This is one of the best places to get good pictures of the city from a high elevation. Hezekiah’s Pool was below the hostel, but is now a dumping ground for refuse. Typically the dirtier portions of the city or the neighborhoods are occupied by Muslims.
The Broad Wall was built in 701 BC by King Hezekiah of Judah (see 2 Chron 32:5). It was approximately 8 meters high by 7 meters thick and built to ally the threat of an attack by the Assyrians, who, in 722, had sent the Northern Kingdom into exile. Jerusalem had grown, and one of the reasons for that growth might have been refugees who had escaped the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The wall provided for a northern defense of the city. While the other three sides of the city were surrounded by both the Hinnom and Kidron Valleys, there were hills on the North side, and this was the most vulnerable point for the city.
ARIEL CENTER FOR JERUSALEM IN THE FIRST TEMPLE PERIOD This center built a scale model to depict the temple as it would have existed at the end of the first temple period. Included was a presentation and movie.
Just outside of the Dung Gate we were able to view old tombs which had been etched into the side of the rocks. One is the tomb of Zechariah, built in the 1st Century BC and having nothing to do with the well known prophet of earlier times. Another was a tomb inscribed to the sons of Hazir, and a third one is the Tomb of Absalom also built in the 1st Century BC and having nothing to do with King David’s son. Jesus probably walked there, on His way to the Garden of Gethsemane.
However, down the way, there was a tomb built from the 8th to 7th Century BC. At this location, the wall of the city dates back to the Hasmonean period or possibly earlier. The problem is that excavation of the ground below is impossible due to all the graveyards that surround the city walls.
From there we could also see the hill on which Solomon built a high place to the god Chemosh, one of several high places built so that his foreign wives could worship their Gods. Solomon, of course received punishment from God for his apostasy when his sons lost the united kingdom, which split into two nations, Israel and Judah. It is also interesting, as well as ironic, to note that the United Nations Headquarters is built on the Hill of Evil Counsel, which dates back to Solomon’s days.
This tunnel was dug to bring water into the city to hold off Sennacherib, the Assyrian King, during his unsuccessful siege. In this area, they also excavated part of a Hasmonean wall and a stepped stone structure which might have been the support for the palace of David. Another interesting piece that they found was a stone toilet. We actually walked through the tunnel from the Springs of Gihon to one of the Pools of Siloam.
POOL OF SILOAM
We exited Hezekiah’s Tunnel at one of the pools; but this was not the pool mentioned in John’s Gospel, where the blind man healed by Jesus washed his eyes. That pool is being excavated at a higher level, where they have just found two parallel streets which appear to go up to the Temple Mount and have been dated during the period that Christ lived. We were allowed into the newer excavation site to see the work that they had done, and as a result, probably walked on the same steps that Jesus Christ might have when he went up to the temple.Note: unfortunately, my camera ran out of memory at this point. ISRAEL MUSEUM NEW TESTAMENT MODEL
This model depicts Jerusalem just before the destruction in AD 70 by the Romans. It is built on a scale of 1:50 with authentic materials.
At the same museum, they exhibited some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, including verses from Isaiah and the Apocrypha.
GENERAL COMMENTS It was a long day, and even longer because Todd decided that he wanted to give us an hour and a half lecture after we got back. Most of us could not keep our eyes open. I understand that Todd may know a great deal about his subject, but he tends to forget about his students and their needs. While we were going through the tunnel this afternoon, for example, I was behind him and had to ask him to slow down, because he was getting too far ahead. He wants to lead, but he needs to do a better job of making sure that his students are following.
Wake up was at 5:30 and breakfast was at 6:30. But, I woke up at 4 AM to the sound of Jim who was snoring quite loudly. Breakfast consisted of luncheon meat, cheese, bread, cucumbers, olives, scrambled eggs, beef sausages, fruit, and yogurt. We had a 7:30 AM lecture about the sites were going to see and then we were to set off sightseeing. The walking was brutal today. I am sore and did not do very well keeping up. Todd doesn’t seem to care very much for his students physical well being, because he seems to be very rigid and is not willing to slow the pace down for those like me who are having trouble keeping up.
