In January a group from Diocese of Norwich are travelling to the Holy Land, led by Right Reverend Graham James, Bishop of Norwich.
The chance of a lifetime for many and a journey all who want to walk in the places where Jesus walked.
We visit many of the sacred sites but as Bishop Graham said,” We will see them in the context of the present day reality of life in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
We will also go to St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Ramallah for their Sunday worship and to learn something of the experience of Palestinian Anglicans today. Visits to such bodies as the Holy Land Trust and B’Tselem, the Israeli justice and peace group, are not on usual pilgrimage itineraries but will give a significant insight into life in the Holy Land today.”
Follow us on this blog, Facebook and Twitter, as we journey to the Holy Land, touching the life of Jesus and experiencing the life of Palestinian’s today.
Undertaking a journey of Faith…
About this journey?
These web pages are part of the Faith Goes
Walkaboutfamily of web sites. Designed, produced and
edited by the Reverend Sue Martin
of the
Norwich Diocese. Supporting the work of the Diocese and communities
of faith in the East of England.
Two days to go and thoughts were forming on all that we were about to see and experience.
So far books have helped to become more familiar with the places and the time-scales of Jesus ministry.
All of which are well recorded and I have enjoyed further reading to help form a visual picture of those travels.
If this is your first journey to the Holy Land, then there may be confusions around the images in your mind and the reality of the place in 2014.
But, as a Roman Catholic priest said,
” Even if there are many places telling you that Jesus walked here and making claims for his presence in that place, there is one thing that you must do. That is to see the dawn appear over the Sea of Galilee, as it comes up between the dark hills and that first shaft of light hits the water, then you know that Jesus would have seen that same shaft of light so many years ago.”
Revd Sue Martin
Undertaking a journey of Faith…
About this journey?
These web pages are part of the Faith Goes
Walkaboutfamily of web sites. Designed, produced and
edited by the Reverend Sue Martin
of the
Norwich Diocese. Supporting the work of the Diocese and communities
of faith in the East of England.
Luton airport at 7.00am on a very dark and gloomy wet January morning saw the start of our journey and we were met by Bishop Graham, Julie, and James, Bishop’s Chaplain. So, after coffee and toast and some pilgrims eating bacon and eggs, we set off on Easy Jet to Tel Aviv.
Over the Alps, the sun was shining and the snow on the mountains was spectacular.
After four and a half hours flying we landed at Tel Aviv, at the end of the day, around 4.30pm Israel time.
Security and immigration were thorough and decided that James, Bishop’s Chaplain needed more questioning than the rest of us, but half an hour later we set off in the coach to Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee.
Undertaking a journey of Faith…
About this journey?
These web pages are part of the Faith Goes
Walkaboutfamily of web sites. Designed, produced and
edited by the Reverend Sue Martin
of the
Norwich Diocese. Supporting the work of the Diocese and communities
of faith in the East of England.
Our early morning calls at 6.00am, saw us rising before the dawn, but at least well in time for breakfast and then on to the coach for the start of our journey away from The Sea of Galilee and Tiberius.
The view as we left Tiberius was stunning and looking back you could see the harp shape of the Lake. The sun was now well risen at 8.00am above the hills to the west. I wondered if I would ever come back.
After an hour we arrived in Cana, and walked in the crocodile formation that for so often I had asked children to walk in. Actually it was quite hard to stay focused on walking in line and the cars which also used the pedestrian path, gave us warning sounds from behind.
The small church where the wedding took place was tucked away in the streets of Cana and we waited outside for a while.
Inside we saw the very large vessels which were the type of wine jugs where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning the water to wine. Mary, mother of Jesus, had asked Jesus to do something to help as the hosts had run out of wine. Jesus was at first unwilling, but then turned the full jugs of water into wine. If Jesus was about to be a ‘party goer’, this would be an invite forever!
It was planned that we should have Eucharist, here, but that was not to be as we were not able to use their vessels, a different type of Christian it seems.
We went back to the coach, heading onwards to where we may be able to celebrate the Eucharist.
Mount Tabor
By now the sun was shining and the day lay brilliantly open before us. Mount Tabor, a perfectly shaped mountain arose from the flat plain and looked magnificent in the distance.
