hold us up. I suspect that we were treated to this additional security because the guard in the watch tower so us take a picture of the rock throwing incident.

We then met with the Arabic Speaking Lutheran Congregation that shares the Church of the Redeemer in Old Jerusalem with two other Lutheran Congregations (English speaking & German speaking). They had invited us to their mid-week meeting place which is in an apartment flat outside of Jerusalem which has easier access for the congregation members to get to during the week. They normally have bible study and hymns on Wednesday evenings but this day they were celebrating St. Barbara’s feast day which calls for a special soup event which they had invited us to participate in. I am continuously impressed by the generosity and the hospitality of these kind and faith-filled people towards us.

So Weds was once again a mixed day of experiencing the hope and the despair of the Palestinian people.  Today is our last day and on the schedule we have a meeting with the UN and then visiting the Shufat Refugee camp. May God bless and guide us this day.   

Good Morning from the ancient city of Old Jerusalem. We returned last night from our 2 day journey in which we acted as regular tourists into the historical region of Galilee.

Monday night we spent in the guest house of the Sisters of the Rosary in Nazareth. It was sort of like spending an evening in a Convent. The food was simple but good. The room was sparse, but adequate. The beds hard and well they were really hard but somehow I managed to get a decent night’s sleep on it anyway. I guess it helps to be exhausted by our travel journeys. We traveled on this 2 day trip using an 18 passenger Mini-Bus with its driver and a tour guide.  Both of whom stayed at the guest house with us. I mention this because the guest house was located off one narrow alley which was accessed from another narrow alley way all of which was filled with park cars. I would not have attempted to drive my car through that narrow passage yet this driver with amazing skills managed to jockey back and forth here and there over and over again until he did it without scratching anything. We were so amazed by the act that we broke into applause. Then this morning he did it again but in REVERSE and with other cars in the alleys wanting to get by and busy honking their horns. At one point, the little nun comes out and begins to chew on the other drivers and with a sudden flashback, I am back in 2^nd grade with good sister St. Thomas and her yardstick correcting my inappropriate behavior. This little nun launched into a rapid and animated Arabic conversation with the shouting driver who was trying to get past us and soon had everyone working in cooperation and we successfully got through the alleyways.  So its 50 years later and thousands of miles away but Nuns and their capabilities are apparently universal in time and space.

Modern day Nazareth is a bustling City which is a far cry from the sleepy little town that existed when Jesus grew up here. The reason being that the water supply is now piped in here from far away and not the ancient little well that village women would have drawn water from.

We toured the Church of the Annunciation which is a huge and amazing Roman Catholic cathedral on two levels dedicated to depicting the Virgin Mary. She has significant status of holiness in the Catholic religion which comes close to Divine status as depicted in the architecture of the cathedral and the paintings depicting her from around the world. The foundation ruins of Nazareth village homes are visible beneath the Cathedral. We then went across the courtyard and toured the much small church dedicated to Joseph, who in Catholic theology would have been the step-father of Jesus.

We left Nazareth and traveled some distance to Mt. Carmel. The “El” in biblical names stands for God as the earliest ancient name for God was “El”. So Mt. Carmel would mean the vineyard of God. It is the site of the great faceoff between the prophet Elijah and the pagan priests of Baal in which he wins because he serves the one true God and they die because they serve pagan gods. The view from on top of the buildings on Mt Carmel is absolutely breath-taking. It is as if you could see all of Palestine laid out before you from the Jordan mountains to the East and the Mediterranean Sea to the West. The only thing that could possibly take away from this “moment of awe” was the present day reality of military conflict which happened when 10 fighter jets roared past on their way to the Gaza Strip.

We then traveled to the Mediterranean Coast (this sea is the bluest and clearest water I have ever seen)and then we spent several hours in Caesarea. This was the site of the ancient City of Caesarea Maritime which was built by Herod the Great so that he could have a major sheltered port for trade with the Roman Empire. Since Rome had made him the first and last client King of Israel, Herod built many things and dedicated them to Caesar, as He knew how to manipulate in order to remain in power. So Herod didn’t simply kill potential opponents to remain in power (although he did a lot of that including a wife and some of his kids) but He was also effective in expanding the Roman Empire through taxes raised, commerce conducted and new cities constructed.  

Modern day Caesarea resembles a rich Florida retirement community and it is a play ground for the rich and famous of Israel. Many of the major national politicians have summer residences here to enjoy the cool breezes coming in off the Mediterranean Sea. This is also what the Roman Governors would have done. They would have ruled Palestine from this comfortable city of the sea rather than from the hot, densely packed and deeply troubled city of Jerusalem. Pilate would have come into Jerusalem only to show the “military might of Rome” when it was necessary to do so. This was particularly necessary for major Jewish Feasts such as Passover when the Jerusalem population would quadruple in size to observe the feast at the Great Temple. So picture that when Jesus was riding through one gate on a donkey leading a small group of his ragged disciples. Herod would be making a grand entrance in a war chariot leading his army through another gate. This presents a stark image of how the power of God works Vs the power of the Empire.

Caesarea is of interest to us as Christians not just because it was the center of Roman power in Palestine at the time of Jesus. It is also the place where Paul was tried and found sufficiently guilty to be held for shipment to Rome to face a Roman trial and then his death. There is a rather large exhibit of the remains of this important Roman city on the coast. So we got to tour a Roman amphitheatre, a  hippodrome (site horseracing and even animal and gladiator matches), the ruins of the City and it’s port, the Crusader Fort built on these grounds and of course lots of statuary and columns and stones etc., etc.  I am not big on touring stone ruins and would have been happy with 1 hour instead of the 3 we spent here. But still it was a great lesson in ancient history.

