Our Day 8 adventure was exploring Jerusalem, The Old City. Fred and I can see the city walls from the balcony of the King Solomon Hotel. Today, we finally enter those walls! Yesterday we were blessed with sunshine; today we are blessed with wind and rain. Our chipper crowd provided the sunshine either from good cheer or a merry traveler daze. "Cool and fresh" is now our funny and scholarly guide, Hani describes the day. Hani is the sort who not only makes lemonade out of lemons,, he creates the entire orchard! On the bus ride to the Old City, LuAnn led a centering prayer. We passed by the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the Old City Walls and the Valley of the Shadow of Death, which today is a park. Next was Potter's Field, the scene of Judas' suicide after his betrayal of Jesus. Finally is The City of David, a source of much conflict between Palestine and Israel. Arriving at the Old City, we are told Bibles must remain on the bus. Our whisper headsets and umbrellas accompany us.
Two miracles occur, and it's not yet 9am.... the sun comes out and there is NO LINE to The Temple Mount, the main Muslim area! Today the Dome of the Rock sits atop the Temple Mount where the pure gold dome glistens magnificently in the sky. The structure is made up of mosaics of blue, green, yellow and white tiles - what an edifice!
Because we Christians are "infidels" here, we cannot enter the mosque. The beautiful blue tiles were brought from Persia' marble stones adorn the exterior. Lead was used as the "super glue" to hold the stones together, From the Temple Mount, we can view the Mount of Olives, one of our wonders visited yesterday. Before descending the Temple Mount, we see the Gate of Mercy, the Beautiful Gate through which Jesus entered Jerusalem.
Next stop, the Pool of Bethesda, is reknown for healing properties. Hani explains about the tradition of giving sacrifices, the great blood involved. And, what would be the best way to remove blood? Water, of course, the Gihon Spring. There are two pools; the Northern Pool and the Southern Pool. Rans Douglas provided context for his scripture reading of John 5:1-9. The story says the first person to enter the pool would be healed. LuAnn reminded us that one of the stores we continue to hear is that of Jesus the Healer, and she led us in a prayer of healing for ourselves and others. Concluding our visit was a group sing of "Alleluia."
In 1040 the Church of St. Anne's was built. As we entered the church, a group was singing "How Great Thou Art." The beautiful echo filled the church as we raised our voices again in "Alleluia." The marble altar was dressed in purple with lovely white orchid bearing 13 large blooms and 4 buds. then, another miracle -- we met a French priest who ministers in Africa. He explained this was a Romanesque church on one side and the beginning of a Gothic structure on another side. He blesses us!
A mournful and solemn journey, the Via Dolorosa, known as The Way of the Cross, contains Jesus' walk though the 14 Stations of the Cross:
Station One: Jesus is condemned to death. Wilson Hayman read John 18:28-19:16a, which tells of Jesus' arrest and trial by Pontius Pilate. Jesus is handed over to be crucified. With a voice like an angel, Alice Kunka performed the sorrowful "Via Dolorosa" in English and Spanish - so fitting for this occasion.
The Second Station: The Chapel of Condemnation, is where Jesus received his cross, was scourged and bound. He was given a crown of thorns.
The Third Station: Jesus falls down the first time under the weight of the cross.
The Fourth Station: Jesus meets his mother, Mary.
The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His cross.
The Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
The Seventh Station: Jesus falls for the second time.
The Eighth Station: Jesus consoles the crying women of Jerusalem.
The Ninth Station: Jesus falls for the third dime.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains the last five stations of the cross.
The Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of His garments.
The Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross.
The Twelfth Station: Crucifixion and Death. This station represents the place where the cross was erected and Jesus died. Under the altar is a silver dish marking the exact location of Calvary. Kneeling and reaching our arm down, down,, we can touch this place, like touching the bottom of despair and death.
The Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross. Mary, who had not earlier had time to prepare His body fully, enfolds His body in her arms. Then, the body of Jesus was laid on the Stone of Anointment and anointed with myrrh and oil.
The Fourteenth Station: The Garden Tomb. In 1883, General George Gordon makes and amazing discovery -- the Garden Tomb, a tomb thought to resemble that of Joseph of Arimathea who provided a tomb for the body of our Lord! This Via Dolorosa, a place of profound sorrow, is today a maze of vendors, passageways and aromas.
Lunch - FINALLY! Our group of weary pilgrims is so happy to rest our once happy feet and relax. What an morning. Most of us enjoyed an ethnic lunch of burgers and pizza. Some of us met Father Bruce and Father David, two rabbis from New York. Father David hopes to retire to Myrtle Beach -- perhaps there really is no accounting for taste!
Our afternoon featured visits to the Wailing Wall and The Teaching Steps. Located just inside the Dung Gate, this section of the wall is very sacred to Jews because Herod the Great constructed this wall to encircle the Temple area and is closest remaining section to where they thought the Holy of Holies was. We
stopped to offer our individual prayers at the wall, men on the left side and women on the right side. Crevices in the wall are filled with messages from worldwide pilgrims.
Our last stop, the Teaching Steps, are an outdoor classroom. Just imagine, here, Jesus, Peter and others preached to crowds. We were standing on the very steps where Jesus and others actually taught their followers and disciples, another miracle!
Our bus ride to our hotel home was blessed with a devotional led by George Fleming. George aptly summed up our trip, "a journey way beyond our expectations and excavations." As we view the lovely vistas, we have discovered many of the best views are on ceilings and in the skyline. Lesson learned, look up, always look up.
Shalom,
Lynne Misenheimer
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