Leaving our burdens outside the Holy City -- and our own homes

What if Jerusalem was truly a holy city?

What would that look like?

You might respond: What an odd question to ask. Jerusalem has been a holy city for 5,000 years.

Yet the reading this morning from the prophet Jeremiah 17:19-27 defines rather precisely what Jerusalem would look like if it were truly a holy city. Jeremiah’s vision (unlike some other biblical visions of Jerusalem) is not planted high in the clouds but firmly rooted on the ground:

“Thus says the Lord: For the sake of your lives, take care that you do not bear a burden on the sabbath day or bring it in by the gates of Jerusalem. And do not carry a burden out of your houses on the sabbath or do any work, but keep the sabbath day holy, as I commanded your ancestors…
(verses 21-22) 

“But if you listen to me, says the Lord, and bring in no burden by the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but keep the sabbath day holy and do no work on it, then there shall enter by the gates of this city kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their officials, the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city shall be inhabited for ever.”
(verse 24-25)

Some have interpreted these verses to mean do no physical work on the Sabbath, and that might be part of its meaning. But what if this means do not carry the burdens of worry, pain, guilt and sin when entering the gates of Jerusalem? Those are much harder burdens to set aside.

And what if this is not just about the locale of Jerusalem in present-day Israel, but about whatever city or town or village where we live?

How would our homes be made holy if we didn’t carry our burdens into them?

How much do our burdens block us from experiencing God and seeing the holy all around us?

Psalm 99 in this morning's readings talks about the “pillar of the cloud” that the people of Israel saw in the desert while wandering for 40 years (an echo of the story Numbers). God was under the cloud, and the people could not see or hear God in the cloud. But the people still answered God’s call despite how imperfectly they saw and heard.

“They cried to the Lord, and he answered them.He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.” (verses 7)

The psalm and Jeremiah got me thinking: Do we have a hard time experiencing God because God is hiding behind a cloud? Or do we have a hard time experiencing God because we haul our burdens everywhere we go?

And what would our Jerusalems truly be like if we left our burdens behind long enough to sit in the presence of the Holy?

By James Richardson, Fiat Lux

Snowing in Jerusalem

A rare day: Snowing in Jerusalem today. Notice the kids making snow angels near the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. Pray for that peace in the Holy Land will come and not on a rare day.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, peace in the Holy Land

From today's Daily Office reading. . .


Psalm 87


On the holy mountain stands the city he has founded; *
the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Glorious things are spoken of you, *
 O city of our God.

I count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me; * behold Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia: in Zion were they born.

Of Zion it shall be said, "Everyone was born in her, *
 and the Most High himself shall sustain her."

The LORD will record as he enrolls the peoples, *
 "These also were born there."

The singers and the dancers will say, *
 "All my fresh springs are in you."

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Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, peace in the Holy Land.

New Dean for our Cathedral in Jerusalem

It was our honor and privilege last summer to spend time with Hosam Naoum at St. George's College in Jerusalem. Yesterday he was named Dean of St. George's Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem. He is a native of Bethlehem and has quite a number of connections to Virginia. Please keep him and his family and the Holy Land in your prayers. Here is the story from Episcopal News Service:

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Hosam Naoum named dean of St. George’s Cathedral in Jerusalem

By Matthew Davies | May 8, 2012 2 Comments |

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The Rev. Canon Hosam Elias Naoum

[Episcopal News Service] The Rev. Canon Hosam Elias Naoum has been named dean of St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem. He will become the first non-English incumbent to serve in the position.

Naoum, 38, has served as canon pastor at the cathedral since 2005, and was the acting dean from 2007-2009. As dean, Naoum will continue to serve as pastor to the cathedral’s Arabic- and English-speaking congregations.

“I call upon all our partners and friends around the Anglican Communion to hold Hosam and his family in their prayers,” said Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem Suheil Dawani in a May 3 letter announcing the appointment. “May his term as the dean of the cathedral be a blessing to many and to the glory of God.”

Following the announcement, Naoum told ENS: “I am so happy that I am in this position to serve not only the local diocese but the whole Anglican Communion. … This cathedral will always be a welcoming and hospitable place for many pilgrims and visitors.”

Naoum said he appreciates the “trust and confidence” shown in him by Dawani and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, both of whom gave their blessing to the appointment.