Our first stop was out by the Jaffa Gate, where we looked out on the Hinnom Valley. Most people don’t realize that there is very little left over from the time of Jesus. In fact, it was not until 1860 when people started living outside the Old City Walls. CITADEL OF DAVID Here, we saw a tower which still remains from Herod’s palace. There are many people in Israel who think that Pontius Pilot was living at this location rather than the Antonia Fortress (named by Herod after Mark Anthony), which many traditions think is the place where Pilot ordered the crucifixion. CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER
This is the East Jerusalem gate that is used by Moslems who live and work near the Moslem Quarter of the old city. There is a definite difference in the cleanliness. The Moslem Quarter is much more dirty and smelly than is the Jewish or Christian Quarters.
We actually walked along the wall, ascending to the top through the Roman arch which was excavated below the Turkish reconstruction.
One hypothetical location of the crucifixion, as postulated in the 19th Century and promoted by British General Charles Gordon,was a hill with caves which, Gordon suggested had the appearance of a skull and is known as Gordon's Calvary.
If Herod condemned Jesus at Herod’s Palace, as has been postulated by some, then the Via De La Rosa would be going the opposite direction from which tradition suggests.
(the Ecce Homo Arch is built over the Via Delorosa, and the Dome of the Rock is seen from the Antonia Fortress, which was built to guard the city, as well as the Temple Mount. Of course, neither of these two structures stood during the time of Jesus)
JERUSALEM JOURNAL: DAYS 1 AND 2 - DECEMBER 27 AND 28, 2009
INTRODUCTION
This is my first opportunity to use the Internet. I am sitting in the hotel lobby at Eilat. Early in December I hurt my back, and as a result, I have been having some difficulty with respect to my activities on this trip. This morning, forty of the 42 in our group left to climb Mt. Sinai. I decided that it would not be prudent to do so, therefore, two of us have remained back at the hotel to rest up. Sinai would have been nice, but not at the expense of further injury.
Below you will find my site notes for the total time I will be here. I suspect that there are some inaccuracies, and I will correct them after I get back home and plug the pictures in. However, to do all this from a hotel lobby is very difficult. Please read, enjoy, and I will submit an update when I can. And by the way, when I log onto blogger.com from here, everything comes up in Hebrew. And the formatting doesn't seem to work well with cut and paste, either. All that will have to be corrected when I get home.
THE TRIP FROM LOS ANGELES TO JERUSALEM
We are on the first leg of our Israel trip. Professor Rigsby with his wife, Donna, and the assistant instructor Jim Covington met me at Talbot about 7:50 this morning, and we took off for the airport. We had to be there early, because the Rigsbys wanted to make sure that they were there before everybody else. They had prearranged check in with El Al at 9:45 AM, and so, we made a line of people and suitcases at the International Terminal.
Checking in to El Al Airlines was efficient, but tough. They have their own security group, and each of the forty two of us had to line up and a security person asked us a series of questions designed to insure that we did not meet the profile of somebody who might want to wish them harm.
The girl who interviewed me asked me if I knew anybody in Israel, to which I replied that I did. My friend, Dr. Bob Hoffman, a retired ophthalmologist, has a son who lives in Israel whom I have met several times. I mentioned that, and then I mentioned that Dan Hoffman had his own Klezmer band (Klezmer is, I guess for the best description that I can give, a cross between jazz and Yiddish music). Of course, her next question was what instrument that Dan played. I replied that I was not exactly sure, but I thought that it was a violin, to which she exclaimed that would be a logical instrument to find in a Klezmer band and passed me through without any further questions.
To give you an idea as to how strict the security is, several of our group had their hand carry-on luggage confiscated, searched, and then returned to them when they boarded the aircraft. One of our group loudly complained about all of the security precautions that he felt were unnecessary. And, of course, his carry-on luggage was destined for a hand inspection, after he was sternly warned that he should not complain so loudly.