We climbed up the hill in the coach, which Papa Abraham was driving with his usual care and speed to the parking spaces,where we continued to the summit in smaller vehicles, which took the 180 degree bends at alarming speeds.
We were able to buy a coffee as we waited and gazed across the plains, the sky remained blue with clouds gently rolling in the distance.
Once at the summit we could see for miles and we walked into the Church of the Transfiguration, which sat above the rocks where Jesus stood with Moses and Elijah.
This may be one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been into, I am running out of adjectives to describe the sense of awe and wonder!
The mosaic of the Transfiguration above and around the altar drew you in and, understanding what had happened on this very spot, made the closeness between heaven and earth seem almost touchable, but just not quite, or at least maybe not just yet…
We were able to celebrate the Eucharist here and to use the vessels too, there was a space for us outside, as we were a large group (I wondered if I had heard that before somewhere, something about five thousand?)
Underneath the bamboo covers Bishop Alan celebrated, and we shared a welcome Eucharist together. The sound of the wind whistled through the bamboo as it gathered quickly at times and was mixed with the gentle sound of rain as clouds had gathered briefly.
Bishop Alan talked to us about the divinity and humanity of Jesus in this place, the wisdom of his mother Mary to start his ministry, and how he shared this with his disciples, on Mount Tabor.
Descending Mount Tabor we journeyed on to Nazareth.
Nazareth
Nazareth in Galilee… could we actually be visiting this special place from the Bible, the place where Jesus grew up with Mary and Joseph. A place, held dear, in my mind. But what would it actually be like?
I was surprised how close it was to Mount Tabor and this must have been a favourite view for Jesus in his youth.
When we exited the coach and walked towards the centre, there was a very large notice from a Muslim group quoting the Koran and telling us that we were wrong. An indicator that the mix of religions in Nazareth was very evident.
We had some lunch of meat or falafel and pitta bread and a welcome stop before we went to many churches.
A little way up the street we came to the Church of the Anunciation, which was the site where Angel Gabriel met with Mary. A wonderful church and on the site also of the house where Mary spent her childhood.
We then walked to the Church of St Joseph and talked about the carpenter shop, walked on to the Synagogue church which was where Jesus came as a boy.
In complete contrast we visited the Eastern Greek Orthodox church which is built over a stream , from which you can take holy water.
As we left Nazareth and journeyed on to Bethlehem, it was a reminder of how far that first journey was for Mary and Joseph and a reminder for me of how different our next few days were going to be.
Undertaking a journey of Faith…
About this journey?
These web pages are part of the Faith Goes
Walkaboutfamily of web sites. Designed, produced and
edited by the Reverend Sue Martin
of the
Norwich Diocese. Supporting the work of the Diocese and communities
of faith in the East of England.
Bethlehem, the Holy Land Trust, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, the Western Wall, King David’s tomb and the Dormition of Our Lady, and the Latin Patriarchate Seminary in Beit Jala
Holy Land Trust
This is a non profit organisation for Palestinian Christians, and we listened to Sami Awad, the executive director. He explained the reasoning for the organisation, the aims and the reality of life in the Palestinian Territories in Bethlehem.
Although we had already seen the wall the previous night as we crossed the checkpoint into Bethlehem, it was an enormous shock to hear about people’s lives, everyday problems from living in an enclave, and deeper problems about non representation.
The Holy Land Vision is to achieve a lasting and just peace, and all details are to be found on their website; www.holylandtrust.org.
This blog is not the place to go further and there is little time to write all that I would like to about all that we heard in that hour.
A quote from Sami,” My grandmother on my father’s side was the greatest person in my life. She lost everything, her husband, her sons and family…’ but she said,” …as a family, we will not seek revenge, we will seek reconciliation.” And there the seed was planted.
We went to the Aida camp and Marwan gave a passionate description of life there, on the inner side of the wall. The photos give a clear picture of the scene. And as we stood and listened, a small girl came and brought bags of rubbish at the site near the wall. Perhaps the most poignant was the small boy, aged about three or four in his ‘wellies’, who just wandered in and out of the skips, looking for something to play with and then found some old planks with nails in.
