We Walked Today Where Jesus Walked
Don Hamer is on professional development leave until May 15. He is writing occasional posts to this blog to share some of his experiences.
"I walked today where Jesus walked . . ." begins an old hymn. Today, Debbie and I literally did that. Grace to you and peace in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Today started with a trditional Palm Sunday blessing of the palms in the garden of the Cathedral of St. George here in Jerusalem, with the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani presiding. We each received a palm branch and an olive branch to hold and carry during the procession into the church. Holy Eucharist at the cathedral is celebrated in two languages -- English and Arabic -- much as is the prctice at the American churches in other non-English speaking countries. And we experienced one of the many blessings of being Anglican and part of a catholic -- universal -- church: Even the parts that were spoken in Arabic were meaningful, and one had the sense of praying in both languages.
Following the service was -- guess what? Coffee hour! There we met Bishop Dawani and brought him greetings from Bishop Smith and Kate. We also met other guests here at the Cathedral Guesthouse, and again, the wonder of having instant friends who are brothers and sisters in Christ was overwhelming. We met folks from California and a young woman working for Oxfam International who is Dutch but living in England.
Following lunch at a local sandwich shop, Debbie and I then took a cab across Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives for the start of the procession along the route that Jesus is said to have taken on his entry into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. Palestinian boys were running around carrying large (4-foot) palm branches that one could bargain over, and after passing up a very small branch for a dollar, purchased one of the large ones for a dollar -- I am sure the boy still made a huge profit, but it was meaningful to have this enormous palm branch to wave in the air -- sometimes to the beat of praise songs being sung by a group of young people from South Korea. I struck up a conversation with one of the young men, and then joined him in the tenor part on several songs. Goes to show that every choir is always short of tenors!
I can't describe the amazing feeling to be in a throng of thousands of people from all over the world, all there for the purpose of retracing Jesus' steps and witnessing to the world, once again, the essential unity of the Body of Christ. It was as though they were proclaiming a solid "No" to the violence and tension that is a part of the daily life in this part of the world. Along with fellow pilgrims from all over the world, we walked down the steep and narrow alleyways down from the Mount of Olives and then up through St. Stephen's Gate (The Lion's Gate) into the Old City of Jerusalem. We took many photographs, but nothing can ever capture the experience of being part of that crowd -- much like, I imagine, the crowds that are said to have been a part of that original journey -- and experiencing the power of that time. I will attempt to upload some of our photos later.
One funny thing -- Debbie said I must have looked like the pilgrim poster child, as I was interviewed and filmed by both the AP News service on the Mount of Olives and again by another film crew that was on hand at the conclusion of the procession in the Old City. I'm afraid my words couldn'd exactly capture my feelings at the moment.
That is all for today. (I think that is quite enough for one day!) Have a blessed day! Your brother in Christ, Don+
"I walked today where Jesus walked . . ." begins an old hymn. Today, Debbie and I literally did that. Grace to you and peace in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!
Today started with a trditional Palm Sunday blessing of the palms in the garden of the Cathedral of St. George here in Jerusalem, with the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani presiding. We each received a palm branch and an olive branch to hold and carry during the procession into the church. Holy Eucharist at the cathedral is celebrated in two languages -- English and Arabic -- much as is the prctice at the American churches in other non-English speaking countries. And we experienced one of the many blessings of being Anglican and part of a catholic -- universal -- church: Even the parts that were spoken in Arabic were meaningful, and one had the sense of praying in both languages.
Following the service was -- guess what? Coffee hour! There we met Bishop Dawani and brought him greetings from Bishop Smith and Kate. We also met other guests here at the Cathedral Guesthouse, and again, the wonder of having instant friends who are brothers and sisters in Christ was overwhelming. We met folks from California and a young woman working for Oxfam International who is Dutch but living in England.
Following lunch at a local sandwich shop, Debbie and I then took a cab across Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives for the start of the procession along the route that Jesus is said to have taken on his entry into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. Palestinian boys were running around carrying large (4-foot) palm branches that one could bargain over, and after passing up a very small branch for a dollar, purchased one of the large ones for a dollar -- I am sure the boy still made a huge profit, but it was meaningful to have this enormous palm branch to wave in the air -- sometimes to the beat of praise songs being sung by a group of young people from South Korea. I struck up a conversation with one of the young men, and then joined him in the tenor part on several songs. Goes to show that every choir is always short of tenors!
I can't describe the amazing feeling to be in a throng of thousands of people from all over the world, all there for the purpose of retracing Jesus' steps and witnessing to the world, once again, the essential unity of the Body of Christ. It was as though they were proclaiming a solid "No" to the violence and tension that is a part of the daily life in this part of the world. Along with fellow pilgrims from all over the world, we walked down the steep and narrow alleyways down from the Mount of Olives and then up through St. Stephen's Gate (The Lion's Gate) into the Old City of Jerusalem. We took many photographs, but nothing can ever capture the experience of being part of that crowd -- much like, I imagine, the crowds that are said to have been a part of that original journey -- and experiencing the power of that time. I will attempt to upload some of our photos later.
One funny thing -- Debbie said I must have looked like the pilgrim poster child, as I was interviewed and filmed by both the AP News service on the Mount of Olives and again by another film crew that was on hand at the conclusion of the procession in the Old City. I'm afraid my words couldn'd exactly capture my feelings at the moment.
That is all for today. (I think that is quite enough for one day!) Have a blessed day! Your brother in Christ, Don+
posted by Don+ @ 12:44 PM
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