Dear Friends in Christ -
Layers and layers of history, layers and layers of Mystery. This is what we have encountered in the ten days we've been on pilgrimage in Israel. Each day has been so full - the wake-up call comes at 6:00 a.m. and we finish with our final activity around 9:00 p.m. - that I have not been able to fully pull my thoughts together in order to write.
The vertical layers we've been encountering are in people of the present. Jews and Muslims and Christians, Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Israelis, and people from all over the world (Australian, Japanese, British) who have come here to work and to pray. Peace is on everyone's mind and lips, and in spite of the stories of oppression and struggle (the Israelis on both sides have many such stories) there is hope flitting about like the swifts winging overhead as we prayed at the Western Wall.
The horizontal layers we've been encountering are about people of the past. These layers are literally written in stone, civilization upon civilization. We've walked on stone roads built 4000 years ago, 2000 years ago, 1000 years ago, 500 years ago, 100 years ago and 4 years ago. We've learned about people who thrived and people who have struggled to survive - and learned many times over that no civilization lasts forever.
But devotion does last. Devotion to God, to community, to beauty. These commitments have left lasting changes in the very landscape. These commitments are the ones that press into Mystery - and lead to peace.
This thought about devotion is the beginning point for a discussion of so much of what I've experienced here. And I'll enjoy connecting this thought with stories about specific experiences I've had here in Israel (and Jordan, where we went a few days ago to see Petra).
But I'll miss the bus if I don't get to breakfast, so for now I'll just have to say . . .
Shalom!
Blessings,
Janet+
Monday, June 4, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Memorial Day in Israel
Dear Friends in Christ -
Today is our third day in Israel. Saturday, we landed in Tel Aviv at around 2:00 in the afternoon, and then ended our day with a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Tiberias, to a hotel overlooking the Sea of Galilee. When we got to the hotel, my Israeli friend of 31 years, Tamar, had already left a phone message welcoming me to her country. Though I was thoroughly exhausted by the nearly 24 hours of travel time from home to hotel, I felt a thrill running through me: finally I had arrived in the country of my friend, whom I had promised to visit all those years ago!
Sunday (yesterday) was a holiday: Pentecost. Things all around the country were slowed down for the celebration, a day of getting together with family and friends for Jews and a day of special worship for Christian. But we Americans were busy, busy, busy with the first day of our pilgrimage. Whoever planned this trip wanted to make sure we got our money's worth! On the first day alone, we visited five places: Caesarea by the Sea (where Pilate had a home and where Paul was taken at the end of his life), Mount Carmel (where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal), Megiddo (an ancient tel at the edge of the Armageddon Valley), Mt. Precipice (where Jesus was said to have eluded his pursuers) and Nazareth (where Jesus' family made their home). For me, this day was a dazzling, overwhelming cacophony of sights and sounds, words and landscapes, history and Scripture, culture and politics. It was like starting to learn a language by full immersion!
Today, (Monday) is Memorial Day back at home. I was especially aware of the holiday for two reasons. First, because my kids are off from school, and I missed being with them. And second, because Memorial Day is about remembering those who have given their lives in times of war. While I was praying for our veterans and their families, I realized that if I were to name a theme for today's travels, I would say "war." At Hatzoh, we saw the city Joshua conquered and burned to the ground in a fire so hot that it cracked the bricks of the buildings and left a residue of black ash over the ruins. At Dan, we saw the place where David ran away from vengeful Saul, where Jeroboam tried to gain support by building a forbidden altar after his war with Rehoboam, where Abraham fought with the Canaanites after his brother Lot was taken hostage, and where notorious King Ahab built a city to fortify his power in the region. (In this and every place we've visited, it seems like the layers of history are slathered on top of each other like a seven-layer cake!) After relaxing near the waters of Banyas Falls (no religious significance, just the largest falls in Israel) and seeing the temples to foreign gods at Caesarea Philippi (the region where Jesus had the "who do you say that I am?" discussion with his disciples), we visited a fortress created by the Crusaders in the 13th century and the Valley of Tears where the War of 1973 started between Israel and the Syrians. Wow. I was really struck with the amount of violence in the Bible and in this Biblical land. Where will it end? When will it end? What does it mean that Jesus is the Prince of Peace?