Unfortunately, one of our girls was refused aircraft boarding. She answered her questions honestly. She is one of two people who will be staying in the country when our trip is finished, and she admitted that she had friends in the Palestinian territories, was planning to visit them and was taking gifts to them, as well as to people of Jordan from other people. Apparently El Al has a policy that if you have Arab friends, you are considered an unacceptable risk. The travel agency which arranged our tour was able to book her a flight on Lufthansa. However, I was told by the lady who is sitting next to me, that she should expect to have problems going through Israeli security, when she arrives, about 12 hours after we arrive.
We actually took off an hour late, because they had to go through all of baggage so that one piece could be pulled. The thought is that it was the baggage of either our student or somebody else who did not board the aircraft for one reason or another. Instead of boarding through a standard gateway, we were taken by tram to a remote terminal in the middle of the, airfield.I sat next to an Israeli couple on the airplane. I had the center seat ticket, but they let me have the aisle seat so that they could sit next to each other. They live in the Tel Aviv area and were treated special because they had frequent flier status. They were able to order meals in advance and got everything before anybody else. He seemed to choose all vegetarian dishes.She was a sales executive with a cell phone software company and seemed to travel a lot of the time. He spoke some English, but it was obvious that he was not comfortable, while her English was impeccable. She told me that she was originally born in South Africa.
I didn’t get very much sleep on the airplane, but ended up watching three movies, including Dillinger. We had three meals during the trip, which were not bad as far as airline food is concerned. For dinner, I had a spaghetti dish that was made from curly noodles. The second meal was just sandwiches, and the third meal was breakfast.
We arrived at Tel Aviv about 3PM on the 28th, having crossed, of course, the International Dateline. By the time that we arrived at our hotel, it was completely dark, and so our first view of Jerusalem was the evening. And, the view of the city, as we came up the mountain was spectacular with the lights shining against the walls of the old city, as well as the Citadel of David.
We are staying at the Gloria Hotel, which is inside the Old City, near the Jaffa Gate and across from the Citadel of David. The Citadel of David has nothing to do with King David, other than the fact that it was named after him. Most of it was built by Suleiman the Magnificent, when the Turks occupied Jerusalem during the period of the Ottoman Empire.
The hotel, itself is quite old and quaint. The inside reminds one of a cave. Everything is cobblestones and Cenomanian limestone, which is quite hard and slick. There is no space unused, and when you are traveling down the streets, of the Old City, it is almost like you are in an enclosed mall. My roommate is Jim Covington, who assists the Rigsbys with their program. Besides the Rigsbys, who have their own room and are both older than me, Jim is the oldest single person, and we decided that, because of my age, it might be appropriate to room together.
We are definitely eating differently than we would at home. Our first Dinner consisted of lamb, fish, olives, bread, including pita, with hummus. We had mushroom soup, and for desert there was fresh fruit and some chocolate doughy things which were really good. We had mushroom soup, but that turned out to be quite watery.
After dinner, we walked down to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) with a gentleman named Gordon Franz, who is a friend of Todd Bolen, who was our IBEX (International Bible Exchange) teacher here. Gordon is an archaeologist and has come down here to look at some of the new digs that have been found. It is interesting that the women and the men who pray at the wall are separated, and I am getting used to idea that there was a great deal of separation that occurred between the sexes during worshiphere in this country. It is also interesting to note that, in Jewish society, the men have to cover their heads, while the women do not. The Western Wall dates back to the Temple structures that Herod the Great built. However, most of the other walls were built by Suleiman the Magnificent, and so they did not exist when Jesus lived.
Bedtime was about 10:30 PM.
Note: Gordon Franz is a noted archeologist and Bible instructor who was the team leader of a group which made one of the top three 20th Century biblical finds in the Holy Land. His group found two 7th Century BC silver amulets which contained scrolls on which were engraved the Priestly Benediction from Old Testament scripture. Gordon will be leading the Talbot Bible Lands group in a tour of Turkey, Greece, and Rome in December of 2010 through January of 2011.
It has been a little more than three weeks since our group, the Talbot Bible Lands graduate students, have returned from our trip to Israel, one which I believe has been the trip of my life. While pictures are important, I think that it is the words that are even more meaningful. Therefore, I plan to do two things. The first, and I believe the most important, is to take the words that I wrote in my journal and combine them with some of the photos that I took during the trip. The second is to take my photographs and either put them up on a website or make them available for download to those who are interested.