Maybe I shall never forget the sight of the bullet holes in the upper storeys of the flat. The drawn curtains as they were considered to be too close to the wall and were not able to look over the other side.
On a section of the wall there were the names of lost children from the battle in July 2014, last yea. A stark reminder of the injustice that is happening. At times people cannot get through the checkpoint, they cannot find work so easily and …… maybe an article when I’m home will follow. It’s not easy to put in words the stark reality and mood in this place.
King David’s tomb
We traveled to Jerusalem on the coach, through the checkpoint and a mile along the road. We walked into the Jewish quarter to King David’s tomb. Women and men had separate entrances and this was our first venture into Jerusalem. For the women there was just a small room and an elaborate black velvet and gold cover over the ancient tomb.
The Western Wall
The walk through Jerusalem to the Western Wall, the remains of the temple, was intriguing, small and beautiful narrow streets with open squares.
But at every turn there were young soldiers, walking to the square. We learnt later that they were going to a ceremony that evening. Quite why they all needed a Kalashnikov was not for me to question?
At the wall, again we were segregated and I found women, faces to the wall, chanting and swaying in deep prayer. The men also were praying and wailing, and then dancing too.
The Upper Room
As Jerusalem had been largely destroyed the Upper Room as we saw it was on the site of the Upper Room where the Last Supper was held, and you did have a sense of the supper and the room for sanctuary and safety for the disciples after the crucifixion.
Dormition of Our Lady
Further on we came across the site where it is believed that Mary was found asleep and died. She had asked to be placed in the same town where her son died.
The Latin Patriarchate
This was an amazing end to an incredible day. Father Johnny explained how hard life was for the 2% of Christians that lived in Jerusalem. The hospitality in this place was very warm and deeply thoughtful. We were invited to Evening Prayer where Bishop Graham led us all in worship.
Undertaking a journey of Faith…
About this journey?
These web pages are part of the Faith Goes
Walkaboutfamily of web sites. Designed, produced and
edited by the Reverend Sue Martin
of the
Norwich Diocese. Supporting the work of the Diocese and communities
of faith in the East of England.
At the door of the hotel the bag-seller met me as I stepped out to see the glorious sunshine and feel the fresh air. And no, I didn’t want to buy a bag for any price really. I said to him that I just wanted to be out in the sunshine in Bethlehem.
And so started our conversation about Bethlehem! Mahmoud is a Palestinian Muslim,with perfect English. He had not been allowed to go to Jerusalem in 20 years, he was unable to find a job, this was his home and he pointed out on the skyline the buildings of the University, a church, and a mosque.
I said I would return tomorrow and carried on down the street, getting some fresh air and a chance to spend some time on my own before the start of the day.
The Via Delarosa
The day that lay open before us was going to be one to be cherished. Following in the footsteps of Jesus along the Via Delarosa and marking the Stations of the Cross.
Below is just a snap shot of this journey.
We entered through St Stephens Gate, visited to the Pools of Bethseda and the Church of the Paralytic, with a reading from John 5. This was the place where Jesus was taken from Caiaphas to the Praetorium.
We walked along the Via Delarosa and stopped at the Stations of the Cross, where Bishop Graham read a short passage from the Bible and followed with prayer.
We gathered at the final station of Golgotha,
‘It is finished, Father into your hands I commit my spirit.’ John 19:30
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
There is a complex history to this place and many Christians have different ways of marking this holy place. I did not wish to take photos inside the church as we visited the tomb, the anointing stone and the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
Lunch in the streets
A splendid lunch of pizza, or falafel and Shirwama, time for a little shopping and even a dessert of sweet pastries on mobile cart, or as we would call it now a ‘pop up shop’, beautiful.
Bishop Graham also joined in the street scene and with Anise, our guide had a welcome seat from the shopkeeper.
The Bishop tries his hand at selling…
The Garden of Gethsemane
Before arriving here we had tried to go to the Mount of Olives, but the police were not allowing this today.
