Good morning…
Yesterday we walked where Jesus walked. We were taught atop a mountain where Jesus taught.
We boated on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus boated with his disciples “to the other side,” into the unknown.
We were given the opportunity to rededicated ourselves to God through a baptism in the Jordan River, where Jesus himself was baptized by John.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17, NIV).
As sons and daughters of God’s living covenant, we wake this morning feeling deep love for God and each other. As we pack our bags and board the bus to Jerusalem, we have a full day of adventure ahead.
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Day 5 – Wednesday, March 9 – Notes from Rev. Steve Allen
Nazareth- Luke 4:16-31
Mt. Carmel- 1 Kings 18
Megiddo- Revelation 16
Caesarea Maritima
Valley of Elah- 1st Samuel 17
Our Hebrew word for the day is tiqvah. Hope. Expectation. Eager anticipation.
Hope and expectation are a two-sided coin. First, we know that our hopes and the expectations are not always met. Second, when our own dreams don’t come true, it’s then that we develop new hopes and fresh expectations. We are granted a new realization: “God has something else in store for me.”
Today we will visit Nazareth, a place where Jesus didn’t fulfill the people’s expectations of what Messiah would be. He was not who they hoped he would be. We’ll move on to Megiddo, a place that is thought to be the site of the great battle of Armageddon. Yet Armageddon may not be what you thought it would be. We will also see a kibbutz that sits right next to Megiddo, a kibbutz started right after the Holocaust as if to provide hope when the expectation of a normal life were so tragically slaughtered. We will also see the Valley of Elah, a place where David defied expectations of what it meant to be a leader of Israel and rose up to unexpectedly defeat Goliath.
The word tiqvah can be found in the title of the Modern Israeli National Anthem – Ha Tiqvah. Hope. Expectation. Eager anticipation.
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For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). God knows the plans he has for us, plans to give us a future and a prosperous hope – tiqvah. Just like our past as a people of faith, our future will not be exactly what we expect. With God in charge, our shortsighted hopes will mysteriously be exceeded.
…Sue…
