New Mission

Saul’s conversion in Acts 9 gave him a new relationship with God (‘Abba’ Father), a new family (sisters and brother in Christ), new power for living (Holy Spirit), and new freedom.  But here’s the sermon bonus point I didn’t get to this past weekend… Saul also got a new mission! Saul joins God’s mission of redemption for the world by taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Like Saul, our salvation isn’t just personal and private assurance of eternal destiny. It’s an invitation to God’s mission for the world.

This coming weekend’s Bible text is Acts 9:26-31 and the story of Barnabas’ introduction of Saul to the skeptical believers in Jerusalem.  I look forward to worshipping with you this weekend!

"52" Challenge Worship Wall

Dear Church Family;

One highlight of our recent visit to Israel was going to the Western Wall. The Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) is an exposed portion of the remains of Herod’s Temple where Jewish worshippers pray daily. It is customary to place small pieces of paper with written prayer requests in the crevices of the Wall. Hundreds of thousands of tiny notes are left at the Wall every year. This is also where Ultra-Orthodox Jews gather every week for worship to begin their Sabbath. Our tour guide took us to the Wall for the beginning of “Shabbat” while we were in Jerusalem.  It’s hard not to be inspired by these faithful Jews’ dedication to the weekly rhythms of worship and prayer.

At the beginning of the 2013 I invited you to take the “10/10” and “52” challenge. The “10/10” challenge is to spend 10 minutes reading the Bible and 10 minutes praying every day. The “52” challenge is to find a place of worship every weekend in 2013.

To help us celebrate the “52” challenge in particular, we’ve created a “52 Weekends of Worship” wall in Philadelphia Hall. As you travel and vacation this summer bring back a worship bulletin from churches you visit. It’s never too late to take up the “52” challenge and make weekly worship a regular part of your family routine. Especially if you have children, nothing will speak louder to them about the importance of church than when you go out of your way to find a place for worship while on vacation.

By year’s end let’s fill our “52” wall with bulletins and notes from worshipping communities we visit across our country and globe!

Day #15 Last Day in Israel

We ended the last day of our tour in Israel with a bang! This morning we visited Masada. Originally built as one of Herod's private palaces, this desert mountain top fortress was the last stand of the Judean revolt against Rome in 73 A.D.

From Masada we headed further north to Qumran. This was home to an ascetic Jewish sect with some radical religious customs. It's also the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were initially discovered in 1946.

Our last tour stop before arriving back at our hotel in Tel Aviv was a visit to Israel's 9/11 memorial. Israel is the only country outside the United States to construct a memorial in remembrance of those who died in the 9/11 attacks.

But the real treat of the day came back at our visit to Masada. On site was a modern day Jewish Scribe copying the Torah. The Torah can only be reproduced by hand and it takes more than a year for a single copy. Not only that, a single mistake makes the entire scroll useless and the Scribe has to start all over again. According to our guide, a Synagogue today may pay upwards of $30,000-$50,000 for a copy of the Torah. Well, the Scribe on site at Masada works behind a glass partition so that visitors can watch him work. But, since his work is extremely precise and delicate he cannot be disturbed. Except today. For some reason when our group approached the glass divider he invited us to come inside and see his work close-up. Our guide, who has been to Masada dozens of times over the years, was flabbergasted. "This just never happens," he said. But the story gets even better... After the Scribe asked where we were from and what we were doing in Israel he offered to write us a blessing on a piece of parchment used for copying the Torah. It was a precious moment as he wrote his blessing for us, Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, and presented it to us. I'll have the blessing mounted and framed so we can display it in our Philadelphia Hall so you can see it too.

Pix
1. Masada is located on a very high peak in the Judean desert very near the Dead Sea. While it is possible to walk to the top, we all opted for the cable car!
2. Qumran
3. Cave #9 where the first of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discoverd.
4. Israel's 9/11 Memorial located in Jerusalem across the valley from Jerusalem's Jewish cemetery.
5. Names engraved on the perimeter of the memorial.
6. Scribe at Masada copies the Torah.

Day #14 Jeep tour of the Negev and Judean deserts

Here are some pix from our desert Jeep ride this morning.