Thus far, this pilgrimage is stirring more questions than answers. But I trust that the steps along this wandering Way will begin to take on a rhythm which will carry me deeper into God's heart.
Blessings,
Janet+
PS - On a mundane level, the accommodations at the Scots Hotel are marvelous, and the food is Ahhhhh-MAZING!
Today is our third day in Israel. Saturday, we landed in Tel Aviv at around 2:00 in the afternoon, and then ended our day with a 2 1/2 hour bus ride to Tiberias, to a hotel overlooking the Sea of Galilee. When we got to the hotel, my Israeli friend of 31 years, Tamar, had already left a phone message welcoming me to her country. Though I was thoroughly exhausted by the nearly 24 hours of travel time from home to hotel, I felt a thrill running through me: finally I had arrived in the country of my friend, whom I had promised to visit all those years ago!
Sunday (yesterday) was a holiday: Pentecost. Things all around the country were slowed down for the celebration, a day of getting together with family and friends for Jews and a day of special worship for Christian. But we Americans were busy, busy, busy with the first day of our pilgrimage. Whoever planned this trip wanted to make sure we got our money's worth! On the first day alone, we visited five places: Caesarea by the Sea (where Pilate had a home and where Paul was taken at the end of his life), Mount Carmel (where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal), Megiddo (an ancient tel at the edge of the Armageddon Valley), Mt. Precipice (where Jesus was said to have eluded his pursuers) and Nazareth (where Jesus' family made their home). For me, this day was a dazzling, overwhelming cacophony of sights and sounds, words and landscapes, history and Scripture, culture and politics. It was like starting to learn a language by full immersion!
Today, (Monday) is Memorial Day back at home. I was especially aware of the holiday for two reasons. First, because my kids are off from school, and I missed being with them. And second, because Memorial Day is about remembering those who have given their lives in times of war. While I was praying for our veterans and their families, I realized that if I were to name a theme for today's travels, I would say "war." At Hatzoh, we saw the city Joshua conquered and burned to the ground in a fire so hot that it cracked the bricks of the buildings and left a residue of black ash over the ruins. At Dan, we saw the place where David ran away from vengeful Saul, where Jeroboam tried to gain support by building a forbidden altar after his war with Rehoboam, where Abraham fought with the Canaanites after his brother Lot was taken hostage, and where notorious King Ahab built a city to fortify his power in the region. (In this and every place we've visited, it seems like the layers of history are slathered on top of each other like a seven-layer cake!) After relaxing near the waters of Banyas Falls (no religious significance, just the largest falls in Israel) and seeing the temples to foreign gods at Caesarea Philippi (the region where Jesus had the "who do you say that I am?" discussion with his disciples), we visited a fortress created by the Crusaders in the 13th century and the Valley of Tears where the War of 1973 started between Israel and the Syrians. Wow. I was really struck with the amount of violence in the Bible and in this Biblical land. Where will it end? When will it end? What does it mean that Jesus is the Prince of Peace?
Thus far, this pilgrimage is stirring more questions than answers. But I trust that the steps along this wandering Way will begin to take on a rhythm which will carry me deeper into God's heart.
Blessings,
Janet+
PS - On a mundane level, the accommodations at the Scots Hotel are marvelous, and the food is Ahhhhh-MAZING!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Testing, testing . . . 1, 2, 3 . . .
Dear Friends in Christ -
Are you still out there??? It's been a while since I last posted here.
When I came back to the blog today to set up my next series of posts, I noticed that my last post was on March 9th. That's about the time my husband was interviewing for a couple of jobs. As most of you know, that process resulted in his accepting a job in Fort Worth, Texas!
So now, my family and I are facing a topsy-turvy summer of moving - and travel. Plans were already in place for my sabbatical at St. Paul's. (I was planning for the next five years here!!) Soo . . . we're still making trips to Israel and Kenya . . .
Tomorrow, Ed and I will leave for a pilgrimage to Israel. I do so long to share some of my reflections with you along the way. So as WiFi allows, you'll be hearing from me!
