A Journey to be Always Treasured

The year is just a few days old, yet the problems of 2015 persist into the new year.  Violence continues around the world.  The Middle East is a powder-keg that seems nearing an explosion.  The execution by Saudi Arabia of a Shiite cleric this past weekend has triggered emotional responses from Iran and other Shiite dominated nations in the region.  Threats and counter-threats have been exchanged between Tehran and Riyadh, with both nations expelling each other's ambassadors.  The stock markets around the globe have the jitters - too much oil, not enough manufacturing, fears of what China is up to.  In our nation the debate surrounding the Second Amendment just intensified with the President issuing more executive regulations yesterday.  And the Presidential campaign is nearing the starting line with the Iowa Caucuses just a few days away.  2016 seems to hold more of what 2015 offered. 


Last week Marlys and I had the privilege of being in the Holy Land with our three kids, their spouses, and our seven grandkids.  We flew from Philadelphia on Christmas Day night, arriving in Tel Aviv the following afternoon.  Our first stop was the Joppa port, seeing if we could catch sight of that ancient prophet as he boarded a sailing vessel while running away from God.  By the way, Israel is a great plan to use one's imagination.  From Joppa we drove up the Mediterranean Coast to our hotel in Netanya.  The next day saw us creating in our minds the ancient city of Caesarea, built by that master builder Herod the Great.  Oh what a city it must have been.  Then we looked for that gnarly old prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel, looking out over the Sea to see if we could see a cloud appearing on the horizon.  No clouds today - would that mean more lack of rain? 


Then it was off to Megiddo.  We climbed the tel and stood atop it overlooking the Valley of Jezreel.  It is always such a beautiful sight that one forgets that the Bible tells us that it is here that the final battle of the age will be fought and that the blood will flow as high as a horse's bridle for over 180 miles.  We stood that morning and listened to the words of the prophet Zechariah and the apostle John.  One can hardly begin to imagine the carnage that will follow that incredible event!  I am glad I am on the winning side!  Our day concluded with this proud Grandpa baptizing five of his grandchildren in the waters of the Jordan.  It was a time that I shall always treasure. 


Our stay along the shores of the Sea of Galilee was wonderful.  The winds would come up in the evening and early morning hours and one could hear the pounding of the waves against the rocky shorelines.  What a wonderful sound!  We ventured forth in a ship onto the Sea seeking to better understand what this area meant to the life of Jesus.  So much of His life was devoted to this region.  From the boat we traveled north into the Golan Heights, being reminded by our guide of how important those high mountains are to the people of Israel.  Syria lay beneath our vantage point - no gunfire this time.  When one is in the Golan, one can understand why the nation of Israel will never surrender those grounds ever again. 


While in the northern regions of Galilee we stopped at Caesarea Philippi and asked ourselves this question: Who is Jesus?  Next followed a visit to Dan - one of my favorite places in the Galilee.  We concluded our stay in Galilee with stops at Capernaum and the Mount of the Beatitudes. 


Down the Jordan Valley we went seeking to climb the slopes of Masada.  Well, we actually took the cable car up those slopes, but the younger set did walk down the "snake path."  A float in the Dead Sea is always an interesting experience - nothing like it to be found anywhere else in the world. 


While on our way up to Jerusalem we hiked back to the fortress of David at En Gedi, along the way seeing several ibex and a few hyraxes.  It was so beautiful back there.  A visit to Qumran meant that we would soon begin the climb up the mountains of Judea to Jerusalem.  But first there would be a stop for lunch and camel rides.  We met Abraham and his servant Eliezer who invited us to dine with them in their tent. 


Jerusalem is always the crown of any visit to Israel.  It is a city where, within a matter of minutes, you can journey back in time hundreds of years.  Although the weather was rainy and cold, our spirits were undeterred as we walked the stone sidewalks in search for hints of the presence of Jesus.  In so many places we were able to touch base with the Scriptures and, if we were quiet enough, we could hear the stones tell a remarkable story. 


All too soon our time ended, but the memories were being burned deeply into our hearts and minds.  It was a Christmas that we will always treasure and remember. 


I have been asked by several since our return, "Did you feel safe?"  Friends, we had no fears at all.  Walking the streets of Jerusalem is safer than walking the streets of Chicago.  Besides, we knew we were in the Lord's hands.  Is there any safer place to be?  So, if you are thinking of visiting the land of the Patriarch, the prophets, and of Jesus, I strongly urge you to follow through and go.  Your heart and soul will be blessed greatly. 


So I wish you a very Happy New Year - or, as they say in Hebrew, "shana tova."