Sitting in the charlotte airport, we have our first devotion...Suzanne read some scripture, we talked (briefly) about the purpose of our journey, and Carla pulled out a bag of rocks with words written on them. I sat, somewhat half listening, passed the bag and took a rock when it came my way. My first thought, what a typical “churchy” thing before we leave our hometown. Then again, this trip was with a church group and to tour and visit the Holy Land. The purpose of these rocks was to remember our word through out our trip and apply it to what we will be learning...again, typical. However, just as you have read each day and we have experienced each day in this Holy Land, it was not just a churchy thing or just a tour.
The term "living stones" (heard all week long) are the people we met with, the people who offered their homes, the people who talked and shared, the people who fed us, the people who fight. The living stones in action.
Maggie Whitely said at one point, "man, these people sure know what they're doing with these stones!" And yes, they do! The immense amount of buildings, homes, churches, and rocks that form the foundation of this land are breathtaking. But the Living stones support this place and make it what we call a Holy Land.
We defined this simply as #holylandholypeople in our many Instagrams and Facebook posts this week. It is a holy land we toured and walked along the same steps that Jesus walked thousands of years ago. But it is the holy people we met and shared meals with that are acting in Jesus's footsteps.
Today we walked the same path that Jesus did centuries ago. Starting at a Jewish cemetery on the Mt. of Olives, we walked the Palm Sunday road curving and winding down a steep hill to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This trail, the same walk to Christ’s Crucifixion, and the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus came to pray, is a surreal and beautiful place of Jerusalem. Even with the unnerving amount of tourists and hustle and bustle of this area, it was defined to me as one of the most peaceful places we visited this week. Sitting in side the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the immaculate beauty and amazing architecture was overwhelmingly calming. To sit inside such a beautiful place and to see the gorgeous flowers and huge olive trees in the garden was a reminder of what Christ did for his people and the magnificence that came out of it.
Yet again, another reminder that the Holy Land can be peaceful. It will take the living stones to see the potential of this wonderful place and to fight for their visions.
After a powerful Communion in the Garden, we loaded up on the bus and walked through the Old City of Jerusalem. Inside the walls of the Old City protruded culture and life of Jerusalem. Food venders, markets, children and parents, sellers, buyers, tourists, and neighbors moved around each other in the mid day heat. We were able to discover our haggling abilities, eat falafel’s, and find some souvenirs. Within the walls of the Old City we also visited the Western Wall, or as some people know it, the Wailing Wall. This is Judaism’s holiest site as it was part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount and built by Herod the Great. Being here on the day of Sabbath, we got to see people come here from all over, near and far, and pray at this wall and leave prayers in the cracks of stones.
After a powerful morning in Jerusalem, it was time to head to Joppa and Tel Aviv. Here we ended the trip with seeing the Mediterranean Sea. As someone who loves water and finds the peace in moving streams and crashing oceans, this was a great mind relaxer to cap the trip. We sat atop the rocks and watched the blue water move in motion and had fun and relaxed conversation. Tel Aviv and the many airports and airplanes, however, started to call our names and it was time to start the journey back home.
My rock, rather stone, had the word hope. In a place of such despair and continuing enforcement of unjust laws, how can these people keep hope? We asked so many people this same question but in return we had answers of optimism and patience. They know in their hearts and in their future will come a day that everyone on this land can live and love together. It seems as though the faith is oozing out from the physical foundation and pouring into the souls of these living stones. Today was a great reminder of what these people are continuing to support: the Holy Land and the Holy People that live here. It is our job to share their stories and to remind people of Christ’s word.
Emily Hamilton
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