He also acknowledged his gratitude to Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori who, he said, has been “very supportive to the diocese and to me personally.”

Dawani said the appointment comes “after a long time of discernment and prayer and a lawful and constitutional procedure. Canon Hosam will continue to serve, especially in his new capacity as the dean of St. George’s Cathedral, both the Diocese of Jerusalem and the worldwide Anglican Communion.”

Naoum completed his initial theological training at the College of the Transfiguration and Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, and in 2011 earned a Master of Theology degree in Canon Law from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria. Dawani also is a graduate of VTS, most recently earning a Doctor of Divinity degree in 2006.

The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, dean and president of VTS, said in a statement that the seminary “considered it a privilege to train Canon Naoum for this important ministry. We celebrate with him and his family as he becomes the dean of the cathedral. We commit to remembering him in our prayers as he takes the important position both for Jerusalem and for the Anglican Communion.”

The cathedral was consecrated in 1898. Today, it is home to two congregations: the indigenous Palestinian Anglicans, often called the “Living Stones,” and a community of expatriate English-speaking members.

The Diocese of Jerusalem includes parishes and institutions throughout Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria.

Prior to moving to St. George’s, Naoum spent nine years as priest of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Nablus, a town in the West Bank.

Naoum will be installed as dean in St. George’s Cathedral on Ascension Day, May 17, at 11 a.m. Archbishop Fred Hiltz of the Anglican Church of Canada will preach.

Hosam is married to Rafa. They have a son, Wadi, and two daughters, Laurice and Krista.

– Matthew Davies is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service.

Interested in going to the Holy Land?

Petra, Jordan

If you have never been to the Holy Land, or maybe if you have and you'd like to experience it again, let me recommend a trip in May 2012 led by the Rev. Canon Mark Stanger, who led our trip to Jerusalem last August.

Mark will be starting this trip in Jordan, at the ruins of Petra (which we did not see), before crossing into Israel and going to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Galilee. Mark is a skilled guide and knows the territory well. This will be the 15th tour Mark has led. We much enjoyed his company and guidance in our trip and I highly recommend him. Here is the information:

Join the Rev. Canon Mark Stanger for Come to Bethlehem and see: Holy Land Pilgrimage. For 12 days — May 13 through 25, 2012 — experience the biblical and cultural sites relating to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, his ministry in Galilee, and his death and resurrection in Jerusalem. Led by the Rev. Canon Mark Stanger and a local Palestinian Christian licensed tour guide, Canon Iyad Qumri, this pilgrimage begins with a visit to the spectacular ancient Nabatean city of Petra in Jordan. Includes two nights in Jordan, three nights in Nazareth, and five nights in Jerusalem. Contact: the Rev. Canon Mark Stanger, marks@gracecathedral.org, 415.749.6318

Leaving the village to see

"He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village..."

Mark 8:22-33

I've been hiding out in our house on our Virginia hillside since last Thursday. I've been mostly in silence, though alas, email intrudes more than I should let it. I've been up early each morning to read and meditate on the daily scriptural passages assigned for the day.

With no deadlines, no meetings to get to, I've taken my time, as much time as I need to take. And that has been wonderful. I've also gotten to the gym each day for a full workout. And I've rediscovered my love of yoga.

This is a time of retreat for me, overdue certainly. I've learned I don't have to go to a retreat center to do this, but it takes a little more discipline than it might otherwise.

My meditations and prayers have led me many places the last few days, and they are exceedingly private so I am not going to share much here (uncharacteristic for me, I know). But one thing I will mention:

This morning's gospel lesson from Mark struck me with the idea that Jesus needed to take the blind man from his village to see. Somehow the blind man's blindness could not be lifted until he left home. That, I think, has something to do with the idea of pilgrimage. To truly see sometimes requires leaving home to see what was there right all along.

Soon Lori and I will embark on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We will be at St. George's Anglican College in Jerusalem with a group of friends and fellow pilgrims. I know we will see many famous sites, learn many things, and maybe, we will see what was already there in front of us. Please keep us in your prayers. I will keep you posted as best I can in this space.

By the way, our home will be occupied by a friend from Washington DC. Please be kind to him if you see him. Blessings to all.

