Woo Hoo Number Three, I Think!--from Cindy

Woo Hoo Number Three, I Think!
Hey all—is anyone reading this? Doesn’t matter, I’ll have it to look at down the road. So today we went to the Mount of the Beatitudes. Now, I know what you are picturing. You are picturing a green-grass mountainside with flowers swaying in the wind. But it’s brown grass, mostly, and the flowers are kind of thistly, except for the bright oleander and bougainvilla, which I have no idea how to spell. There’s this lovely little church on the hillside surrounded by trees and little places where pilgrims from all over the place gather to have communion and to sing. Which is what we did. Bruce read the Sermon on the Mount, and it was fairly good as sermons go, just kidding! We sang “Welcome Table,” and I thought of you. Speaking of the bougainvilla, I am thinking that they are not native, because surely Jesus would have worked them into a story if they were. They are so vivid in this dry brown place, startling, even.
Okay, then we went to the Primacy of Peter Church, which I liked because it was small and dark with brilliant stained glass windows, simple. And you could walk down to the shore where they say that Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than these?” as they walked along. I tried to imagine Jesus calling out to the disciples from the shore, grilling fish, etc. It was probably the one place so far that I felt like I could say, “Yes, this definitely could have happened right here where I’m standing.”
Oh, I just had a dream that they opened Shelby Park Pool, and all of the children were so happy! Is it true?
Back to Israel—then we went to BETHSAIDA, and you may be thinking, why does that get capital letters? Well, actually it’s the town that is mentioned more than any other than Capernaum and maybe Nazareth (?—I can’t remember what they said) in the gospels. And we saw this archeological dig. Andy, who dug there 19 years ago, showed us around, and it was SO interesting. He showed us the fisherman’s house, where someone dug up a big needle used by fisherfolks to mend nets, and told us that his dig boss held it up and said, “This is the needle that Jesus might have been holding when he said, “It’s harder for a rich man to climb through the eye of a needle…” Wait, I mean, it’s easier! I’m slipping.
Anyway, it was just so cool thinking that Bethsaida is where Peter and Andrew and Philip lived, and thinking about how far it is from Capernaum, and thinking about how after Andrew met Jesus he ran to tell Peter, and how much of the way did he run? Okay, I’m roaming here, but there is a LOT to think about. One thing that several of my fellow pilgrims have noted is just how different everything looks than how we’d imagined it. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see these places that I’ve read and preached about for so many years. Getting the geography in my head is just such a gift.

I’m enjoying getting to know my fellow pastors. It’s a really good group. We have discussions every afternoon, and then a worship service. Oh, and when we get to a site, Trisha or David reads a scripture passage that is set in that site, and that’s been really neat. I know that I am using a lot of words like neat and cool, but that’s what it is. I still haven’t found matches, so I’m not lighting a candle for you like I said I would. BUT I am thinking of you often, often, often, and lighting a candle for you in my heart everyday. Oh, guess what! I just realized that you are worshiping together RIGHT NOW! Peggy, you will be preaching in the next fifteen to thirty minutes or so, depending on how long Laura talks! Little Kelsey, or someone with little wonderful hands like her’s, will be taking up the offering, our beloved little children will be heading off to children’s church (Martin and Amos chattering as they go), and etc. The front row of the most handsome teen boys in the world will be sitting there looking handsome, Roger and Christy will be on the other front row with their sweet little angel girls, Jesse will be sitting with Diane, then the Trabues, the Westmoreland-Whites, Devin across the aisle, Walker in the back corner, I can see each one of you in my mind’s eye, you are all just so predictable, and I am so grateful to know you so well! Okay, that’s it for now…I’ll keep you posted when I have a chance. Robert, Dylan and Jesse, love, love, love.

Oh, one more thing: tomorrow we go to Nazareth and Sepphoris. Nazareth is, as you will recall, where Jesus grew up. And Sepphoris is the town where so many Jews were killed by the Romans when he was a boy. He probably would have had relatives there, and Donald Kraybill says that it would have made a huge impression on him. We’re also going up to Mt. Tabor, where according to Matthew, Jesus ascended into heaven. Oh, and have I told you that it’s hot as blazes here? I mean, HOT. And that the food is glorious? I ate Albanian cheese last night, and about four different kinds of eggplant. Okay, now I’m done.
Love, love, love,
Cindy