Today marks the end of our Holy Land tour. About half our number is continuing on for a three-day extension to visit Petra, in Jordan. In some ways, this has been a long trip, and in other ways, it has passed in the blink of an eye. It feels like our first day in Jerusalem, visiting the Western Wall, was a lifetime ago. It also feels, as we leave Israel, that we just got here. It is a beautiful and multi-faceted country, full of history and complexity, to be sure.
That complexity is one of the standouts for me, but I’ll come back to that. I want to start today with a story from my time in seminary, an event that was in my mind as I prepared for this trip and has returned to my thoughts over and over again. One of my favorite professors at Sewanee was a great storyteller and preacher. Many of us took as many of his Greek and Pastoral Care electives as we could, in the hopes that we might absorb just a bit of his wisdom.
One day, as we were translating Luke’s story about the resurrection, he slipped into storytelling mode. He explained his own travel to the Holy Land and how eager he was to visit the traditional site of Jesus’ tomb within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem. As often happens, the line into the inner chapel was very long, which builds the anticipation even more. As you go into the shrine/chapel, there is an initial chamber accessible by stooping low through the doorway. It is lit by a series of candle lanterns and contains some statues and other art. The inner part of the chapel can hold about four persons, accessible through and even lower doorway. There is a small altar with an icon of Jesus, again, lit by candles.
Like my own experience, he told us how powerful it was to be in that place, even if it’s not “exactly” where the tomb was. It’s hard to tell after all. Like most things in Jerusalem, the parts you see are often built over top of the actual location, rock, etc. The tomb itself is a good two meters lower than the part you get to visit. At any rate, as he shared with us, as you leave the tomb shrine, carved in the stone lintel of the door are the words (in Greek) of the angel in Luke’s Gospel: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here; he has been raised.” My professor’s point was to remind us that his (and therefore perhaps our) pursuit of such holy sites is interesting, but not what Jesus has in mind for us. Following Jesus is not about living in the past or venerating history beyond its due. Instead we are to seek the living Christ out in the world where he is at work without ceasing.
We met with a number of persons on this trip who spoke to us about present-day issues that the Holy Land faces. Several of them thanked us for not coming to Israel only to see the dead stones of history, but also to see the living stones still here in the holiest city on earth. While living stones is often a term applied to Christians in Jerusalem, specifically Palestinian Christians, who are directly descended from the first Christians, at least two of our speakers applied it to living people of the Abrahamic faiths in this place. Much of our trip allowed us to see and learn about the history of this place from the perspective of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and included present-day struggles.
I have learned a great deal about the vision and spirit of the Nation of Israel, and I have also had to confront the reality of the struggle that Israel’s creation has caused to those who were already living in this land. As you probably know from a lifetime of wars involving Israel and so many headlines about Israeli, Arab, and Palestinian conflicts, it’s not a problem with an obvious solution. As we heard from speaker after speaker: “It’s complicated”.
Despite the many complications, however, I am leaving Israel with hope for a peaceful and just future, for all those living in the historic land we also know as Palestine. There are many, many people working and praying for peace, making sure that hope is not extinguished by hatred, and choosing to love where others want to give up and fight. I look forward to sharing more details with you in time, but for now, I ask you to pray for the Peace of Jerusalem that has been so elusive for so long. There is too much at stake if peace does not come. It’s not just the stones we visit and take photos of, to say we “went there, saw that.” More important for us are the living stones who are torn by violence and hobbled by hatred. This is where the risen Lord is to be found - where he’s always been: working for hope, peace, and love. We should expect and work for nothing less.
Tom+
Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace. Give to us and the people of all the nations a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that all of your people may use their liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.