Musings

After having a bit of time to rest, and process some of what has transpired over the last 4 weeks, I thought I’d share some of my musings…

When you think about going to Israel, you may expect to have a spiritual experience as you see the places where Jesus lived, ministered, died, rose, and ascended. Indeed, I’m sure many people do have spiritual experiences. However, what would you do if you arrive at the site, full of expectation, and feel very little if anything at all? Do you close your eyes and try harder? Many of the sites are not at all what you would expect. Christians throughout the ages have built churches on top of many of the important sites, decorating and venerating until one can hardly imagine what it could have been like 2,000 years ago.

I did go to Israel, and I did have a spiritual experience, an amazing experience that defies my attempts to record it or describe it (for this reason, I am so thankful Diedra was able to come along)! The Land, the archeology, the sites do tell the story. They silently witness through the ages that the Bible is indeed true, and that the stories it contains are historical accounts of real things that happened to real people in real places. Standing in the same geography is HUGELY important and helpful. You can read the stories “in color.” Obscure names like Negev, Shephelah, and Hazor now leap off the page. Particularly meaningful to me was the Mount of Olives from where we had an amazing view of the East side of Jerusalem (perhaps a similar view to what Jesus saw when he wept for the city). Here, I was struck with the awesome nature of our future hope. Jesus will return again, this time as the Conquering King!

As profound as these silent witnesses are to the veracity of the Scriptures, I must say that I was more compelled, and more moved by the living witnesses I encountered. Our group was extremely diverse, a fascinating mixture of interesting, even eccentric personalities. As diverse as we were, we were incredibly united together through the bond of Christ. We read an immense amount of Scripture together, we laughed, we cried, we talked, we sang together. Christ is alive today, and the Spirit indwelling believers who causes us to love one another is the most powerful witness on earth. You can go to Israel, and learn a ton, but the face of God is more clearly seen reflected in the lives of believers. For some reason, God in his infinite grace has allowed Diedra and me the profound privilege of experiencing both. Thank you, Lord.