We then traveled back to Jerusalem which took several hours with the only ones awake in the Bus was me & fortunately the driver. Drivers in the Middle East due to the insane traffic use their horns for various forms of communication almost like a language.  To travel successfully in this land through these narrow streets and congested highways requires a cooperation which is unheard of in our land. Although at times, I have trouble understanding whether the animated discussions with voice and horn are angry or simply the individuals being expressive. J

Last night we had dinner with the Lutheran Bishop of Jordan & the Holy Land. My Lutheran Pastoral colleagues were a bit anxious to be in his presence and I was a bit too casual to be in his presence so Sinclair with her usual wisdom and grace needed to redirect and correct my behavior to be appropriate for a guest.J

The Lutheran Bishop is a Palestinian (which I think may be a first for this area)and he was willing to share with us his wise insights and observations of the conflicts in this troubled land. Religious leaders in the Middle East have significantly more political impact than what we are accustomed to even when they lead a rather small minority religious group such as this Bishop does. As a result, their comments have significantly more impact on this society and force is brought to bear on them when they say things like this Bishop often does which is upsetting to the Governments. Bishop Munib Younana is a powerful witness for the Gospel values of love, peace and justice and I was grateful for the opportunity to hear him share his wisdom.

We are off to a Vocational training center and another school  so it’s back to work today. May God bless us all.    

I am writing this reflection this evening because we are staying overnight in Nazareth at the Sister’s of the Rosary guesthouse and there is little to do after dinner. Also early in the morning, we will be back on the Tour Minivan seeing more of the historic sites of Galilee.

I interrupted this morning’s reflection just as I was about to discuss the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) as I needed to run as our tour was leaving. So let’s spend a few minutes on this group as it is an important witness for peace in the troubled sections of the world.

We saw members of a CPT when we were in Hebron standing at an intersection that frequently has troubles between the Palestinians and the Israeli security forces of with the “Israeli Settlers”. I might have mentioned that there were 500 Settlers in Hebron and 2000 soldiers to guard them. The Christian Peacemaker Team’s purpose in Hebron as elsewhere is to provide an international presence for peace and by that presence then perhaps trouble might be avoided. As an example, they have found that their presence reduces the potential of Palestinian school kids being harassed by the Settlers or of arbitrary acts of meanness by the guards at the security checkpoints. When something happens, they simply take pictures and make reports on the harassment activities observed.

At the Sunday Evening presentation, besides us there was a CPT team hearing the presentation by the 2 men that have lost loved ones in the ongoing conflict here. I found out from one of the members that there are several participation levels in the Christian Peacemaker Team process. Most of them present on Sunday evening were wrapping up an initial 10 day immersion orientation into this process. If people find that they want more after that initial 10 trail period then they go for a month long training on becoming a member of a Christian Peacemaker Team. After that, you can choose whether to be on “Full-Time” status or reserve status. Those on reserve status serve whenever it fits their personal schedule.  As an example, the man that I met in Hebron was returning to England after a 2 month stint in Hebron which he does twice a year. He is a retired Pastor. He says that usually participating in this process is safe although last week one of the teams who were watching over Palestinian farmers going to their fields got roughed up and their cameras broken by Settlers who want to drive the Palestinians out and don’t like the CPT interfering with their efforts.  Then there was the CPT team in Iraq that had been taken hostage and one member was killed a couple of years ago. So “safe” is a relative term. One woman Pastor in our group has already made her immersion week experience last summer on the USA border with Mexico.

Today we fully acted the role of tourists. We traveled from Jerusalem into the Galilee region. It really does make the Gospel story come alive seeing all of these sites. There is a large desert between Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley which flows from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. The Hebrew word for “Desert” is the same word for “Wilderness” which might explain why we see these terms intermixed in the various bible stories. On today’s trip, we saw Jericho, River Jordan, Sea of Galilee,  Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, Cana and then wound up for the evening in Nazareth. Some of these were real tourist traps and some were just simple and holy.

At each site, there would typically be a church that had been erected over the historic ruins or artifacts. One tip that I learned is that if the church is built in the shape of an octagon then it was built specifically to house a Holy Object.

So we would read the appropriate Gospel passage as we stopped to see and reflect on sites such as

-The Jordan River Valley which dramatically changes the landscape from desert to an agricultural region even though the river is surprisingly small.

-Jericho which was the first city captured by the Israelites coming into the Promised Land.

-The wilderness in which Jesus would have spent the 40 days fasting prior to being tempted by the devil

-Capernaum where Jesus centered much of his early adult ministry in and around. Where he called his first disciples and where he did his first healings.

-Peter’s mother in-law’s house where Jesus healed her. A Synagogue from that time where he perhaps he preached the disturbing sermon on him as the bread of life.

-The Sea of Galilee which he frequently used to travel from Capernaum (Jewish region) to the Gentile region on the other side of the Sea. Also where he walked on water and calmed the stormy seas. The Sea of Galilee is actually quite pretty. Surrounded on all sides by mountains as it is very low in elevation. Looking out over the Sea (which is about the size of Lake St Clair) and picturing Jesus with his disciples in a small fishing boat going about his ministry is probably my favorite part of today’s events.

-Tabgha where Jesus feed the 5000 with a few loaves and fishes.

-We visited the Mount of the Beatitudes and reflected on just how radical this sermon message was 2000 years ago and how radical it still is today.   

-Cana where Jesus turned water into wine because his Mom asked him to. At the church over this spot, for $5 a couple could have the honor of renewing their wedding vows. (This was a bit of a tourist trap.)

-We had a great lunch at a little place on the side of the road which beat going to the tourist stops and fighting the large tour buses and paying 2 shekels to use the bathroom.

-We had fun today but the real world was very present in our hearts and in our prayers. Pastor Jack Eggleston one of the tour leaders had to fly home today as his brother died. So life with all of its ups and downs, joys and hardships continues no matter where we are or what we are doing. It is comfort indeed to know that God is always along for the ride so we are never alone, never outside His blessing and guidance, all we have to do is ask for it. May our gracious and Loving God bless us this day and all the days of our lives.  Pastor Terry

This will need to be a brief reflection as we are leaving soon for a 2 day trip into Galilee.