In the garden, with the olive trees that could have been alive in the time of Jesus we stopped and dwelt there for a while and listened to the reading of Mark 14:32
We heard of the importance of the olives to Palestinians and the economic value of each tree of $ 200 per annum. In building the separation wall, 75,000 trees have been lost.
Dominus Flevit
Our final stop for the day and the Dean started her journey to Jerusalem on a camel, a remarkable picture and fortunately the camel owner gave her time to rejoin us going down the steps.
At Dominus Flevit we sat for a while in wonder at the sight of Jerusalem in front of us as the sun went down. It was a chance for us all to recap on the day and to think again of the journey of Christ as he made his way to Golgotha.
The end of a day, yet another one to remember in true vividness and to hold in your heart.
Undertaking a journey of Faith…
About this journey?
These web pages are part of the Faith Goes
Walkaboutfamily of web sites. Designed, produced and
edited by the Reverend Sue Martin
of the
Norwich Diocese. Supporting the work of the Diocese and communities
of faith in the East of England.
The sunshine was still with us and as we arrived at St George’s Cathedral, the warmth was very welcome. Inside the church, we all felt very much at home in the Anglican tradition and style in the cathedral.
The service sheets led with an introduction from The Right Reverend Suheil Dewani, Bishop of the Episcope and the Diocese of Jerusalem which covers many countries as well as the city.
“ All Christians must come here first as pilgrims – pilgrims here do not bring decisions with them. They come here to seek prayerfully the decisions God wants them to make. And God will always surprise us. God has not finished with our church or with us yet.
God the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth, and we who come here must be open to the Spirit’s healing and to God’s revelations.”
In the afternoon we had free time and I relished the thought of going into Manger Square. But before that I needed to see Mahmoud. He was sitting on the street with his son, Ahdouf, I did indeed buy some bags at a good price! But bargaining is not my speciality and this didn’t seem right.
Along with 2 other pilgrims, Mahmoud treated us to coffee and a talk about life in Bethlehem.
Our Pilgrimage Prayer…
God of our pilgrimage,You kept Abraham and Sarah in safety on their journey.You led the children of Israel through the midst of the sea, And by a star you led the Wise Men to the infant Jesus.Protect and guide us as we travel through your Holy Land, And follow the footsteps of your Son, Jesus Christ. Bring us into the presence of your Son, Who is the Way, the Truth and the LifeThat we may follow your paths of justice and peace, And find your everlasting joy.
Amen…
Undertaking a journey of Faith…
About this journey?
These web pages are part of the Faith Goes
Walkaboutfamily of web sites. Designed, produced and
edited by the Reverend Sue Martin
of the
Norwich Diocese. Supporting the work of the Diocese and communities
of faith in the East of England.
At the end of our journey, we gathered outside the Church of the Resurrection for a final picture. This is a peaceful place and the grounds of the Benedictine monastery has been there for about 1000 years.
Abu Gosh is Emmaus, the place where Jesus revealed himself to his disciples after he was resurrected.
We were at the end of our pilgrimage and this was a good place to leave the Holy Land.
At the start of our journey we gathered at the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus began his ministry, where he called his disciples.
We journeyed to and through Nazareth and Bethlehem, we stopped for several days in Jerusalem and experienced the sites of the crucifixion and the places where Jesus entered and walked in the old city of Jerusalem.
We did much more than just visit, but then is that not what a pilgrimage is all about…. a journey of discovery, a time for God to find us and to enable us, with guided and prayerful direction, as we journey back home and then onwards from there.
Our Pilgrimage Prayer…
God of our pilgrimage,You kept Abraham and Sarah in safety on their journey.You led the children of Israel through the midst of the sea, And by a star you led the Wise Men to the infant Jesus.Protect and guide us as we travel through your Holy Land, And follow the footsteps of your Son, Jesus Christ. Bring us into the presence of your Son, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life,that we may follow your paths of justice and peace, And find your everlasting joy.
Amen…
Rev’d Sue Martin
About this journey?
These web pages are part of the Faith Goes
Walkaboutfamily of web sites. Designed, produced and
edited by the Reverend Sue Martin
of the
Norwich Diocese. Supporting the work of the Diocese and communities
of faith in the East of England.
