The Sabeel Liberation Theology Center

Cedar Duaybis, one of the center’s staff, tells the group about the center’s work as she weaves the Center’s history around her personal history as a Palestinian Christian. For most all Palestinians, uprooted from their land and homes, the pressing issue is not revenge or retribution, but justice. This center provides them advocacy and a theological voice.

Our Transportation Awaits

Our transportation across the dessert finally arrived as we waited by the roadside. The camel is smart enough to find water if the rider will just let the camel take the lead. Sure beats walking!!!

The Walls of Jericho

In the Old Testament story, Joshua and his army surrounded the city of Jericho, blew trumpets, and the wall came tumbling down. Directly beneath the sign you can see horizontal layers of bricks that made up the ancient walls of Jericho.

Zacchaeus’s Sycamore Tree

In the middle of the modern downtown Jericho is a large sycamore tree. Tradition says that this is the tree that the Chief Tax Colletor, Zacchaeus, wanted so much to see Jesus that he climbed up such a tree. For whatever reasons, Jesus picked out Zacchaeus and went home with him. That encounter changed Zacchaeus’ life. Where do we find a sycamore tree?

The “stupid camel”

High on the hill above one of the caves of Qumran is a rough rock statue of a camel. When a Bedouin shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1948 the first one was sold for something like $10. Later, when the significance of the find was realized, his Bedouin family mocked the boy’s “stupidity” by creating a memorial camel on the hills of Qumran.

Desert Inns, Samaritans, and the Valley of the Shadow of Death

In the Judean wilderness the rugged terrain made for a two day journey between Jerusalem and Jericho. Besides the possibility of robbers, a careless misstep could easily result in a lethal fall. Here, St. George’s monastery sits on the ancient road from Jerusalem to Jericho perched above what tradition calls the Valley of the Shadow of Death where King David is said to have written the 23rd Psalm. In one of Jesus’ parables a Samaritan, despised by the Jews, finds a beaten, almost dead man and takes him to a desert inn for care and keeping, challenging the conventional notion of neighbor.

The Jerusalem Cross (revisited)

The Jerusalem Cross is made up of five crosses representing the four gospels and the five wounds of Jesus’ from his crucifixion.

Stay tuned for the next authoritative explanation this symbol rich in meaning.

Holocaust Memorial

No photographs were permitted in this memorial exhibit.

To take our own photos, howerver artistically conceived, of what is there would never do honor to the actual memories etched on film and paper and on the hearts and minds of survivors and their offspring. The official theme of the memorial is "Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future."

May all people of every race and culture join in the human vow: never again!

Our group resting…

Enough said.

The Upper Room

In this darkened room built on the site where it is thought Jesus and the disciples gathered for the Last Supper and tradition has it they were gathered for the day of Pentecost we listened to the Scriptures tell of the blessing of the Holy Spirit and sang “Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me…”

The Jerusalem Cross

This is a non-denominational cross signifying, in the crusades, the five nations that sought to reclaim Jerusalem—France, England, Germany, Italy, and Spain.

The Chapel of Dominus Flavit

When Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem spread out before him as before us, he wept in lament for a people for whom peace was not a reality. Like a hen gathers her children under her wings, says Jesus, so he desires the safety and protection of all of God’s people.

Mount of Olives and Palm Sunday Path

Beginning at the top of the Mount of Olives we made our way down the Palm Sunday path that Jesus walked. Beside the spectacular views of the Old City of Jerusalem we passed thousands of Jesus crypts. Like the Muslim and Christian faithful buried in other nearby areas, these remains await the coming day of God’s reign.

Princess Basma Center

Situated in the Arab section of Jerusalem, this rehabilitation center named after the sister of King Hussein of Jordan, provides much needed services to the Arab population. Our guide was delightful Palestinian who had spent several years in Texas. We saw a caring staff working with children with Cystic Fybrosis and congenital hearing loss requiring a cochlear transplant and many other conditions. Like children most everywhere they loved posing for the cameras.

Garden of Gethsemane

The current garden has trees hundred of years old. The word gethsemane means olive press. But, in the Christian tradition it means much more. On the night Jesus was betrayed he prayed underneath olive trees like these while his disciples slept. Seeing these gnarled trees in this beautiful garden can’t help but make you wonder would I have been any more faithful?
Hunter Roddey reads the passage to the group.

Jordan River

At the southern end of the Sea of Galilee the Jordan River heads south toward Jericho. The traditional baptismal spot of John the Baptist is used now as a baptismal site for thousands of pilgrims who want to be baptized in the Jordan River.

St. Peter’s Fish and Galilee Boat Ride

Lunch was at Ein Gev, a kibbutz on the eastern shore of the sea of Galilee. We ate St. Peter’s fish (talipia fish deep-fried whole, head and all). Enjoying our meal in this beautiful seaside setting we watched two Israeli military helicopters fly by. Boarding the Corazen we road out into the middle of the sea where we experienced how a little wind was able to kick up whitecaps and waves. When we stopped in the middle we read the text from Matthew’s Gospel of Jesus’ walking on the water and Peter’s attempt to do likewise. As we finished the reading we realized that, at that exact time, our church family and friends in Charlotte were likely listening to a scripture reading in their worship.

St. Peter’s Heart

At the Church of St. Peter of the Primacy you can see the natural harbor next the to the hot springs of Migdal (where Mary Magdala was from). The site is in honor of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance to Peter where three times Jesus asked, “do you love me?” Peter’s three “yes” answers balance the three times he denied Jesus. Set in the ground are six stone hearts representing the three pairs of denials/affirmations.

The Mount of Beatitudes

A natural amphitheater above the sea shore is the traditional site of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. A chapel sits at the top of the hill and provides spectacular views of the site and the Sea of Galilee.

