First exam down!
After a small lecture this morning a few of us ventured out into the old city and its surroundings.
First stop: The Upper Room. To be honest there really isn't much there to see, and it was a rather quick trip as the guys had already been there, but it was worth seeing.
Second stop: Dormition Abbey. This is said to be the place where Mary (the mother of Jesus) fell into eternal sleep. The first level was filled with beautiful mosaics, but the real beauty was down the stairs. A dome of beautiful mosaics of Eve, Miriam, Jahel, Judith (from the Apocrypha), Ruth, Esther situated above Mary's supposed casket.
Third stop: Schindler's Grave. In Israel they place stones on top of the grave as a sign of respect. Schindler's grave had the most stones out of anyone's we have seen so far.
Fourth stop: St. Peters. This is probably my highlight of the day. It is said that this is the location where Jesus was taken for trial and/or the location where Peter denied Christ 3 times. Once again the Mosaics and artwork were stunning. But perhaps the most fascinating part were the stone rooms which the church was built around. In the very bottom one there is a podium set up with Psalm 88 translated into several languages. Three of us sat on the ground as one read to us. Psalm 88 is the only psalm which does not end on a note of praise or hope, I've posted the psalm here:
1O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
2Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves.
Selah
8You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror[b] to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to you.
10Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you?
Selah
11Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.[c]
16Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.[d
As you can imagine I was deeply moved.
My two american friends have complained to me that I did not explain in detail some Israel Dance/Story we
witnessed the other night. So here we go....
Currently there is a festival of lights going on. I'm not really sure what all that means other than people
everywhere, bright colours and interesting dance. So off we go. Our american friends had seen it before and
were willing to experience this work of art again. There are really no words to describe it other than, imagine
Mrs. Santa Clause in black and white. Now stretch her out about 7 or 8 feet tall. Now imagine that her face
pure white and covered in sparkles (no skin colour, or eyes showing). Now imagine that her upper half is
almost falling off of her causing her to lean back really far and then almost fall forward like a toy top. Times
this by 3. All the while imagine wistful, trance like music. All of a sudden two of the tall Mrs. Santa Clauses
have these half sized shaped parachutes. The next thing you know there are people inside of them wearing
sparkly spandex pressing their face and legs tight along the edge of the parachutes so that you can see their
impressions. Eventually they are "birthed", crowned with wings and fly away. We're not entirely sure what all
of this means other than we think it may be the Israeli story of the birth of the angels. Just a little treat for you
to enjoy :)
Anyway Team, we are off to the Negev for three days. You know a little swim time in the dead sea,
some cave exploring in Qumran, some hiking in Masada....I'm sure I'll have more wonderful stories for you
in a couple of days.
Shalom
"... fell into eternal sleep"? That's quite the euphemism for death! Did you take pictures of the dancers? It sounds cool!
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