Yesterday morning began with worship at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City of Jerusalem. There are 3 congregations that share this historic building depending on the primary language and they each attend their own worship service. I attended the English speaking service and then after the service we had an opportunity to meet with the Palestinian Pastor of the Arabic language congregation to hear of the particular challenges faced by that congregation.

The Pastor expressed his significant concern which I had heard from others of the dwindling number of Christians living in Jerusalem. The numbers are now down to about 6000 which is about 20% of what is was 30 years ago. He explained that there are a number of reasons for this all with the primary cause of the Israel annexing Jerusalem after winning the war of 1968. As a result the Palestinians of Jerusalem have an odd “middle status”. In that they do not have full citizenship rights as the Palestinians do who originally live within borders of Israel drawn in 1948 but they also don’t have the total non-citizen status of the Palestinians who live in the West Bank. They are somewhere in between. But still they are subject to oppression and minimal economic opportunities. So many have left for other lands to find jobs and to achieve better opportunities for their families. If they are gone 7 years then they lose their Jerusalem status rights. With the dwindling number of Christians in Jerusalem, it is hard for the young people to find a spouse. If they find one in the West Bank then the spouse would not be permitted to live in Jerusalem. If they move to the West Bank then they lose their status also. It is a classic “Catch 22” situation.

In the afternoon, we had a tour of the Old City lead by a very knowledgeable man whose brother many of us know as he is a Pastor of the Lutheran Arabic church next to the Islamic Center in Dearborn. He took us to the site of the pools of Bethsaida which is where Jesus healed the crippled who had been waiting so many years to be put into the pool. The excavations at this site reveal that you need to dig down about 30 feet to get to the level of the ground of 2000 years ago. This is due to the many times that Jerusalem was destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries.  It is next to St. Ann’s church which is held by the Orthodox to be the birthplace site of Mary the mother of Jesus.  

We then went on a much deeper tour along the Via Dolorosa which marks the path that Jesus carried the cross. We wound up at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which is built over the site of Calvary where Jesus died on the cross and also over the tomb where tradition says that he was laid. There was a large stone in the church floor on which tradition holds Jesus was laid to be wrapped before being laid in the tomb. As I touched this stone, I offered prayers for all of you. This Church is the most central Christian Holy Site and as such it has been frequently the source of disagreements between the various Christian Denominations that shared this place. In it’s history at one point, one denomination locked out another and so the Sultan that presided over this land at that time took the keys and entrusted them to the care of a Muslim family to insure that all Christians had access. That is how it remains to this day, a Muslim comes to unlock the doors early in the morning and returns to lock them at night. In between there are numerous masses being said in the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Coptic etc. etc. traditions.  

Last night, we went back to the Church of the Redeemer for a special presentation of a group known as the “Parents Circle”. This group is formed by People both Palestinian & Israeli who have lost a family member during this 60 year conflict. So last evening for the first time on this trip, I got to see an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian sit together in friendship and relay to us the stories of their lost loved ones. The Israeli Jew had a 14 year old daughter that was precious to him killed by a suicide bomber some 12 years ago. The Palestinian had a 60 year old father who was killed for no apparent reason by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint. Both men shared of their grief and their anguish wrestling with the senselessness of these killings. They both came to the conclusion that there was a choice to be made. They could choose the path of revenge and go and seek out ways to strike back with their own violence or they could choose the path of peace and seek out ways to end this apparently endless conflict. They chose the path of peace and reconciliation. In this Jew and in the Muslim sharing their life struggles and reaching the decision to reach out in love, I saw the light of Jesus vibrantly alive in this troubled world of ours.

Joining us for the presentation was a group from Christian Peace Teams. This is a fascinating group but I will need to reflect on this latter for I must get to the bus now.

Peace and blessings to us all.  Pastor Terry

Sunday Morning Reflection 11-29-09

The Islamic Call to Prayer and the numerous Christian Church bells have once again succeeded in arousing the world from its slumbers or at least it has succeeded with me. J May God bless us all as we begin our Advent Journey today.

We began yesterday with a trip to Taybeh which is a village in the countryside outside of Jerusalem. The village was renamed during one of its occupations as it was originally the village of Ephraim where Jesus fled to when the plots against his life were being initiated by the High Council under their belief “that it is better  for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed” (John 11:50-54).

On our way to Taybeh we once again sang our morning liturgy in the van along the way. It makes the hassle of passing through check points to be a time of Christian witness and it’s a great way to begin each day centered in finding God in our lives.

 We went to visit a brewery which happens to be the only Palestinian brewery. One young man traveling with us is a master brewer for a local microbrewery in Detroit. So he and the owners got into a lively discussion of the whole brewing process. This small business is only 12-15 years old and it was good to see the entrepreneurial spirit alive and bringing hope to this region. The owner’s son will be attending Harvard soon. In Taybeh, we also visited the ancient church of St. George which has been rebuilt numerous times in its long history. Some of the structure was the constructed by the Crusaders.

Traveling to and from the region of Ephraim, going up and down steep hills laden with rocky ground, it brought to mind just how vigorous traveling this countryside by foot would have been 2000 years ago. Seeing first hand this rugged terrain brings great meaning to the short Gospel sentences such as:    “Jesus no longer walked about openly with the Jews, but from there to a town called Ephraim in the region near the wilderness; and he remained there with the disciples”.  That was not a simple short pleasant stroll along a smooth path. Jesus lived a very Intense and demanding life in order to bring us the Good News.

Sinclair & I spent the afternoon with another Pastor wandering through the Old City of Jerusalem. We didn’t get lost but from time to time were a bit confused as the streets are narrow, winding and filled with people and shops. So we were exposed to all the sights, sounds and smells of the Middle East. I wondered if we stood still for 10 minutes just how many different languages we would hear being spoken as people pushed their way by us in the crowds. Dozens of languages would be my guess.

