Starting the day with communion..a blog from the long-lost, but now found, Anne

First, I am glad to be with the group! This is Anne, I was delayed making flight connections and spent a day in Atlanta. If you have a chance to go to the aquarium, it is really spectacular! God’s beauty in creation and wonderfully shared there.
We started the day with communion at the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus was believed to have offered the sermon on the mount. The sermon starting in Matthew 5 was read and we shared in communion and sang together. We then went to the beach area on the sea of Galilee where it is believed that Jesus cooked fish for the disciples and asked Peter if he loved him.
I was really struck by the beauty of both areas and the variety of groups having worship there. While there, you hear singing and praying in a variety of styles, ways, languages and voices. The devotion of Jesus’ followers is quite striking and powerful. All there to worship Jesus.

At the same time, these areas are very ordinary places. They could be anywhere. Jesus was incarnate and lived in very ordinary locations among ordinary situations like ours. It breaks my own misconceptions of something larger or more magical or something not like where we live.

We also went to Bethsaida to see the archaeological dig. Andy, one of our group, had been there for 3 weeks back in its early years. There is quite a bit more done now. It was great to hear his experience and have a better impression of the work and the size of cities. Capernaum was one of the larger cities and in the 100 range, perhaps 15 families. It changes my view of Jesus traveling among these “cities” and between.
I have been to the village area where my parents are from in China and those villages are much like these cities seem to have been. Gives a new picture in my mind of imagining where Jesus was.