Update from Bill Bergen in the Holy Land

Bill Bergen sent another email early this morning about his travels in the Holy Land, and a few more photos. Here they are for you reflection and enjoyment:

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The [first picture at right shows] the juxtaposition of the ancient profession of shepherding, timeless Roman ruins, and the modern buildings of Jerash beyond, many of which, no doubt are built on what would be archeological sites. 

You see this contrast often. Even in the very modern neighborhood where I am staying, an area strewn with diplomatic residences and embassies, sheep are every night herded through the streets to graze in the vacant, weed-strewn lots that can be found in every out-lying area of Amman. It gives evidence of how quickly modernization has taken hold in this country.

The [picture at left] sums up Jerusalem for me. There is a place outside the Old City walls of Jerusalem that some believe is the real place of Jesus' burial (as opposed to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher). The official link for the Garden Tomb Association is not accessible here, but I found this short description on a tourist website: HERE.

The Garden Tomb is a very contemplative place compared to the noise and crowding of the Old City, but the claim to be where Jesus' body was laid to rest, while plausible, seems at least as far-fetched as various competing assertions made within the walls. We were conducted around by a retired British rector, a volunteer who comes twice a year to give tours for a week or two. He gave a wonderfully careful tour, never claiming more than the evidence suggested, in all a timely meditation on Anglican resort to reason and of a firm sense of historical perspective.

He made it quite clear that the Garden Tomb Association makes no claim of certitude that this where Jesus was buried. But it does suggest that if in this more contemplative place amidst the Old City's conflicting histories, ever-present clash of faiths, commercial hubbub, crowds and clamor, one can recover a sense of the holy, then the Garden Tomb has achieved its purpose. And he was right: It was welcome relief from what we had experienced in Old Jerusalem, and I found more a sense of God there than anywhere else.

I took the attached picture because it is posted on the door to the tomb discovered in that garden. To me it sums it all up: Much as Jerusalem is fascinating and very worthwhile, it also easy to forget that the Gospel's message is that the physical place, in a fundamental way, does not matter. He is risen, and no longer of this world.

Bill

Guest post from Bill Bergen in Jerusalem

Bill and his friends, Judy and Larry, in Jerusalem

Bill Bergen, who some of you know from his many years of lay ministry and leadership at St. Paul's, is currently visiting friends (Judy and Larry) in Jerusalem.

The other day, Bill emailed a few photos and a description of what he has seen and experienced so far on his trip. With his permission, I am posting his email and some of the photos. Hope you enjoy:

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Jerusalem -- With the new week and Larry’s return to work, Judy and I headed on Monday to Bethany-Beyond-the-Jordan, the site of Jesus’ Baptism and the ascension of Elijah in a chariot of fire. In contrast to the sometimes speculative claims made by all three faiths for specific sites in Jerusalem, the location of Jesus’ baptism is strongly supported by specific Gospel wording, archeological findings, and early pilgrims’ accounts. 

Until fairly recently the area lay in no-man’s land, and was laced with land mines (ironic for the site where Christians mark the beginning of the Prince of Peace’s ministry). The site is being developed as a pilgrimage site and tourist attraction, and several denominations have churches or are building ones in the area. 

The Jordan is no longer deep or wide, the water having been siphoned off by Syria, Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority upstream. As I dipped my hand in the Jordan’s water I gazed across the mere 20 yard-wide stream to the other bank on which Israel which has built its own site to attract pilgrims and tourists.

Looking across the Dead Sea back toward Jerusalem at dusk

That night we drove to a sunset picnic on a promontory overlooking the Dead Sea organized by Irish/Italian friends. Directly across the valley to our south, on a prominent hilltop, is one of Herod’s Palaces. Here, according to Biblical accounts and tradition, John the Baptist was executed by Herod. The wind was fierce, and grew a bit cold, but the scenery as the sun set over the far highlands was nothing short of sublime. And the food was fantastic.

Wednesday was a quiet day as Larry worked and Bill and Judy caught up on rest and reading. On Thursday Larry took Bill to lunch at his favorite local lunch spot where he tasted genuine local food and enjoyed the typical Jordanian hospitality. That night Larry and Judy went to a reception at the Italian Embassy . . .