We found our way to the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) which is the last remaining portion of the Second Great Jewish Temple. The first was destroyed in the Babylon invasion in the seventh century B.C.E. and the second temple was destroyed when the Romans conquered the Jewish rebellion in 70 C.E. We had to pass through metal detectors to enter this Holy Site which is to be expected in our current times. The Jewish understanding is the Great Temple (and it’s remains) contain the essence of God. This is not my theology as I believe that God is present everywhere in His God Creation but still there was something about this place and touching and praying at that Wall that touched my soul. It is what Gaelic Theologians would refer to as a “thin spot” in my life in which I could more easily sense the presence of God. I offered prayers for both Congregations, for my family and for myself during this visit. The access to the Wall is divided with men’s only section and a woman’s only section as Sinclair found out when she was summoned away from the men’s section. This was Saturday which is the Jewish Sabbath and area of course was filled with Jews of all descriptions, clothing and rituals as they came to be in touch with the presence of God in this their most Holy and Revered place on this earth.

We attempted to access the Dome on the Rock which is the 3^rd holiest site for Islam (after Mecca and Medina) but it was not allowed since the Muslims were observing their major religious holiday of Eid which marks  the observance when the angel Gabriel stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son and showed him a lamb to sacrifice instead. Muslims hold this was his son Ishmael where Christians believe it was Isaac. At any rate, we will need to see if a visit might be allowed on another day. The Dome of the Rock is the site where Muslims believed that the prophet Mohammed received the Quran from God. 

We then went to the “Via Dolorosa” which is the street that marks the way of the cross. There are signs along this street that indicate the “Stations of the Cross” which is how Catholics observe the significant events of Christ’s suffering and death. We went to the stations which report to be the places of Jesus trial, of his scourging, of his carrying the cross and when he encountered the women along the way that wiped the blood from his face. We hope to later this week to visit the church of the Holy Sepulcher which is built over the location of Calvary where Jesus died on the Cross and the tomb in which he was laid.

There is something about being in this land and especially in this ancient city of Jerusalem that just touches the soul. Not just the stones of the streets, buildings and memorials but more importantly the “living stones” of these people. I thank God for this opportunity and these experiences. I don’t think I will ever be the same.

Last night, we had a wonderful Middle Eastern feast at the parsonage home of the Pastoral Couple who are the mission team leading the English speaking congregation that shares the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem with the Arabic speaking congregation and the German speaking congregation.  The parsonage is on the grounds of the Lutheran World Federation on the Mount of Olives. The view out the living room window looking out over the night sky of Jerusalem was breathtaking. The hospitality extended to us was heartfelt as all the hospitality during this trip has been.

I need to be wrapping this up as it’s time for worship. Hope that God touches us this day and all of our days!   Pastor Terry

Greetings from deep within the ancient walls of the historic city of Old Jerusalem!

I have to confess that being awakened by the Islamic Call to Prayer at 4:30 AM followed by different Church bells at 5AM and then again at 6 AM is not my favorite part of this trip. J

But still these sounds are a very public reminder of just how central the element of religion is to the way of life in this troubled land. Religion is in the sounds, in the sights of ancient places and in the various clothing conventions from Islamic dress codes to Jewish dress codes to Eastern Orthodox dress codes even to our Christian Pastoral dress codes.

Religion is central to life from daily rituals to physical barriers and boundaries. There is even the requirement for one’s religion to be indicated on Government issued identification cards. It is difficult for us to comprehend how central and public and defining one’s religious affiliation is to life here since we Americans come from a culture that so prefers to keep religion a private matter. Here it is central to life. That’s both good and bad.

Good if it means that I am so tied to God that my daily life activities are centered in how God would have me live.

 Bad if it means that someone else is not permitted to live the way I do and enjoy the benefits that I enjoy simply because they hold a different understanding of God.

We started out the day on Friday by traveling by bus from the village of Beit Jala where we had been staying the last few days at the Abraham Guest House to Jerusalem. This meant that we had to cross once again the checkpoint at the huge security wall that separates the West Bank from Israel. This morning’s crossing went smooth for a change perhaps because we were chanting a morning liturgy as we came up to the soldiers. What good Jewish Soldier would want to have to listen to a bunch of Christian Pastors chanting Psalms to them? J

Our bus entered Old Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate. We were fortunate that the traffic was light enough to permit the bus to enter the gate which saved some of the distance that we needed to handle our luggage. As Americans we do not travel light. We are staying deep within Old Jerusalem at the Lutheran Guest House and so that meant we had about a half mile of hauling suitcases up and down the ancient stone steps and narrow side streets of this ancient city. The crowds were light as today continued the Islamic Holiday of Eid this was a great help in negotiating our way with all these bags of luggage.

We met with a member of the Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolition (ICAHD) who explained the history of the Israel – Palestine conflict and then took us on a tour to show the present status of geographical, political and social boundaries between these two. The ICAHD is a group of Israeli citizens that are actively working to increase the awareness of the global community to the tactics being used by Israel against the Palestinians. These tactics of oppression are numerous and much too convoluted to list in this morning reflection but perhaps just one example will suffice for now.

The Israel government, at all its’ many levels, uses bureaucracy to adversely affect the way of life of the Palestinians. This is done I suspect to encourage them to leave this land. As in our country, before you can build a house or a school or any other type of building you need to obtain a building permit. Unlike our country, a building permit for a Palestinian to build a house can take 10 to 20 years to obtain or one can wait the 10-20 years and still be denied the permit.  As might be expected, Palestinians realize the game that the Israeli bureaucracy is playing and so they go ahead and build without the permit hoping against hope that someday the permit will be issued. Until such time as the permit is granted, if ever, the house cannot be hooked up to public utilities and is in danger of being demolished. The Palestinians get around the public utility hook-up restrictions by connecting to their neighbor’s systems. The Israelis counter this by doubling the cost of public utilities when it exceeds a specified monthly consumption level. The demolition order is issued, a fine must be paid, and then a family lives in the house and waits months or even 10 or 20 years for the demolition order to be carried out. When the demolition order is carried out the family may have minutes to clear out their possessions before the bulldozers strike. Then they get to pay for the demolition. This is just one little example of life in this troubled land.

