The Upload
Posted on Nov 14, 2014 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed couple of weeks.
Well, the trip Jill and I have been planning for over a year finally happened. As you may have noticed, you have not received a note from me over the past couple of weeks because, on November 1, Jill and I flew to Israel where we spent nine days traveling the country making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It was an incredible journey and one that has given me a whole new insight into the life and teachings of our Lord.
We actually sailed on the waters of the Sea of Galilee, and then when we got off the small boat we walked up a hill to an area where tradition teaches that Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount and where he shared the Beatitudes with the world. As I looked down the hill that is also said to be the possible site of the feeding of the 5000, I couldn’t help but notice that today that same hill is covered with farms growing food that feeds the nation of Israel.
Later in the week, I was also privileged to enter the Jordan River where I renewed the baptisms of seven people. One of the men began to cry as he came up from the water, knowing that he was truly a baptized child of God. And if that was not enough, while we were in Jerusalem, I presided over a brief communion service for our group in one of the areas that tradition says is the site of Jesus’ tomb. Jill and I actually entered that tomb and stood in the place that may have once held the body of Jesus. This week was an incredible week and one Jill and I will never forget.
As we stood in that tomb, I could not help but wonder if that old tomb that had been excavated in an archeological dig in the 19th century was really Jesus’ tomb or if it was just an old tomb that once held no one of significance. But as I wondered that and as I wondered about all the sites we saw, I realized that none of that matters. We know that Jesus did walk this earth and he did live and teach in Israel. We know he entered Jerusalem on a donkey and that by the end of that week he was crucified and buried in a tomb, but the tomb could not hold him. No, after three days, when the women went to finish preparing his body for burial, what they discovered was that the tomb was empty and that he was alive.
The tomb we entered was an empty tomb, so whether it was Jesus’ actual tomb or one close to his actual tomb, the fact is it was empty, and that is the promise in which we all place our faith, the promise that death is not the end and that someday all tombs will be empty.
This trip to Israel has changed my life and it has given me a whole new understanding of Jesus’ teachings. Whether or not all the sites I saw were the actual sites that Jesus taught on or walked on is irrelevant because scripture is a story of faith, and this trip was a trip of faith. Today, I can say, after walking in the land that our Lord lived in and walked in, my faith is stronger than ever.
Have a blessed week, and I can’t wait to share more about our trip with you!
Shalom,
Pastor Dave