On Friday the three of us left early to swim in the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at 500 feet below sea level. Whereas sea water consists of only three or four percent salt, the salinity in the Dead Sea is 30 percent, and you literally cannot sink to the bottom. This was my first trip, and I found I had trouble standing up as your feet float out from under you. Afterwards Judy and I tried on the famous Dead Sea mud resulting in blackmail-quality pictures (see below) taken by Larry who was altogether too smart to join in.

Pool where it is said Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan

Next came a trip over a steep, winding road over a desolate landscape to the top of Mt. Nebo where Moses first saw the Promised Land that God had forbidden him to enter. He died on the mountain and was buried somewhere there though the exact location is unknown. 

We saw what Moses saw and viewed the ruins of Moses Memorial Church. We also examined the mosaics there before heading on to Madaba for lunch at a well-known local restaurant. From there it was a short walk to St. George’s Church, location of the famous Byzantine mosaic map of the Holy Land. As spectacular and fascinating as that is, the modern mosaics on the walls of the church were also worth study.

Pilgrims carrying a cross on the path of the Cross 

Saturday’s big excursion was to the north, to Jerash, to tour one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the Middle East. It my first visit to such a site, and elicited from me such original exclamations as “Whoa!” and “Wow!” We clambered all over the ruins, examining Roman architectural details, road construction, Roman mastery of acoustics, the layers of history, and even how the Romans managed their scarce water. We had mint tea at the Temple of Artemis (Diana in Roman mythology) and viewed how the columns were designed to sway gently to accommodate the frequent earthquakes in the region, which explains how so many of them continue to stand. 

We also toured with guides and flashlights the chambers underneath the temple that served as the places of sacrifice. As we walked back through the site, we encountered a flock of sheep being herded through the site (see photo -- note the "marching pillars" still buried in the ground at top right). The timelessness of the flock and shepherds set against the modern city beyond the ruins is the sort of contrast you see often here.

Larry and Judy say I am their first visitor ever to be unaffected by jet lag. I know that is largely due to their hospitality and the adrenaline generated by the trip of a lifetime. I never imagined doing what I have done and seeing the sites and sights I have seen, and have been reduced to speechlessness by the wonder of it all.

Christians surviving in the Holy Land - barely

This Lent, we might want to keep in our prayers and our awareness those Christians who live in the Holy Land, and who have lived there for generations. Harry Hagopian, an Armenian Christian living in Jerusalem, writes eloquently today in Ekkelesia about their plight:

Eugenie Tabourian, my nonagenarian maternal grandmother, passed away recently. She was an Armenian Christian from Jerusalem. Our whole family are Jerusalemites, in fact, dating back to the time when my grandparents fled Ottoman Turkey during the Armenian genocide of 1915.

Indeed, the Holy Land was once bustling with local Christians, and two of the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem (the Christian and Armenian ones) were a living testimony to their millennia-old presence. Today, many indigenous Christians - including members of my own family - have left this golden city (as the prophet Zechariah described it) in search of fresher pastures that provide more viable political and economic alternatives.

So what do Christians witness to in a holy land that is host to many hurried pilgrimages?

To read the full story, click HERE. The photograph is of Palestinian Christians lighting candles in Bethlehem.

Journey to Jerusalem: Join us on the walk this Lent

Lori came across this the other day: a website with a 40-day walk through the Holy Land that leads to Jerusalem and the Cross, sponsored by the U.K. organization Christian Aid. For those unfamiliar with the organization, it describes its purpose:

We have a long history of working in this region. With an outspoken resolve we work with Israeli and Palestinian organisations to protect human rights, secure access to services and resources, and build peace based on justice and security for all.

In the last decade, Palestinian poverty levels have trebled and violence on both sides has escalated - there is still much to do.

Each day Christian Aid is taking us to a different place along the road to Jerusalem, to places you would expect to see, but places that will startle you nonetheless. This walk to the Cross is not sugar-coated. Yesterday, on the walk, we went to Bethlehem, and we had to get through a check-point at the massive wall separating Palestinians from Israelis. Each day has a description and photos and sometimes a video.

This is a tough walk to Jerusalem, even if the closest you get to the Holy Land is the computer screen in front of you. I commend this journey this Lent, and Lori and we will take it with you each day. Click Journey to Jerusalem to begin your journey (and you can go back a few days to catch up, it won't take long). Also, I am putting the Christian Aid logo on the left side of this blog, and you can click it each day to return to the journey.

May you have many blessings this Lent,

Jim+