We then met with the staff of Augusta Victoria Hospital which is affiliated with the Lutheran World Federation. This large complex 100 years ago was built by the Germans to be the guest house for its’ citizens when they travel to Jerusalem. In the ensuing history, it has changed hands several times from being the “White House” of the British occupation to being government house of Trans-Jordan. It has been a hospital for 40 or more years now as is the primary hospital for Palestinians to receive specialty care such as cancer treatment or pediatric dialysis. Most of these patients have to of course get special permits to pass through the checkpoints in order to receive this care. Sinclair had an interesting time being toured through the hospital by the nursing director. The general director of the hospital is an American working for the Lutheran World Federation. When we asked for his comments on the Israeli-Palestinian situation, he said that it wasn’t a good day to ask him as he had just spent 5 hours in a jail detention cell at the airport over Visa issues.  

We then hiked some 3 miles from the Hospital grounds back into Old Jerusalem. It is fascinating to walk these steep and winding streets also watching out for the 2 way traffic on the one lane streets. The horn is a frequently used tool of driving in this land. J

We stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane on our walk back to the City. I was deeply touched at being in the place where Jesus wrestled and agonized with accepting the Call to the Cross. There is a church on this ground which is built over the stone that marks the historical spot. Silence is required in this church which is a shame because I really wanted to sing a hymn there.

We returned to Old Jerusalem by way of the Lion Gate. We entered near Sundown on Friday as so there were many Jews rushing by us in classic dress hurrying to get to Synagogue for the start of their Sabbath.

Today we visit a brewery which I suppose is how you know that I am traveling with Lutherans! J  Pastor Terry

This morning as the first morning of the Islamic Holiday of Eid, the loudspeaker broadcasts of the  morning call to worship has been especially vigorous, even joyful and continuous. It has been going on now for 45 minutes with no end in sight.

I have been struck by the numerous strong willed women that we have had the opportunity to listen to who seem to be a source of great hope for resolving this 60 year old conflict because they have a vision of another time, of another world where justice and equality for the Palestinian people will be restored. It struck me that these women are the 21^st century version of the Syro-Phoenician women who confronted Jesus in the Gospel in order to have healing for her daughter. When Jesus initially refuses she insists on her right to have her daughter healed by him because “even the dogs deserve to eat the crumbs that have fallen from the table”. Wow, these are real examples of the Gospel being lived in the land where Jesus walked.

Yesterday was a day filled with examples of potential ways to and examples of successful future paths for the Palestinian people when hope is alive and different life paradigms are chosen for those involved.

We started out the morning traveling to a village the other side of Bethlehem to a Lutheran school. We met with the principal and learned from him how a successful model of a school system works as well as the struggles to implement such a school system in a land of oppression. The buildings are clean and modern. The student population is mixed between Christian & Muslim. None of the students can afford to pay the full tuition so through sponsorship from Europe and other places many grants and scholarships are obtained for the students. More than 90% of the student body will go on to college following their graduation from this High School. The student body excels in academics but also in sports, music and the arts. They send student groups abroad for cultural exchanges and to participate in activities. They have been invited to send a student group next year to Polish Center for Justice & Peace to participate in an international mock trial of historic world crimes. Students will play the roles of prosecutors, jurors etc. Other teams will be there from Germany, Poland & Israel. While they can send students to Europe, Israel security will sometimes block them from traveling to Jerusalem such as last year when the choir was prevented from attending a choir competition. Yesterday was a school holiday because of the Islamic holiday so there were no classes. Yet there were still some students attending special meetings such as those participating in a group learning peer to peer conflict resolution and another group that was there for a practice exam for one of the high school tests that they must successfully complete to graduate and get into university. But the principal besides telling of the success of his students also shared the hardships of what is it like to have you home & land confiscated. In his case, the security wall was erected across one portion of the land that he owned. So now his olive trees are on the other side of the wall and so he cannot get the access to harvest them. He was very clear that everyone knew what the solution to this conflict was. It is the “2 State Solution at the 1968 boundaries established by the U.N.” He says the Palestinians know this, the Israelis know this, the World knows this, even the USA knows this but until the USA has the willpower to pressure Israel to implement this then there will be no resolution to this conflict only an endless cycle of oppression and violence. He hopes that we will carry this message back.

We then traveled to modern Bethlehem which bears very little resemblance to our images from all of the nativity stories. The streets were teeming with crowds out for the pre-holiday shopping. There came a point where our taxis could go no further and we got out and walked and snaked our way through the crowds and the sights and smells of the marketplace to the Lutheran church complex. We met there with the dean of a 2 year Fine Arts Community College which is currently hosted by the Lutheran church but will be moving to its own building next year. This Lutheran church & the Community College holds as its operating philosophy the message from John 10 “That you might have life and have it abundantly”. The College is part of a 5 college consortium in Palestine. This one has the particular emphasis on teaching the students and the general public the Fine Arts and using the Arts as a way to channel youthful energies into constructive activities based on the principal of a hope filled future instead of a hope-less future. The Dean did share her dream of expanding the college to be a 4 year University and with even  Masters level classes. She also shared their frustration that most University graduates immigrate because the unemployment rate is so extremely high in Palestine. It reminded me a little bit of our current situation in Michigan where 80% of last year’s U of M graduates left Michigan to find work in other states.  The youth situation in Palestine is significantly greater issue as 50% of the population is under 18.

We then hiked to the Church of the Nativity which is built over the historic understanding of the birthplace of Jesus. To do so we again had to pass through market crowds that were so tightly packed we would occasionally lose sight of one another and would need to stop and gather to together to make sure that no one got lost. We as a group did get lost for a little while but with the help of the locals found our way again. We visited the Church of the Nativity with its underground cave and chapels of the birth place of Jesus. In one chapel cave we prayed as group and sang “Silent Night” and were joined in the hymn by a group of Chinese Christians. It is a small world after all.

Today we leave for Jerusalem!  Pastor Terry

Yesterday was a bittersweet day of encountering oppression and poverty and yet still finding hope present in the people of Palestine.

