Following Footsteps: Sunday Sept 2

Today I got the opportunity to see church services at the Christ Church, an Anglican Church inside the Jaffa Gate of Jerusalem. It boasts as being the oldest church in the middle east. Unlike anglican or Episcopalian services I have been to in America this was very low key. No robes or much ceremony, but a lot of singing and a solid Biblical message. The service was in English and it appeared to be mostly western people at the service. It was a good experience, and for next week I am finding a Messianic service to attend.

This afternoon we took a 5 hour walk around the old city and got to spend some time inside the Holy Sepulcher as well as David's Tomb, back to the western wall, the Dormitian Abbey and several other sites around the city. It was an informational walk for my Physical Settings of the Bible class. It was a great experience to have some one so knowledgable about the area nad history to walk around and point out all sort of obscure things that you would completely have missed, but have great significance to either the Bible, or just Jerusalem History. Then to hear all the background story behind what happened around different sections around the city and the battles that have been fought over the control of the city.

(Church of the Redeemer)

(Dormitian Abbey)
As we went into the Holy Sepulcher it was still amazing to see the people lined up to see the holy shrines that have been erected on sites they believe to be the place of the Cross, the tomb of Christ and the annointing stone which was supposedly used to prepare the body of Christ for burial. Although it is possible that the tomb and the place of the cross are accurate people come to them with an idea that they gain some kind of spiritual of physical benefit from coming and praying at these spot as oppossed to any other place on earth. As if just being here was a gurantee that their prayers wil be answered. To see then bending down to kiss a 300 year old slab of rock to gain blessings, or crawl into the tomb that is supposed to have been Christ's to light a candle for repentance and the forgiveness of their sins. It was sad to see how lost and confused so many people are. At the end of the tour we sat on top of the city nar the crossroads of the Jewish, Arab, Christian, and Armenian sectors and pondered on the days events. To talk about what we had seen and Dr. Wright read from Psalms 122 before we all left to head back to Campus. All in all it was a spectacular, yet fairly warm, day. It is hard to believe that I have only been hear two days and have seen all that I have. Each time I walk out into the City I just can't wait to get out there and experience all that God's city has to offer and get to understand all significance it hold in the Bible and history of my faith. God bless to all.