StarDate: January 28,2020
It was maybe the easiest day of our journey. Not easy in that ‘it’s a late start’ or that ‘it’s an early finish’ or that there was ‘all this free time available’, but after the hard day yesterday, I felt light. It felt easy. As we drove through the countryside on our way to Galilee there were shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock. It wasn’t by night, but it was reminiscent of what you might imagine the pastoral views would look like and what you would imagine a world would be like in ancient times. I was desperate to get a picture that showed sheep in the field or cattle in the field and a shepherd or herder or something that was going to give me this vision of what I thought I should be able to see. I was excited when I was able to get that photo as we zoomed past. (only they turned out to he cows not sheep)
Those amazing views when we first arrived at the Sea of Galilee and to view the water. It perhaps was the first time that I truly had the amazement of being in a place where all the biblical stories were emanating from. I get that they’re not all in Galilee. Some were in Jerusalem and in all the places that we had seen, but somehow it felt different in this place. I don’t know how to describe that exactly. Perhaps it’s because I felt that we were finally getting to the Christian narrative. We had spent a lot of time on the Jewish narrative and on the Palestinian narrative and on the Muslim narrative, but I didn’t feel that we spent a lot of time on the Christian narrative. I was kind of excited to find some piece of this trip that really spoke to the Christian narrative.
The Hot Springs were pretty freaking cool. This idea that they are there and they had always been there in the temple that had been built. To see the floor and this ancient relic was very cool. Then we went on to Galilee where we were able to stand in this place in Capernaum where Jesus is said to have called the disciples to follow him and there were some very real feelings that came with standing in that place. It felt very contemplative and while there was much to be seen, I wanted to just stop and stare at the water, process my day, process my trip. I took a little time to do that but really I pressed on.
The Mount of the Beatitudes was beautiful. The church there was nice. It was nice to hear Dr Ray preach the Sermon on the Beatitudes and to relate that to our present human condition. All in all, like a lot of things that Christianity has taken over it seemed that the space was overdone for what it was and it somehow didn’t accurately represent what I imagine that Jesus and the crowd that he was preaching to saw in that day and time.
I enjoyed learning about the Druze and who they were and how they fit.
I think for me the the true entry for today is the 23rd Psalm.
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
The pastoral fields, the feel of this place all relates I think to this Psalm.
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