The Turtle Speaks

After having the blessing to have been in Israel for 10 days, I thought I’d put down a few scattered thoughts from my time there.

• Idolatry is alive and well: One disappointment from the trip was the lavish structures built over traditional sites in the Holy Land. It’s not so much that ornate buildings and sculptures and such would be constructed — for such is the nature of human beings when confronted with something they admire — it’s the veneration given these sites. We were at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, a site dedicated on September 14, 325, by Eusebius as the site of Jesus’ tomb. It has since grown to the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, as well as the tomb of Joseph of Arimethia. No less than 6 major Christian groups claim this site, and each are given different sections. The throngs of people would go off to whatever area controlled by their group, and worship. Often the worship was not directed towards Christ, but towards the site. People were weeping, mourning, smiling, and kissing objects in the church that are supposed to point to something, and not be an en object in and of themselves.
• Christianity is alive and well: One of the more meaningful times on the trip was being at the Church of the Ascension, a Moslem-controlled shrine commemorating the ascension of Jesus to heaven. While we were waiting our turn to enter the small chapel within the courtyard, a group of Indonesian Christians began singing. This wasn’t chant-singing, or dirges, but rather the joyful expression of human souls expressing their gratitude for God. Accompanied by a monk on guitar, these Indonesians began singing Celebrate, Jesus Celebrate (we could tell from the tune and the word hallelujah), raising their hands, and moving around. Then a group of Italian Christians, also awaiting their turn inside the chapel, began singing with them. A French group joined in as well. I tried adding some english words, but I didn’t know them fully, and my singing sounded quite subdued. After listening to them sing a few songs, we skipped our devo time there, realizing we had witnessed something wonderful here on earth that would approximate John’s anticipation of people gathering from every tribe and tongue (Rev. 7:9f.).
• Zealots: I was struck by the nationalism of the Jews. Israeli flags were everywhere, along with slogans such as Masada will not fall again and Guns and Moses. Seeing pious Jews along the Western Wall of the temple mount, calling out for God to act as he has in the past and to act according to his covenant was moving. These people are devout, sincere, and ready to defend the Promise Land with the sword. Judaism isn’t a religion, it’s a way of life. To think of Christianity as a religion, or a belief, is to admit we haven’t oriented our lives around God and his work in Jesus. Many Jews live their lives daily with a deep conviction that they are the people of God and that all they do is according to his purpose. Are the misguided? Sure. But their zeal and faith — in the face of literal persecution and centuries of waiting — is inspiring.
• Laughter and Tears: On the subject of the Jewish community, I went to the Western Wall on Friday night where hundreds of Jews gathered. The Orthodox Jews (those who wear black suits and hats) were waiting, bobbing, chanting prayers and scripture, and pleading with God to act and move in the world at this sacred site. Conservative Jews (mostly wearing lightly-colored dress shirts and yamikas) were also at the wall, but most of them were singing and dancing in groups. There were several Israeli soldiers there too, participating in the worship time. The different reactions between the two groups was striking: there was both mournful and joyous time towards God in this, their most holy place. Christian groups tend to react to God and his grace in one of two ways, each suspicious of the other. Most of my church experience has been towards the solemn side, and when I encounter the joyful I find myself either throughly enjoying it or been suspicious of the sincerity of those participating. On the other hand, a young professor at my grad school gave a talk about the need for seriousness and laments in the presence of God (as found in many of the Psalms), noting that many recent praise and worship songs are exclusively joyous and ignore the downs of lives of faith.
• Jerusalem: Jerusalem is a fascinating city. I could spend a week there. Apart from the religious overtones, the city is full of life, culture, antiquity, color, and tension. Most of what people walk around on in the “Old City” are streets and shops from the 16th century. There is so much character. I hope to be able to go there someday with my wife and enjoy it with her. Three nights after our touring was done, I went into the old city by myself, armed only with a camera, wallet, and a distinct southern-American accent. I wish I had brushed up on my Hebrew more before I came.
• The Good Book: Probably the main benefit of going to the Holy Land is the renewed appreciation I have for the Bible. The sites, places, people, and customs are more real now than they were before. Whenever I read from now on — especially the gospels — I feel I will have a better understanding of what was going on and the culture in which Jesus lived and moved.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 at 10:17 am and is filed under Christianity, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.