POTD 6-3-23

[Pompeii]

Israel Tour

Three years of anticipation and frustration came to spectacular conclusion for 22 pilgrims from Christ Lutheran Church, DuBois, when they completed a visit to the Holy Land of Israel in May.
Cancelled in 2020 and 2021 by the COVID pandemic, the pilgrimage, led by Pastors John Miller and Amy Godshall-Miller of Christ Lutheran, finally achieved its goal. The ten-day trip took the participants to numerous Biblical sites where Jesus walked; along with many archeological sites in an area of the world where civilizations date back at least 11,000 years.

Traveling from DuBois to Newark, New Jersey, the group next took a non-stop 10½ hour flight to Tel Aviv in Israel. There they met with their tour leader, Matt Churchill, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, and a twenty-year resident of Israel, who proved to be a passionate and knowledgeable guide to the Biblical accounts, history, culture, and customs of his adopted homeland.

Like pilgrims for centuries before the trip centered on the life of Jesus, although it could not be followed in chronological order while the tour went from the Sea of Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, with a culmination of four days in Jerusalem. Churches mark many of the locations where Jesus walked, thanks to Helena (246-330), mother of Constantine the Great, who toured the Holy Land in the Fourth Century seeking to verify locations as related in the Bible. Many of the church structures remain, some surrounded by archeological excavations.

Following the life of Jesus, the tour visited:
Three churches in Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home:  the Basilica of the Annunciation built over the Virgin Mary’s home; St. Joseph’s Church built over Joseph’s carpentry shop; and the Synagogue Church where Jesus announced to the Jewish leaders that he was the Messiah. The Christ Lutheran visitors sang “Amazing Grace” during their time in the Synagogue Church.

The “Evangelical Triangle” of Korazim, Capernaum, and Bethsaida, where Jesus performed most of his miracles in Galilee, featured excavated religious sites. Korazim hosts the synagogue built on the site where Jesus spoke out about the beliefs of leadership of that time. Capernaum preserves the home of the Apostle Peter below a modern church, where it can be viewed through a glass floor. Peter’s home is remembered in the first century for hosting early Christian church gatherings. Bethsaida was home to three of the apostles and has a fisherman’s house among its excavations. A neighbor to the “Evangelical Triangle” is Kursi National Park, where Jesus cured Legion by sending evil spirits into a herd of hogs.

In Jerusalem, Jesus’ life was followed through to His crucifixion and resurrection including walking the Via Dolorosa through the narrow streets of Old Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives includes the Chapel of the Ascension, built over the spot that Jesus ascended into heaven; the Church of Mary Magdalene; the Basilica of Agony adjacent to the Garden of Gethsemane; the Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary; the Church of Flagellation; the Church of Condemnation and Imposition of the Cross; and the Church of All Nations.

In the Old City of Jerusalem a visit was made to the Church of St. Anne, dedicated to the Virgin Mary’s mother. The latter Crusader-era church has some of the finest acoustics of any church. Visiting groups are invited to sing, and with eight members of Christ Lutheran’s choir on the trip, they performed The Lord Bless You and Keep You bringing tears to the eyes of at least one listener.

The pinnacle for churches in the Old City of Jerusalem is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built over the crucifixion site of Golgotha and containing the tomb of Jesus. It is one of two sites claiming to be the tomb location. At the second, the Garden Tomb, Pastors John and Amy led a moving Communion service capped with singing I Walked Today Where Jesus Walked.

While not related to Jesus’ time period the tour also visited the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, the only Protestant church in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was dedicated by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany in 1898.
Additional stops in Jerusalem included the Western (or Wailing) Wall and the Dome of the Rock, the golden domed shrine, where Muslims commemorate Mohammad’s ascension into heaven.

Further adventures were had during stops at the Crusader castle in Apollonia National Park; Caesarea National Park, where the Apostle Paul was placed on trial; Megiddo National Park, where excavations reveal 20 levels of civilization; Roman excavations at Bet She’an National Park; Tel Jericho, where the ancient city of Jericho is being excavated; Masada, a UNESCO World Heritage site, where Jewish rebels committed suicide rather than surrender to Rome; Qumran National Park, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered; and Herodium National Park, first a palace and then a tomb for Herod the Great overlooking Bethlehem.

In an ironic action members of Christ Lutheran’s choir sang O’ Little Town of Bethlehem and Joy to the World in Herodium’s amphitheater. Herod is infamous for the murder of the innocents in Bethlehem in an effort to kill the baby Jesus.

Participants in the pilgrimage included: Pastors John and Amy Miller, Gary Bogle, Debbie Brubaker, Lily Brubaker, Donna Bush, Jan Deitman, Debbie Gillung, Mahmet Gurgen Ernie and Susan Hauser Joe and Joann Kruckow, Darwin and Linda London, Chris Luckenbill, Jim and Nora Nealon, Tom and Ginny Schott, Jerry Watson, and Wendy Wells. To prepare for the trip, Pastor John Miller held 10 orientation classes to introduce the history and geography of Israel and what to expect on each day of the trip.

PHOTO CAPTION
The pilgrims from Christ Lutheran Church, DuBois, are shown on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem on a hazy day. The Dome of the Rock is prominent in the background as is the eastern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. Front from left:  Mahmet Gurgen, Nora Nealon, Susan Hauser, Wendy Wells, Linda London, Gary Bogle, Debbie Gillung, Jerry Watson, Lily Brubaker, Debbie Brubaker, Ginny Schott, Jan Deitman, and Joann Krukow. Back from left:  Jim Nealon, Ernie Hauser, Darwin London, Chris Luckenbill, Donna Bush, Pastor Amy Godshall-Miller, Joe Krukow, Pastor John Miller, Tom Schott, and tour guide Matt Churchill.