So that I can make some sense out of what I am doing, I have divided my trip up into segments, the first being the Old City of Jerusalem, where we spent our first five days of study. I will post my journal notes with pictures; but the complete first part without pictures, which I posted previously, will still be available for those who still want to read it, until I have subsequently posted all those journal notes with pictures. I will then also attempt to do a photo presentation that will cover each period that corresponds with this blog. It will take a while, of course, but I hope that it will assist me in my continued learning as I continue to study the Bible, and all the places that we visited are related to the Bible in one way or another. It will also give me a way of sharing my experiences with all of you who read my blog and those who, in the future, might be interested in my words and pictures.
For those who have been used to reading my blog daily, I apologize. I am in the process of organizing my photographs from my Jerusalem trip and intend to put them up on this blog along with my daily notes. I am still only about 10% done, so it might take me a while, but I hope that the wait will be worth it.
In the meantime, I am posting the lessons and sermon which I preached about yesterday:
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord
1In the year that(A) King Uzziah died I(B) saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train[a] of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each had(C) six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3And one called to another and said:
(D) "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;(E) the whole earth is full of his glory!"[b]
4And(F) the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and(G) the house was filled with smoke. 5And I said: "Woe is me!(H) For I am lost;(I) for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the(J) King, the LORD of hosts!"
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7And he(K) touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."
Isaiah’s Commission from the LORD
8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for(L) us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
Psalm 138 Page 793, BCP
Confitebor tibi
1
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with my whole heart; *
before the gods I will sing your praise.
2
I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name, *
because of your love and faithfulness;
3
For you have glorified your Name *
and your word above all things.
4
When I called, you answered me; *
you increased my strength within me.
5
All the kings of the earth will praise you, O LORD, *
when they have heard the words of your mouth.
6
They will sing of the ways of the LORD, *
that great is the glory of the LORD.
7
Though the LORD be high, he cares for the lowly; *
he perceives the haughty from afar.
8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.
9
The LORD will make good his purpose for me; *
O LORD, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Epistle
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
1Now I would remind you, brothers,[a] of the gospel(A) I preached to you, which you received,(B) in which you stand, 2and by which(C) you are being saved, if you(D) hold fast to the word I preached to you—(E) unless you believed in vain.
3For(F) I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died(G) for our sins(H) in accordance with the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised(I) on the third day(J) in accordance with the Scriptures, 5and that(K) he appeared to Cephas, then(L) to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to(M) James, then(N) to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born,(O) he appeared also to me. 9For(P) I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because(Q) I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary,(R) I worked harder than any of them,(S) though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Gospel:
Luke 5:1-11
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people." When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
This Sunday’s lessons remind us that throughout the history of His creation, God has used his messengers to remind us of His love for us, Hispeople, the works of His hand.It seems that we need to be continually reminded of God’s presence, because, if we look at both New and Old Testament history, we see the same continuous pattern in God’s people of disobedience, repentance, revival, deliverance, and then, again, deterioration, right back into disobedience.It seems like déjà vu, all over again, doesn’t it?Yet, during each cycle of apostasy, God doesn’t abandon his creation.Instead, he redeems them, because we are the works of His hands, and He loves us.
Some theologians believe that the first act of redemption was God’s creation of the earth, itself.Genesis 1 says that1In the(A) beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was(B) without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.They separate the first and the second sentences into two different time periods, suggesting that at some time after God initially created the earth something might have happened to corrupt it, making it into a formless, darkened void.Needless to say, not all people will read Genesis 1 that way.But almost all theologians agree that the first act of redemption, performed by God for his creation, man, took place in the Garden of Eden, when, instead of destroying His creation, God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them.
