Stardate: January 20, 2020
It rained. I mention it because it somehow relates to the purification for visiting holy sites Rami talked about. Perhaps yesterday was a means of purification to be ready and willing to hear, see and experience this place where we are.
As I was preparing for this trip many people called it a pilgrimage, or they spoke of walking where Jesus walked, of the specialness of the place. To be honest, none of those things played a role for me. Sure, I wanted to see things for myself. I wanted to touch the stones, to see the places I have learned about my whole life, but from a stoic, intellectual way. After all, it’s just a place.
If you have taken a class with me at CTS, you no doubt know I grew up in evangelical, fundamentalist Christianity. I grew up with the belief in inerrancy. It’s honestly one of those things I put in a box on the shelf and rarely even remember or think about. After all, what does it matter? What does it really have to do with the work I am doing today? Creation, people-eating fish, what does it matter? However, today I was confronted with some of those items from my box. Is this the place? Did this happen? Did this happen here? Is this really the place?
I fully understand that scientifically and realistically there isn’t a fish capable of swallowing a man and 3 days later depositing him on a beach somewhere, yet, if you took me to a spot on the beach and claimed it to be the spot I would be forced to no longer leave the box on the shelf, but to confront the facts – and to perhaps examine my faith. Perhaps there are things that we have to decide to allow to live and accept in faith, even without the accompanying facts.
Probably we all have been confronted in some way with what we can prove verses our faith. Perhaps the rain was a purification that opens our souls to receive what we are here to receive. When we were at the Dome of the Rock we talked about he purification process for entering to worship. Perhaps today’s rain purified us to prepare us for our journey. I am trying to hold the space to experience this journey as just that, a journey. But to also accept that there is a worthiness of all humanity to be in the holy spaces, to find their own holy journey and to recognize the ways we create barriers to this experience.
I traveled to Israel and Palestine in January 2020. This is my journal as I recorded it during the trip. At times it may ramble. At times it may be less than coherent (I was tired – physically, mentally, and spiritually) but, I welcome you to journey with me on these two weeks.
Leave a Reply