1. Bill gets "volunteered" to be a 3D map of Israel while our guide explains why land east of Jerusalem gets all the rain, while the Negev gets only .5" inch of rain annually.
2. The rock formations are salt. Norma has a taste to prove it!
3. Desert
4. Desert
5. More desert
6. The large pillar-like rock formation... guess who? That's right! It's Lot's wife. :-)
7. Maxine, Barbara, and Melanie listen to our guide talk about the Acacia tree, under which we are sitting.
8. Random photo of interest, at least to me... In all the restrooms around the Jewish parts of the Israel I've noticed these plastic cups. I'm a bit slow on the draw, so it took me a while to realize that they're probably there for a reason. This picture was taken at a road-side gas station not far from our Hotel here at the Dead Sea. The cups are for Orthodox Jews to wash their hands. The cups all hold exactly the same amount of water. The two handles are so you can wash one hand at a time. Before approaching the Western Wall for prayer, Jews stopped at a hand-washing station using the same kind of cup. Go back and look at picture At the hawashing station just outside the Western Wall in Jerusalem they had the same cups. (See picture 7 on my blogpost for Day #11.)

At the Dead Sea

We're at a resort hotel at the Dead Sea for two days before heading back to Tel Aviv for one night. Hard to believe that our trip is coming to a close. The internet connection here at the hotel is only available in the lobby and even then it's spotty and slow at best. I'll do more of a full post with pictures when I'm able.

You should read Jolynn Anderson's blog about the trip. She offers some more details and insights that I'm not catching. http://jolynninisrael.blogspot.co.il/ (Thanks Jolynn!)

Day #13 Bedouins, Engedi, and Dead Sea

Yesterday we learned more about the Bedouins of the Negev. These Bedouins have become villagers rather than nomads and yet they retain many of their old customs. We met Sarah who showed us how she spins yarn and cooks a special kind of bread. It looks like a giant thin tortilla. The mixture is only flour, salt, and water. We had fun taking turns dressing up in traditional Bedouin wedding clothes. As Muslims, the Bedouins are allowed more than one wife (up to four wives, I believe).

From the tiny village of Lakia we drove south and west to the Dead Sea. Along the way we passed the valley where David fought Goliath. We also saw Acacia trees which supplied the kind of wood used to make the ark of the covenant.

Just up the road from our hotel is a Nature Park which is the Oasis of Engedi. This is the place where David was hiding from Saul in 1 Samuel 24. The landscape surrounding the Dead Sea is absolutely barren. No green, living thing can survive the intense heat and lack of rain. That's what makes the Engedi Oasis so amazing. A natural fresh water spring makes a kind of paradise in desert. Five of us hiked to the top of three water falls located in the park.

Pic descriptions:
1. Sitting on the floor as we begin our visit.
2. Sarah displaying yarn she has spun and dyed.
3. Chet and Maxine dress up for their Bedouin wedding.
4. Reese and Edna do the same.
5. Sarah demonstrates making Bedouin pita.
6. Euda shares with us the beginning of her vision to create "The Association for the Improvement of Women's Status, Lakia."
7. Getting ready to hike in the Engedi Nature Park.
8. Yours truly in front of the lower falls at the Engedi Nature Park.
9. Upper falls.

Day #12

Our day began with a 90 minute conversation with a young Palestinian journalist. Since our tour guide is a committed Jew with deep roots in Israel (remember he grew up in Jerusalem) it was very helpful to have a strong contrasting perspective. If I were king for a day I still don't know what I would do. There seem to be no easy solutions! At least I think we understand a little better the geography, terminology, and significant historical events that come to bear on this conflict.

Today was an optional tour day. Nine of us went to see King Herod's summer palace and burial place. Our visit took us past an Israeli checkpoint into a Zone B which was interesting in light of the morning's conversation. As far as Herod's summer shack goes, it was amazing. It was built on an entirely man-made mountain. Our exploration involved lots of climbing and hiking through secret escape tunnels which was fun.

In the afternoon we visited the reputed site of John the Baptist's birth and the Church of the Visitation, where Mary visited Elizabeth as recorded in Luke 1:39-45.

We were reminded in different ways all day long that today was the Sabbath. There were no scrambled eggs or oatmeal at the breakfast bar because that would've required someone to cook - all the food was prepared beforehand. The elevators were set to automatically stop at each floor so you didn't have to break the Sabbath by pressing a button. All the shops were closed and there was very little traffic. The city lite-rail was not in service. Kendra and I went for a walk this evening and it was remarkable peaceful - just people strolling leisurely up and down the streets. However, Shabbat ended at 7:45 p.m. and immediately restaurants and shops began opening their doors. Soon the city was wide awake again and ready for business.

Tomorrow we leave Jerusalem and head to the Dead Sea. I'm super glad the weather has warmed up because I can't wait to go floating!

Pic Descriptions:
1. The view from Herod's summer place.
2. What his summer palace looked like (are you kidding me!?)
3. The way it looks today.
4. Our group exploring one of the tunnels that served as an escape route later on.
5. John the Baptist Church.
6. Inside the Church of the Visitation (What are they looking at? Could it be an angel? :-)