by a tour of the Western wall tunnel. This tunnel is amazing; in it
one can see some of the huge stones laid by Herod the Great's
workers. Also there are incredible water systems built to support the
massive numbers of pilgrims who would visit the temple at the Jewish
feast days.
After coming out of the tunnel, we ascended the Mt. of Olives where
several of our tour members had Camel rides. After the camel rides,
we all assembled in a small amphitheatre atop the Mt. of Olives and
overlooking the temple mount for a Church service. So many people
are so attached to the physical places they regard as "holy," I
decided to preach on Jn 4:19-20 with Jesus' admonition that we not
attach our worship to a place, but rather to the presence of the
Spirit of God. My thanks to Jonathan King for leading the song
service and to Dr. Keith Stone for the Scripture reading. After our
church services we descended the Mt. of Olives to the Garden of
Gethsemane and the Church of all nations.
Next, we got back on the bus and traveled to Bethlehem where we
enjoyed a Falafel lunch followed by visits to the Church of Nativity
and the Shepherds field.
On Monday we visited the Temple mount. This was a blessing, since
last week the site was closed to tourists. On the way up to the
Temple mount, we were able to see where the Israelis were excavating
in preparation for rebuilding the access ramp. This excavation has
caused some rioting from the Muslim community, because they claim
that it threatens to undermine the Al Aqsa Mosque. The claim is
ridiculous! The entire excavation is well outside of the temple Mt.
walls and could not possibly be threatening the Mosque. I thing the
Arabs are just afraid that the Israelis will find more evidence that
the Jewish temple once occupied the mount.
Following our tour of the temple mount, we visited Pool of Bethesda,
St. Anne's church where we sang "How Great Thou Art" (the Sounds of
Shasta Members on tour also sang a couple of their songs), the Via
Dolorosa, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After a pizza Lunch
and 45 minutes to look around, we visited Caiaphas' house and
finished the day with a visit to the Garden Tomb & a communion
service.
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