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
Friday, March 9, 2012
An important prayer for Lent . . .
. . . that's too long for my Twitter prayer posts. May it touch your heart as it does mine.
Blessings,
Janet+
A Lenten Prayer by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Disturb us, O Lord, when we are too well-pleased with ourselves when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, O Lord, when, with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life; when, having fallen in love with time, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.
Stir us, O Lord to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas where storms show Thy mastery, where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes and invited the brave to follow. Amen.
Blessings,
Janet+
A Lenten Prayer by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Disturb us, O Lord, when we are too well-pleased with ourselves when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, O Lord, when, with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life; when, having fallen in love with time, we have ceased to dream of eternity; and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.
Stir us, O Lord to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas where storms show Thy mastery, where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes and invited the brave to follow. Amen.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Why????
Dear Friends in Christ -
During these weeks of Lent, our sermon series on Sunday mornings is "The Courage to Question," based on the real questions of folks in our congregation.
So here's my question: Why?
Why is it that I've tried to post here four times this week. And four times the *!?%!* computer has locked me out, lost my stuff, let me down. Why????? I'm trying to do a good thing, right?
And now that I think about it, this isn't the only thing that makes me want to ask the question "why?" There are much much bigger, more important things that make me want to ask that question, too. Why doesn't someone (God?) do something to help the thousands dying in Syria? Why does the American political scene seem completely devoid of moderation and compromise? Why . . . ???
The traditional answers - "God gave us free will and we blew it" or "God does great things in the midst of all this and we should focus on that" - leave me a bit cold.
Hmmmm . . . truth is, I'm realizing that any response based on thinking or theory won't salve my heart. These "why" questions are really cries of heartbreak that no logical answer - even if it's "right" - can soothe. A wise leader said to me this week: Rational solutions will not resolve problems created by irrationality.
And here's another thing: since our good, loving God is incapable of "making" evil, then we have to ask ourselves, 'how can God answer our "why?" questions if he didn't do it?'
And yet, God is active in our lives. Joseph knew this. When his brothers were jealous of him and dumped him in a well and sold him into slavery, I'm sure Joseph asked himself and his brothers and God, "why?" But there's no evidence that God ever answered directly. In the end, though, Joseph comes to the conclusion that God has been active in his tumultuous life, and he says to his brothers, "You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good." (Genesis 50:20)
In this season of Lent, may we - like Joseph - have a sense of God's active presence in our lives, even in the midst of unanswered questions and unexplainable situations.
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
During these weeks of Lent, our sermon series on Sunday mornings is "The Courage to Question," based on the real questions of folks in our congregation.
So here's my question: Why?
Why is it that I've tried to post here four times this week. And four times the *!?%!* computer has locked me out, lost my stuff, let me down. Why????? I'm trying to do a good thing, right?
And now that I think about it, this isn't the only thing that makes me want to ask the question "why?" There are much much bigger, more important things that make me want to ask that question, too. Why doesn't someone (God?) do something to help the thousands dying in Syria? Why does the American political scene seem completely devoid of moderation and compromise? Why . . . ???
The traditional answers - "God gave us free will and we blew it" or "God does great things in the midst of all this and we should focus on that" - leave me a bit cold.
Hmmmm . . . truth is, I'm realizing that any response based on thinking or theory won't salve my heart. These "why" questions are really cries of heartbreak that no logical answer - even if it's "right" - can soothe. A wise leader said to me this week: Rational solutions will not resolve problems created by irrationality.
And here's another thing: since our good, loving God is incapable of "making" evil, then we have to ask ourselves, 'how can God answer our "why?" questions if he didn't do it?'
And yet, God is active in our lives. Joseph knew this. When his brothers were jealous of him and dumped him in a well and sold him into slavery, I'm sure Joseph asked himself and his brothers and God, "why?" But there's no evidence that God ever answered directly. In the end, though, Joseph comes to the conclusion that God has been active in his tumultuous life, and he says to his brothers, "You intended it for evil, but God intended it for good." (Genesis 50:20)
In this season of Lent, may we - like Joseph - have a sense of God's active presence in our lives, even in the midst of unanswered questions and unexplainable situations.
