January 1 - Preparing to Travel

Today is the beginning of a new year; it is also a Festival in the Church Year, the Name of Jesus. Luke (2:21) says the Child was circumcised on the 8th day and he was given the name of Jesus. The name means "God saves" and in Luke it comes with a promise. "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end (1:32-33)."

Today Anita and I are packing and preparing to leave on a trip to the Holy Land, the land where Jesus walked. We are joining other bishops and spouses from throughout the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (http://www.elca.org/) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (http://www.elcic.ca/) as well as staff from our churchwide offices in a journey of peacemaking in the Middle East.

This trip has been in the planing for a number of years and takes the place of the annual Bishop's Academy, a kind of annual continuing eduation event for bishops. Many of us have long thought that a trip to the Holy Land could serve as a witness for peace and an encouragement to the Church in the Middle East.

Three words sum up the purpose of the trip: awareness, accompaniment, and advocacy. We are traveling to see with our own eyes what is happening on the ground and to hear with our own ears what life is like for Israelis and Palestinians. We want to know the truth of their lives.

We also go to be with our brothers and sisters in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (http://www.elcjhl.org/), to accompany them in their journey of faith and life. We want to hear their joys and sorrows, to pray with them, and work with them for peace in the Middle East. This is what followers of Jesus are called to do--to bear one another's burdens and share in one another's joy.

We go to advocate for specific strategies that are aimed at a just and lasting peace for all people in the region. For those of you not familiar with the ELCA strategy, adopted at the 2005 churchwide assembly, I refer you to the following webpage: http://www.elca.org/Our-Faith-In-Action/Justice/Peace-Not-Walls.aspx. There you will find the ELCA Strategy for Engagement with Israel and Palestine and the Peace Without Walls campaign. I also call your attention on that same webpage to a helpful article, "A Lutheran Response to Christian Zionism" by Rev. Robert Smith. Rev. Smith presented this paper to the Conference of Bishop's 2008 March meeting and I read it again in preparation for his trip.

Anita and I both also read The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan in preparation for the trip. It's a remarkable book that tells the powerful story of a Jew and a Palestinian, two very unique people, whose histories are tied to the same house and a lemon tree. The book takes you deep into the heart of both the Israeli and the Palestinian perspective and also gives a glimmer of hope.

Anita and I leave on Friday, flying to Chicago in the afternoon. On Friday evening we board a 9:00 p.m. flight to Amman, Jordan. We look foward to being with Bishop Munib Younan and worshipping this Sunday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

We have been told that we will have internet access at each hotel where we are staying. So I intend to write something daily on this blog. Today's blog is meant to give you some of the background information with links to resources.

We realize that travel today carries more risk as Israel is at war with Palestinians in Gaza. But we trust the judgement of those who have been planning this trip, especially our hosts in the ELCJHL. Accompaniment means being present even in times of danger and uncertainty. Most of all we put our trust in the presence of God who binds us all together in love. We pray our presence may be witness to the power of God who gives hope and healing even in the most difficult of times.

I am thankful for the many people in the Central States Synod (http://www.css-elca.org/) who have expressed their support and encouragement for the Conference of Bishops in making this trip. And Anita is grateful for the support of Notre Dame de Sion (http://www.ndsion.edu/) where she teaches in Kansas City. She sends her greetings to her colleagues and students as they return to classes.

I have been to the Holy Land once before in 2005, but this will be Anita's first time to the land where Jesus walked. While our itinerary may change, we expect to be in Jordan Jan 3-6, in Jerusalem Jan 6-9, in Bethlehem Jan 9-14, and in Galilee Jan 14-15.

As we travel, we remember all of you in prayer. And we ask that you remember us in your prayers, as well as Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East, that we might all live in safety and peace.

Bishop Jerry Mansholt