It is the Feast of the Epiphany and we are in Jerusalem staying at the Notre Dame Center (http://www.notredamecenter.org/). This evening I was asked to read the Lesson during Evening Prayer, the Epiphany reading of Matthew 2:1-12, the Wise Men in search of the Christ Child. As soon as I read the first verse, In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men came from the East came to Jerusalem..., I felt a wave of emotion come over me as I realized here I was in the heart of Jerusalem. And in a less than an hour I will board a bus to join Orthodox Christians in Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas in a midnight service.
Our stay in Jordan has set the tone for this Bishop's Academy. This shall be a time together grounded in worship as journey with Arab Christians in Jordan, Jerusalem and Palestine. Earlier this day we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany with a service at the Jordan River. We celebrated the presence of Christ in the Holy Communion at the river where Jesus himself was baptized. And we remembered his baptism not simply as an historical event but in a way that reminded us that he is one with us in our baptism in him.
Members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church joined us at an area along the Jordan River on the Jordanian side of the river designated the baptism site (http://www.baptismsite.com/). Here there are many Orthodox and Roman Catholic sites celebrating the baptism of Jesus. King Abdullah has given a piece of land to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land for the purpose of establishing a Lutheran Center. Today we dedicated that site and plans are being developed for a Lutheran Center along the Jordan River that would be a place of spiritual retreat, centered in baptism, for people around the world. The picture includes Bishop Susan Johnson (ELCIC), Bishop Mark Hanson (ELCA), Bishop Munib Younan (ELCJHL), and Pastor Samer Azar, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Amman.
Today Bp Hanson, Bp Johnson, and Bp Younan had a private meeting with King Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. They were all so very pleased with this new young ruler, with his focus upon finding practical solutions to problems in his country and throughout the Middle East. And, again, as we reflected today, we in the Jordanian delegation saw how much we can learn from Christians in Jordan in their work and dialog with theologians and leaders in Islam, work that means peace and understanding in the world today.
As we arrived at the Notre Dame Center late this afternoon we were shocked at the death of 50 children in a school in Gaza. For other Middle East coverage on this war I encourage your reading other news headlines, such as the Jordan Times (http://www.jordantimes.com/) or the Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/). Just noticing the different pictures displayed says much about the coverage. I do not believe the bombings and death inflicted in Gaza are in any way proportionate to the number of deaths or threats from Hamas. But the bottom line is that the only way out of this cycle of violence is for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the creation of a state for Palestine.
Our stay in Jordan has set the tone for this Bishop's Academy. This shall be a time together grounded in worship as journey with Arab Christians in Jordan, Jerusalem and Palestine. Earlier this day we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany with a service at the Jordan River. We celebrated the presence of Christ in the Holy Communion at the river where Jesus himself was baptized. And we remembered his baptism not simply as an historical event but in a way that reminded us that he is one with us in our baptism in him.
Members of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church joined us at an area along the Jordan River on the Jordanian side of the river designated the baptism site (http://www.baptismsite.com/). Here there are many Orthodox and Roman Catholic sites celebrating the baptism of Jesus. King Abdullah has given a piece of land to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land for the purpose of establishing a Lutheran Center. Today we dedicated that site and plans are being developed for a Lutheran Center along the Jordan River that would be a place of spiritual retreat, centered in baptism, for people around the world. The picture includes Bishop Susan Johnson (ELCIC), Bishop Mark Hanson (ELCA), Bishop Munib Younan (ELCJHL), and Pastor Samer Azar, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Amman.
Today Bp Hanson, Bp Johnson, and Bp Younan had a private meeting with King Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. They were all so very pleased with this new young ruler, with his focus upon finding practical solutions to problems in his country and throughout the Middle East. And, again, as we reflected today, we in the Jordanian delegation saw how much we can learn from Christians in Jordan in their work and dialog with theologians and leaders in Islam, work that means peace and understanding in the world today.
As we arrived at the Notre Dame Center late this afternoon we were shocked at the death of 50 children in a school in Gaza. For other Middle East coverage on this war I encourage your reading other news headlines, such as the Jordan Times (http://www.jordantimes.com/) or the Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/). Just noticing the different pictures displayed says much about the coverage. I do not believe the bombings and death inflicted in Gaza are in any way proportionate to the number of deaths or threats from Hamas. But the bottom line is that the only way out of this cycle of violence is for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the creation of a state for Palestine.
Today the rest of the bishops arrived from the United States and have joined us for the duration of our time in the Holy Land.
It is time for me to end and travel to Bethlehem on this Day of Epiphany (Western Church) or Christmas Feast (Eastern Church). Either way, I go to Bethlehem to once again see this thing that has taken place, to worship the Child who is the Prince of Peace.
God's Peace from Jerusalem,
Bp Jerry
It is time for me to end and travel to Bethlehem on this Day of Epiphany (Western Church) or Christmas Feast (Eastern Church). Either way, I go to Bethlehem to once again see this thing that has taken place, to worship the Child who is the Prince of Peace.
God's Peace from Jerusalem,
Bp Jerry
Gerry,
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking time to share your experiences, the emotional impact and your own passionate plea for an end to the violence. You are in my prayers.
Greg