If, from there, we fast forward to the time that Isaiah wrote his prophesies, man had already given to God reason enough, a thousand fold, to abandon the works of His hands.God’s covenant with Abraham had been broken by man’s disobedience.The great nation that returned from the exodus in Egypt was only a shadow of itself because of its apostasy.Yet, God sent judges to deliver His people from their enemies; He then granted them their request for a king, so they could be like other nations, only to have those kings eventually import other Gods and other religions into God’s Promised Land.The work of the great prophets like Elijah, and Elisha had been forgotten or ignored, and the Nation of Israel had been split off from Judah and sent into exile under the Assyrians.And yet, God still would not abandon the works of His hands.
And now, Isaiah becomes the messenger that God sends to Judah.Here is yet another prophet through whom God communicates to His people, even though they are again steeped in apostasy.This prophet would give his message in two parts.The first was a message of impending doom.The Kingdom of Judah, like Israel, faced exile if they continued their disobedience.And yet, the second part of Isaiah’s message would proclaim redemption and revival and the coming of the servant king who would redeem God’s people, once and for all.
According to Robert Chisholm’s commentary on A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, the theological message of Isaiah is that “The Lord will fulfill His ideal for Israel by purifying His people through judgment and then restoring them to a renewed covenantal relationship. He will establish Jerusalem (Zion) as the center of His worldwide kingdom and reconcile once hostile nations to Himself….Central to Isaiah’s vision of the future covenant community is the Messiah, the ideal king who fulfills God’s ancient promises to David.”
The message of today’s Gospel is, of course, that Jesus Christ is that Messiah who fulfills the Old Testament prophesies.And, like the prophets of old, God again sent his messengers, those who, in their gospels, witnessed and wrote about Jesus’ ministry on earth, as well as those apostles, like Peter and Paul, whose letters provide us with additional understanding and enlightenment of the meaning of those gospels.
And yet, even with God’s revelation of Himself in scripture, like those people of both Testaments, mankind failed, and still continues to fail, to get God’s message.We are like that nation of God’s people, Israel, to which Isaiah spoke, who still have not outgrown our apostasy.While God gives us His revelation in scripture we, his creation and the works of His hand, still seem to turn away.For example, the country of Israel is not, as many people would think, a totally religious nation.It is, to a great degree, secular in nature.According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population in 2008 was 75.4% Jewish.Yet, according to Wikipedia, only 65% of identified Jews professed a belief in God, and 44% considered themselves to be secular, rather than practicing Jews.This is hardly a demographic picture that one would expect of God’s chosen people.
We can compare this to our own country, where, according to Wikipedia, the majority of Americans (76%) identify themselves as Christians.Yet, Gallup International indicates that only 41%[1958] of American citizens report they regularly attend religious services.However, both the United States and Israel seem to be doing better in church or synagogue attendance than much of the rest of the world.For example, 15% of French citizens, 10% of UK citizens,[1959] and only 7.5% of Australian citizens[1960] admit that they attend services regularly.My point here is that we are not just dealing with apostasy in the Episcopal Church.We are dealing with apostasy all over the world.And, we have been steeped in apostasy for most of human history.
In his epistle, Paul needed to remind the Church of Corinth to hold fast to his preaching.This was a church that needed to be reminded that just truth and knowledge of God was not enough.That knowledge of God had to be accompanied by growth in Christian maturity, and that Christian maturity had to be nurtured by love.For, we cannot become mature Christians unless we can follow God’s commandment to love our neighbor.The church in Corinth, like many of our churches today, was in transition, and that transition brought problems.Spiritual growth, thus, comes as we proclaim the truth while affirming our love for each other, in spite of our differences.We must follow God’s example: that He loves us in spite of our shortcomings.He freely gives us His grace so that we, the works of His Hand, the sinners, heretics, and those, like Paul, who persecuted the church and disobeyed God, can find redemption.
Most theologians today would suggest that the days of the prophets have passed.Now, I am not suggesting that prophets might not at times raise their head or do not exist.I am only suggesting that most of us may never experience them.Because God has revealed Himself in scripture, we have direct information that allows us to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.We, like the disciples, who were called to be fishers of men, are called to become modern messengers of the Gospel, and God calls us to spiritual vocations, giving us time, talent, and treasures to work on His behalf.But, it is up to us whether or not we use that time, talent, or our treasures to do God’s work.