We traveled to the city of Hebron. It is divided into 2 Zones, one zone called H-1 is controlled by Palestinian Authority and the other zone H-2 is controlled by the Israeli army. As a consequence there were numerous security checkpoints and soldiers and guns and dogs in numerous places.

The greatest contrast was to go from the teeming marketplaces in H-1 (Palestinian controlled) where there came a point where the bus could go no further because of the crowds and then to walk through the checkpoint into H-2 (Israel controlled) onto a main street that was empty except for security forces. This section of Hebron is reserved for the Israeli Settlers which number about 400 with some 1500 soldiers to ensure their security. Palestinians are forbidden from traveling on the street that I walked on. Our group was guided by members of an Ecumenical International Accompanied Program Palestine Israel (EIAPPI) group who are trained observers who watch and report abuses to the local population by the security forces. We walked down the street to gain access to a Palestinian elementary school. The kids go to the school by cutting through a large cemetery to avoid walking on the street. We met an amazing Woman that was the principal of the school and listened to her description of how difficult it was to operate a school in this area. The Palestinian police could not enter this zone & the Israeli security doesn’t care about the children’s safety.  Still she persists and has made the place into a school which is safe enough and with high enough standards that her children have attended it even though they do not live in this area. I have been witnessing powerful God inspired Women on this trip in a land where Women are supposed to be submissive. I am suspecting that these Women will be the source of change in the future.

We left the school and continued down the street past the buildings with shuttered storefronts on the first floor and apartment flats on the upper floors which can’t be accessed from the street but only from back alley ways. We came to the intersection down from the Great Mosque which holds the tombs of Abraham & Sarah and their children. We met another group known as the Christian Peacemaker Teams. I talked with a 65 year old Nun who was a member of this team and came from Ohio. I asked what drew her to this cause and she said that she figured that she still had a few good years of vigorous activity left in her and why not use them working for peace in this troubled land.

The Great Mosque has been split by the authorities to be a Mosque on one side and a Synagogue on the other. It is a Holy Site because of the tombs that are believed to hold the remains of Abraham, Sarah and their children. It is also a site that has been the location of a massacre when a Settler burst into the Mosque and killed 39 people before he was killed. As a result, there are 2 security checkpoints to enter the Mosque and security cameras throughout the Mosque. The women in our group had to put on hooded robes that made them look like characters in Star Wars. One made the mistake of carrying her shoes into the Mosque but was quickly corrected. We entered after the noon prayers were completed so it was empty except for a few people privately praying.

We traveled the alley ways of Hebron to go to a Rehabilitation Office. Along the way, we were earnestly pursued by street merchants and beggars. This Rehabilitation Office was focused on the rehabilitation of the Old City of Hebron so that it would become viable once again. They took us to the building’s roof so that we could gain an overall perspective of the challenges that they faced.

We then went to a large Refugee Camp. When I hear the word “Camp”, I pictured a tent city but it is now 60 years later and the tents have been replaced by tenements that were constructed by the U.N. It is essentially an urban ghetto crowded with displaced Palestinians who were forced out of their villages 60 years ago in some cases and 40 years ago in other cases. They live several generations of a family crammed into a small apartment. We visited one that was about 600 square feet with 27 people living there. We visited a “school in a tent” that was really a tutoring place run by a local Christian Pastor. We ate lunch under the tent jam packed with little guys who made my heart break with their smiles and barrage of questions. We spent some time in one apartment listening to the story of a family who has had one son killed, one wounded and several imprisoned through these years of conflicts with the Israeli security forces. The one wall of the apartment was covered with pictures of the dead son. These people are incredibly hospitable to us even in the midst of their poverty. I am overwhelmed by the immensity of this issue and wonder what can I do to bring hope to this situation? What can be done to break the paradigms of conflict and oppression that have festered for over 60 years? For now I will pray for guidance and peace.    Pastor Terry

Yesterday was a full day. It was a day filled with education & experiences, fatigue & frustration, anger & yet joy also.  I guess that it is not unusual in this troubled land.

We started out the day with a trip to a Disability Rehabilitation Center in a very poor rural area of Jordan.  I would liken it to Appalachia in the USA. The stores on the street were open air and one was a kind of building supply for the area with stacks of bags of cement, sinks, toilets, rerod etc.,  some new some recovered. The dress in this area is much more traditional Islamic clothing. Amidst the dilapidated housing was one modern school built by the Government but other schools were closer to simple block buildings. Kids were playing soccer on stony fields where a sliding tackle would result in some bad scrapes if one were foolish enough to do so. The Rehabilitation center is about 5 years old. It is directed by a Christian that heard God calling him to this ministry so he retired from Hotel Management and established this ministry in an area that is 100% Muslim, 50% unemployed and has a disability rate of 10% because of birth defects, poverty, no access to health care etc. It’s free center staffed mostly by volunteers and teaches basic skills (weaving, wood working, papier-mâché construction etc) along with audiology testing, wheelchairs and physical and speech therapy. The director pointed out inexpensive wheelchairs fabricated from mounting a plastic chair on a light metal frame with bicycle wheels attached. He distributes them to people in the area. He proudly showed his IT room which was filled with computers for training. Unfortunately, a power surge had wiped out all of the computer power units. The director was also proud to demonstrate the passive air conditioning system for the building which consisted of water tanks for evaporation on the roof and central open air water troughs with sprays to collect the heat from the air on each floor with a pumping system to return it to the roof for evaporation. He says in the summer when it is very hot, this system cools by 10-12 degrees C. The engineer in me was impressed by the skills displayed while the Pastor in me was touched by the Ministry to the Poor that was vividly evident.

We next left for the border crossing to return to Israel. We were on the Jordan side for about an hour primarily due to the inefficiency of the bus system that operates through the border. We were on the Israel side for 5 hours as one of our members was isolated for intense security review. This young man is American born of a Iraq Father & Scandinavian Mother but it is his Arabic name on a USA passport that flags all of the extra attention. But also several others of our group were fingerprinted and had their pictures taken for whatever reason the Security bases their action on. We were very frustrated by this border process and feared for the safety of the young man until he was released.

