Good morning…
We left the hotel in the dark of night, around 3:45 am Jerusalem time, which was seven hours earlier than our time zone in the states. Flying through Paris, we returned to Atlanta in the dark of night, around 8:00 pm on Sunday evening. My tired brain could not even compute how many groggy hours it took to journey home.
Yet after five hours of sweet sleep in our own bed, I now nestle into the familiar corner of our cozy couch, with our furry dogs cuddled in close. I quietly reflect upon on our ten day trip to the Holy Land, from outside of the high powered, experiential blender. One third of our time was spent in the dry, soulful desert. One third, we explored biblical truth beside the peaceful Sea of Galilee. One third, we immersed ourselves in the bustling cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
So many important ingredients graced our once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Strangers quite naturally blended into special soul friends. Scripture stories came to life, flavored with personalized meaning on a cellular level. Many of us experienced a Spirit-filled baptism in the Jordan River, recommitting as much of ourselves as we understand right now to as much of God as we understand right now. The slow, steady way of suffering blazed by the feet of Jesus, the beloved Jewish rabbi, included betrayal by a friend, brutal beating orchestrated by the powerful, and the public humiliation of death on a cross. Jesus’ undeserved crucifixion shed guiding light on the painful plight of the Jewish people and all who seek to follow in the footsteps of faith, from generation to generation.
Our final stop was to an empty garden tomb.
That holy, hollow space echos into eternity, as the resurrected Christ invites us all into intimate communion. “·I tell you the truth [Truly, truly, I say to you], whoever believes in me will do the same things that I do. Those who believe will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” [They will do greater things because all believers—not just Jesus—will have the Holy Spirit living in them and empowering them.] (John 14:12, EXB).
Pray. Listen. Teach. Welcome everyone. Walk alongside. Witness healing. Trust the eternal plans of our Heavenly Father. These are the things Jesus did daily as he walked upon this earth. Empowered by the Holy Spirit living in us, might we truly, truly do even greater things? “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NIV).
May the drink offering poured out from our blender this day multiply the presence of the living risen Christ.
…Sue…
