Turning our Faces toward Jerusalem

Oh, yes, and here I am.

On our way to Jerusalem,

we made our way to Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea

ruins of an ancient Roman city

from where the apostle Paul set sail when he went to Rome.

You have turned my mourning into dancing

O God...

so that my soul may praise you

and not be silent. (Psalm 30:11-12)

Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Today we noted where the stations of the cross are

the first ones

marking the places on Jesus' journey to the place of the skull.

We visited inside the Church of the Sepulcher

drawn to generations of prayer and devotion

where Jesus suffered in the last hours of his life,

was crucified, died and was raised.

I'm feeling disoriented

still

at all the building on that lonely place

that was once outside the city walls.

But then we walked past the place where Jesus put the paralyzed man

into the pool to be healed

or sang in the sanctuary of a crusader church

and heard our voices ring with an echo

long after we stopped

and I am moved beyond words.

Blessings to you this night!

Pastor Janet Peterman

P. S. Please excuse my mistake on my last entry -- It's Amariah McIntosh, not McDonald. We've been making too many jokes about the McDrives in all of the McDonald's. So sorry, Amariah!