We arrived in Jerusalem for evening rush hour and the traffic is as intense as Amman. These drivers have a system of threatening cooperation based on the frequent use of horns, brakes and rapid acceleration for short distances. But somehow it works. I confess there were times that I simply closed my eyes.

We passed through the check-point into the West Bank without an issue although each time I cross through the isolation wall, it’s like I am on the wrong side of a Penitentiary wall. We have returned to stay at the Abraham guest house which is my favorite place to stay although not because of the plumbing! J After dinner, the Pastor’s wife gave a touching presentation on the hardships of life as a Palestinian on this side of the Isolation Wall. She has been here 25 years and so has directly experienced a couple of times of violence between the Palestinians and the Israeli Army besides the day to day tension of the security measures. This guest house is on the grounds of a Church and there is also a home for boys from broken families. The boys are both Christian & Muslim. This particular community is unusual in that the Palestinian population is 80% Christian where everywhere else it is much-much less.

The Pastor’s wife told of a time during the last Intifada when the Israeli troops drove a tank onto the church grounds, breaking water & electrical systems and then used the church building as a base of operations. They kept the boys in the building knowing that the Palestinians would be reluctant to shoot at a church with kids in it. The local Lutheran Pastor with all the other Christian Pastors and other leaders protested long and loud to the Israel government to get the soldiers removed.  This Church has also been a center for the peace movement. She described a time when 2000 walked from here to hold a prayer vigil at the wall. There was another occasion where a group of Christians carrying candles, a group of Muslims carrying bread met a group of Jews carrying roses at the last section of the then incomplete isolation wall. The security forces were nervous until they began to sing. Everyone went away with 1 candle, 1 loaf of bread and 1 rose, the symbols of what might be possible at some future time when all 3 groups can live in peace together. They have hopes of doing a combined Youth Gathering next year.

After the presentation, some of us gathered in the common room of the Guest House to work on e-mails and other business. I was able to talk the young man into playing his guitar and singing for us. He is a professional musician with amazing talent shown on his cheap traveling guitar. I hope that Sinclair’s videos of his music works well as you will see an artist whose name was enough to upset the Israeli security forces. Sinclair has been making videos of various presentations and worship services. She will eventually be posting them also.

It’s time for breakfast so I must wrap this up. As we need to be ready for the bus that will take us to a refugee camp today. May our loving and gracious God continue to bless and guide us all!  Pastor Terry

We are still in Jordan although later today we will be crossing the borders once again.

Last evening was a much needed time of simply relaxing and recovering from the effects of the trip so far. The combination if International Travel and then the hiking in the heat to visit the Baptismal Spot on the Jordan River had exhausted us. So it was very beneficial to take some down time to rejuvenate.

Many of our group experienced floating in the Dead Sea including having pictures taking of being able to read a newspaper while doing so. Sinclair was satisfied by dipping her toe in while I was happy just to watch. The Dead Sea is where the river Jordan ends. I am not sure of my geography right now so am unclear as to whether it is the lights of Israel that I am seeing across the way or of another country’s settlements.

The land that we traveled through on Monday is both beautiful and incredibly harsh. Occasionally you could see shacks of dwellings in waste lands and wonder how do the people survive living in those conditions? In the river valley area, the desert changed to small agriculture plots but amongst them would be the tents and shacks for the field workers. I wonder if they were migrant workers living in temporary dwellings or was this their permanent situation?

  The hotel that we are at is the “Dead Sea Spa” which is along a row of luxury new hotels which have been built for the tourist trade. The hotels are pretty much under occupied, I don’t’ know if this lack of tourists is due to the time of the year, the world wide recession or some of both.

We had a great Middle Eastern Buffet dinner last night which our kids would have loved. The members of this group of Pastors and Lay Leaders are getting building relationships as the trip progresses. After dinner, we met as a group for prayer and to discuss our reflections of the trip so far and to plan ahead.

The dress codes in evidence so far vary widely from western to the traditional full Arab dress. In the city of Amman, the Women commonly have a combination of a head covering with western clothes. I have seen a few women wearing the complete black from head to toe with small slots for eyes and mouth but this is rare. Some men have the complete Arab dress on but western clothing is much more common.

The wind became quite strong during the evening which prevented any evening strolling along the shore. The crescent moon was up with just a single star as it’s accompaniment  in the night. This is the first evening and morning without the Islamic Call to Prayer as there are no Mosques in this resort area probably because they would not approve of them.

We will be returning to Israel and then to the West Bank today crossing through check points and border crossings. Should be an adventure! Peace and Blessings to you all!  Pastor Terry

Monday Morning reflections 11/23/09

On Sunday morning we worshipped at the Abraham Church (Lutheran) in the West Bank which has the Guest House where we had spent the night. The second part of our group which traveled separate finally arrived at the Guest House around 5 AM due to long processing at customs so they were a bit groggy for this Worship service. The members of the congregation were most gracious to us before during and following the service. The service of course was primarily in Arabic. A couple of the hymns were recognizable and I could join in with my own quiet singing voice J.

Sunday afternoon was spent traveling to Jordan which is not that far but due to the security measures at border crossings took about 6 hours. The first crossing was to go from the West Bank (Israel) into Jerusalem. This border has the huge and immensely ugly and somewhat frightening isolation wall. As our small bus pulled up to the check point, a young man came out with an automatic weapon to ensure that all passengers unloaded and walk down a ramp to the security processing center underneath the wall. We were behind some Palestinians being processed and could observe directly the ill manners of the Security Personnel directed at these people and see the humiliation/anger/resentment of the people being processed. When it was finally recognized that a group of American tourists were in line then the security measures being applied were significantly reduced. We have traveling with us in our group a young American man of Iraq/Swedish heritage. The previous night, his group was held up at the Airport security as he was questioned for over an hour in 5 different rooms by various border agents. So we placed him in the middle of our group whenever we cross borders so that there is some little pressure on the Security Forces just by the presence of so many American Pastors with clerical collars present when they question him.