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
Friday, February 24, 2012
Really?! God, you sure do expect a lot from us . . .
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone; the Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:4-7
Dear Friends in Christ -
On the one hand, I think this is one of the most beautiful invitation/promise packages in the Bible. On the other hand, I think that if God expects ME to do this, He expects too much. Rejoice, be gentle, don't worry, tell God your requests . . . wow. That's a lot.
As I was sharing with God my sense of being overwhelmed by all this, God responded, "Just do the first thing, and then get back to me."
OK . . . so that would be "Rejoice." That's the first step. Even in the midst of my everything and whatever. OK. Rejoice. So this is me, giving rejoicing a little try:
I'm rejoicing in the midst of the cold grey slush (which makes this really cool sqwuishing sound when cars drive through it on the street).
I'm rejoicing in the midst of lack-of-caffeine-no-coffee-in-the-house doldrums (thank God I have both the money and the time to pick up a pound of coffee on the way home from school pick-ups).
I'm rejoicing in the midst of the two-foot-deep clutter in several rooms of my house (I can deploy my energetic kids to help me pick it up!).
I'm rejoicing with my friend in the midst of her desperate illness (whenever I call to cheer her up, she ends up cheering me up because she refuses to listen to my whining and makes me tell about 'the good things').
Don't look now, but this may be working. Too well, in fact. Tomorrow I might have to work on the next step!
Faithfully muddling through Lent on this slushy day,
Janet+
Dear Friends in Christ -
On the one hand, I think this is one of the most beautiful invitation/promise packages in the Bible. On the other hand, I think that if God expects ME to do this, He expects too much. Rejoice, be gentle, don't worry, tell God your requests . . . wow. That's a lot.
As I was sharing with God my sense of being overwhelmed by all this, God responded, "Just do the first thing, and then get back to me."
OK . . . so that would be "Rejoice." That's the first step. Even in the midst of my everything and whatever. OK. Rejoice. So this is me, giving rejoicing a little try:
I'm rejoicing in the midst of the cold grey slush (which makes this really cool sqwuishing sound when cars drive through it on the street).
I'm rejoicing in the midst of lack-of-caffeine-no-coffee-in-the-house doldrums (thank God I have both the money and the time to pick up a pound of coffee on the way home from school pick-ups).
I'm rejoicing in the midst of the two-foot-deep clutter in several rooms of my house (I can deploy my energetic kids to help me pick it up!).
I'm rejoicing with my friend in the midst of her desperate illness (whenever I call to cheer her up, she ends up cheering me up because she refuses to listen to my whining and makes me tell about 'the good things').
Don't look now, but this may be working. Too well, in fact. Tomorrow I might have to work on the next step!
Faithfully muddling through Lent on this slushy day,
Janet+
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Revival?!
"O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known." - Habbakuk 3:2
Dear Friends in Christ -
What do the years 1727, 1792, 1830, 1857, 1882, 1904, 1906, 1930 and 1972 have in common? They're dates of past Christian revivals in the US. Notice anything missing? A recent date!
Especially in the midst of this era of crude politics and tough economics, God is on the move. Where will He break through next? How will His glory be revealed?
Our individual ways of being faithful in Lent open the eyes of our hearts to see God at work. Our united ways of being faithful in Lent open space in our midst, inviting God to do something amazing among us. Revival? Yes, we pray, "in our time, make it known"!
With you in faithfulness,
Janet+
Dear Friends in Christ -
What do the years 1727, 1792, 1830, 1857, 1882, 1904, 1906, 1930 and 1972 have in common? They're dates of past Christian revivals in the US. Notice anything missing? A recent date!
Especially in the midst of this era of crude politics and tough economics, God is on the move. Where will He break through next? How will His glory be revealed?
Our individual ways of being faithful in Lent open the eyes of our hearts to see God at work. Our united ways of being faithful in Lent open space in our midst, inviting God to do something amazing among us. Revival? Yes, we pray, "in our time, make it known"!
With you in faithfulness,
Janet+
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