It is hard to imagine that, on January 22nd, I will have completed my first year in this parish as your deacon.I think that I have weathered this past year pretty well.I have also just had the wonderful opportunity of spending a college semester learning about the Old and New Testament through study and travel to Israel.
On our first Sunday in Jerusalem, I visited Christ Church, an Anglican parish that I affectionately call the Blessed Sacrament of Jerusalem; and I had lunch with their Deacon.Like us, they have an impaired relationship with their diocese.They house a visitor’s center and a guest house for those who wish to visit and stay in the Old City of Jerusalem and were the hosts of the GAFCON conference, for Anglicans who consider themselves to be traditional and catholic, which took place before Lambeth.Although officially under the Diocese of Jerusalem, no offering money that the Episcopal Church of the United States sends to the Jerusalem Diocese, yearly, to is given to Christ Church for their projects.And, like Blessed Sacrament, they have what I call a congregation implant.Ours is the Church of the Resurrection, a group of Anglicans; theirs is a large group of Messianic Jews who worship with them.Their web site states:
Today Christ Church is an evangelical Anglican congregation that worships in our historic church in the Old City of Jerusalem.The congregation, compromised of expatriates who have come to serve in Israel or the West Bank along with local believers (both Jews and Arabs), welcomes visitors and tourists to its worship services.We are an English speaking congregation that appreciates our Jewish roots in a liturgical and historical context.Towards this end we celebrate both Jewish and Christian holidays, incorporate some Hebrew into our liturgy and preach in a way to emphasize a Hebraic understanding of the Gospels.At the same time we remain unashamed of our Christian heritage and recognize that the spiritual treasures handed down to us by previous generations of Christians are part of our lives and worship.
There are two things that set our parishes aside from the rest of our diocese members.First, we are both evangelical.We profess the Gospel, the truth given to us in God’s revelation to us.Second, we are catholic.We are part of that universal catholic and apostolic church that was instituted by Jesus Christ and grown by those, like Paul, whom Jesus appointed to establish and nourish the Christian congregations.I bring this up to remind you that Blessed Sacrament is not alone.
Our pastor, Father David, has made it clear to us that we strive for understanding of the truth through love.For those of you who took the opportunity to hear our Bishop Pastor Ed Little preach and answer questions, I am encouraged that he shares those same core philosophies and values with us.In fact, we are one of four Episcopal Churches under the pastoral supervision of Bishop Little.So, again, we are not alone.
Let us then accept encouragement, realizing that we are not alone on the rough seas of apostasy, nor will we drown because of it.Let us do our best to steer the true course according to the compass that has been set for us in scripture, using the charts given to us by those patriarchs, prophets, and saints, and accepting navigational guidance from the Holy Spirit.And, as we mature in our own personal relationships with our Lord Jesus Christ, and as we show our love for our neighbors, let us preach and show the truth of the Gospel in love.
In closing, I would like to share with you one final thought.I studied for ordination at Biola University’s Talbot Theological Seminary, an evangelical institution.This has given me a unique perspective through which I theologically view the world.Like most evangelical churches, we may call ourselves a community of true believers; and we, for the most part, accept our assignments as modern messengers of the Word in spreading the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ, not only by our own communication with the world, but also, by example: in our love for our neighbors.And yet, unlike the mega churches and the standalone evangelical free churches, we also have the rich heritage of the patriarchs, prophets, and the saints and the understanding of the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament of our Lord Jesus Christ.I truly believe that this is the model for the church that Paul may have had in mind, when he preached to the Corinthians.
We are, and should continue to be, the modern messengers of God: preaching the truth of the Gospel with love in that world steeped in apostasy.So let each of us be like Isaiah who, when he heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for(L) us?" Let us say, "Here am I! Send me."
JERUSALEM JOURNAL: DAY 4 - DECEMBER 30, 20
09
However, down the way, there was a tomb built from the 8th to 7th Century BC. At this location, the wall of the city dates back to the Hasmonean period or possibly earlier. The problem is that excavation of the ground below is impossible due to all the graveyards that surround the city walls.