We crossed into Jordan at the Allenby Bridge over the Jordan river. The Jordan river at this point is more like a creek. There was an Israel security checkpoint to pass the vehicle through and then a customs checkpoint where we paid an exit fee and waited after processing for the designated bus which travels back & forth across the bridge. While we were waiting, one of the women in our group took a picture of the surroundings whereupon another Israel young man with an automatic weapon immediately made her delete the picture as this is not permissible at borders.

Across the bridge was the Jordan checkpoint and then Jordan customs. The land on either side of the Jordan valley is desert and you can see army patrol stations out in it on both sides of the border. The experiences of traveling across borders this day was a revelation of how we take freedom of movement as an inherent right to the extent that we just assume it. Not so in this part of the world. I met Palestinians who live in the West Bank but can’t go into Jerusalem, there are Palestinians that live in Jerusalem but can’t go into the West Bank and then there are Palestinians that live in Jordan and elsewhere that can’t go into Israel at all. So families have been permanently divided and deep bitterness and resentment continue to burn 60 years later. This is not going to change without significant paradigm shifts on everyone’s part. I fear that Israel’s continued expansion of the security wall, the sub-human treatment of Palestinian natives and the building of settlements on occupied land is simply setting the stage for more war. That of course makes me worried for the future of my grandchildren’s generation. This consequently is an issue that I must address in some form in the future.

The traffic in Amman was a zoo. It was evening rush hour, Amman is a modern metropolis and Arab drivers make Chicago drivers look modest and well mannered. But the sights and the sounds were intriguing.

Last night we worshipped at the Lutheran church in Amman. This congregation has sister congregations in S.E. Michigan and so some of the Pastors in our group brought them personal greetings and presents. Pastor Jack preached and the Jordanian Pastor translated his message. On the church steps prior to the service, I met an American woman from Mentor, Ohio who is working on assignment at a hospital in Amman, talk about small worlds! She was accompanied by her male friend who although a Muslim routinely comes to worship with her to translate the Arabic language worship service for her. The service began at 6:15 PM because Sunday is a normal scheduled work day in this land. After the service, the Congregation leaders fed us well including breaking out the licorice flavored liquor in addition to the great food which of course lead to long boisterous conversations and then a couple of songs with dance.

I have been awakened again this morning with the sound of the Islamic Call to Prayers being chanted over loudspeakers beginning at around 4:30 AM. It was repeated several times over the next hour or so it seemed to me. The daily prayer practices of a faithful Muslim is enough to make a Christian Pastor jealous. As we drove in last night, I observed Muslims on the side of the road kneeling on rugs for their prayers at sundown. I am told that the word “Islam” means “submission” as in submission of your life to God’s will for how your life should be lived. After our Youth Group tour two weeks ago of the Islamic Center of America and then seeing the constant expressions of Islamic faith in this land, I have been wondering what would it mean to the world if Christians had such prayer practices and such a willingness to submit our lives to live as God would have us live and not as our secular society tells us to live. In our case as Christians this of course would be the submission to the Great Commandment to Love one Another as Jesus has loves us. Perhaps if we developed the habit of reminding ourselves 5 times per day through prayer then we might just start doing it. Wouldn’t that be something! J 

Greetings from the West Bank of Israel, trip was long & tiring but went well. We are staying at a Parish Guest house. The Security Wall isolating the West Bank is huge and ugly and looks like a prison enclosure. Looking forward to crossing into Jordan tomorrow. Blessings! Pastor Terry

We have just arrived at our guest house in Beit Jala - near Jerusalem.  It has been a long, but pleasant trip.  We are showering off the long and sweaty hours in the planes and the 1 1/2 hr packed van ride to the guest house.

We are already amazed at the sites.... Palm trees - like Hawaii in Tel Avia, orange trees, and grape vines near the airport... and then as we neared Jerusalem the terrain turned rock and hilly... looking more like Pennsylvania.  As we neared Beit Jala we drove along the wall and are already stuck by the injustice.  (I am amazed that we saw no armed guards in the airports... both in Frankfort and Tel Ave - we did go thru a second security x-ray in Frankfort just for the people coming to Tel Avia.)

Terry is in the shower, I am in the hotel lobby using the internet... it doesn't seem to work in our room.  I think it is close to 10 am there... it is almost 6pm... we have been on the road for close to 24 hrs..

Our guest house is a delightful oasis- we have our own bathroom, and a very  European sized clean room with twin beds. The plumbing is a bit of a challenge. There is a delightful enclosed patio that will offer a great place to gather.

Unfortunately, I think we are only here for this night.... will keep you posted and send pictures next time.

We had a delightful dinner in the hostel's basement dinning room... lettuce cucumber and tomato salad, creaming slaw, potato/roasted tomato and chicken mixture and a wonderful saffron rice dish.... and a nice glass of chardonnay... now I am ready to sleep...
 
Blessings from the Abrahams Herberge - Beit Jala
Sinclair

Sunday Morning 11/21/09

It is an absolutely beautiful morning from the Abramham Guest House, Beit Ibrahim in West Bank. In this densely populated area, so far this morning I have heard Islam Call to Prayer, a Rooster Wake-up call and finally church bells that sounded a bit like large clanging cow bells, what other marvelous wonders await the start of this day?

We are part of a really great group with shared beliefs and values traveling this strange and wondrous land together. This can only serve to enrich the experiences that we will share.

Peace & Blessings on your day. Pastor Terry

Bible Story - Elijah - Trusting God's Ravens and Widows, Sermon Message and Benediction from the November 8, 2009 Sunday Worship at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Gibraltar.

Download | Duration: 00:28:47

Associate Pastor Trudy Bradley reflects on this week's lectionary Gospel Reading Mark 12:28-34 in her message "Whom Do You Love?".  She also shares a reading from Elias Chacour's book We Belong To The Land, to illustrate an example of great love of neighbor at the Nov 1, 2009 Sunday Worship at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Flat Rock, Mi.

Download | Duration: 00:24:36