Meeting the Galilee Boat Conservator

Another serendipity unfolded for us as one of our group asked a question about how the boat was dated. The staff person left to get the answer and brought back Dr. Orna Cohen, one of the members of the original excavation team and the person responsible for its conservation. She filled us in on the technical details and assured us that it would have been used sometime between 40 B.C.E. and 40 C.E. Dr. Cohen, who works and lives in Jerusalem, only comes here once a month. We were most fortunate to hear her story and her excitement about this important find.

The Galilee Boat

Today we started our travels by visiting the site of the Galilee Boat. Discovered in 1986, the excavation and preservation of this 1^st Century boat is a story in itself. Buried in the mud for two thousand years, the boat, which held thirteen, shows evidence of being patched and repaired many times. That Jesus spent so much of his ministry around this sea make you wonder whether he might have ridden in this one or just seen it in his travels. But, holds thirteen… Hmmmmm!

Moonlight Over the Sea of Galilee

As this Jewish Sabbath day ends and the sun sets in the west, a brilliant harvest moon rises over the Golan Heights in the east to illuminate the still waters of the Galilean Sea. Did this same moon light the way for Jesus and his followers as they made their way from Tiberius to Capernaum? The scientist says “not exactly.” The poet says, “of course!” This writer says, “listen to the poet!”

The Road to Damascus

From the spectacular heights of this volcanic peak, the road to Damascus that the Apostle Paul was traveling on, recedes in the distance into Syria.

Attack by Rustic Beast Thwarted!

Dr. Bo Roddey came to the group’s rescue today when he fought off the advances of a strange metallic, bug-like creature. Armed with a bag of antibiotics and his trusty walking seat/stick, he courageously confronted the beast and, after discovering the creature’s theological framework, immediately engaged it in a discussion of pre and post-critical naiveté which discomforted the beast so much that it is now in hiding as a coat rack in the entrance area to Nimrod’s Fortress.

Lunch in the Golan Heights

Many of the group are discovering a real enjoyment of a middle eastern diet. Lunch was a choice of falafels or lebonee (sp?). Falafels are deep- fried balls of mashed chick peas served on pita bread with Mediterranean salad as a topping. Lebonee? are made with a very thin bread folded around a thin cream cheese spread and a mixture of olive oil and sesame seeds. Even the carnivores were thinking vegetarian! Well… perhaps not all.

The Falls of Banais

This magnificent waterfall was created by the waters of the Hermon Stream which also is one of the headwaters of the Jordan River.

Tel Dan

From Bar’am we traveled along the Lebonese border to Tel Dan Nature Reserve. (A Tel is a hill made up of the layers of the remains of successive civilizations—an archeological treasure trove.) There the River Dan flows from the base of Mt. Hermon to become one of the tributaries of the River Jordan. The remnants of the Israelite Gate from the time of Solomon are still visible.

Bar’am’s Maronite Christians

We had traveled to Bar’am in large part because this is the birthplace of Bishop Elias Chacour. His tragic story of the 1948 destruction of Bar’am is featured in his book Blood Brothers. We were surprised (again a serendipity) when we came upon what looked like a family reunion at the Maronite Chapel of Bar’am. Thinking we were interrupting a family affair we began to leave. Then our guide came up and greeted a group of men roasting a wild boar on an open fire. They started to taunt him with shouts and then a rousing song. It was clear that this was inter-family teasing. We later found out that our guide’s aunt was born in Bar’am and that he was related to this family. They greeted us warmly and invited the 19 of us into their festivities. One of the men (speaking to Bruce McIntyre in the photo) was the nephew of Father Chacour. This was one of many family outings to this place so that the younger generations would know of their family story.
They told us in 1951, after the State of Israel was established, the village of Bar’am was destroyed (the ruins are still visible) and the residents told to evacuate for two weeks. They have never been able to return. So several times a year they gather family and friends, sleep in the church, cook shared meals, and work on rebuilding what they are allowed to rebuild — the church and adjacent small school.

Bar’am

Our bus took us north almost to the border with Lebanon to visit the town of Ba’ram. An Israeli national park features the ruins of two ancient structures thought to be examples of early Galilean synagogues from the fourth-fifth centuries even though they resemble Roman structures from the third century.

Sea of Galilee / Tiberius

Awakening today to yet another beautiful day (mid-70s, sunny) we were greeted by glorious views of this ancient sea.
[from Wikipedia] The Sea of Galilee is Israel's largest freshwater lake, approximately 53 kilometers (33 miles) in circumference, about 21 km (13 miles) long, and 13 km (8 miles) wide; it has a maximum depth of approximately 48 meters. At 213 meters below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake in the world after the Dead Sea.
Israel's National Water Carrier, built in 1964, transports water from the lake to the population centers of Israel, and is the source of most of the country's drinking water. Israel also supplies water from the lake to the West Bank and to Jordan (under the terms of the Israel-Jordan Treaty.

Nazareth Village

A young shepherd tends the sheep.

A recreation of a Synagogue that served both as a religious and civic gathering place shows the simplicity of life then.

It was not hard to imagine actually being there as local actors brought to life the characters of the stories Jesus told and were told about him.

Consecration and welcome

We were privileged to witness Bishop Chacour consecrating a new Deacon of the Church.

Many youth, both gregarious and wanting to practice their English, welcomed us to the school.

Bishop Elias Chacour

We were delighted and surprised to find that Bishop Chacour, who we thought we would not see, arrived shortly after our arrival. He was here to consecrate a new deacon in his role as spiritual leader for over 100,000 Christians in Israel and Palestine. He was pleased to announce that word had recently been received that the college had, after years of waiting, been granted certification by the State of Israel.