A Holy Land Experience – to celebrate Ely 900
Group from the Diocese of Ely who visted the Holy Land in May 2009. Photo: © Geoff Grayton
The Revd Malcolm Raby, Diocesan Adviser in Mission & Evangelism writes about the recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land:
"For us it was truly the journey of a lifetime and at times we felt overwhelmed by our feelings … we both feel a renewed sense of purpose in our lives and a deepening of our faith."This comment was typical of many after our Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land this May. 41 people started out on the trip – and 41 people were counted in at the end.
Highlights? You will have to ask individual members of the group, but they will probably include the following:
- sharing communion at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem
- sharing communion by the shores of the Sea of Galilee – one could imagine the resurrected Christ meeting with his disciples here
- meeting Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem over lunch and learning of their current struggles
- joining with other couples to renew marriage vows at Cana
- renewing our baptism vows in the River Jordan
and much, much more ….
The Pope did his best to make life difficult for us in Jerusalem – but that’s another story!
We are now looking at the possibility of a trip to Jordan, so if anyone is interested do get in touch.
Report and Photographs on the Pilgrimage by Bridget Garton, Kate and David Reed, St John's, Cambridge
Swimming in the Dead Sea. Photo © Lyn Harrison
Monday 4th May – 1.45am at Trumpington (and chilly) – not exactly a good time to board a bus for Heathrow and make conversation with one’s 40 fellow pilgrims! However, conversation soon broke out at Heathrow – thanks to the fact that we were all bemoaning the fact that all the service facilities were closed; so no caffeine there to stoke our energies.
Arriving at Ben Gurion Airport (Tel Aviv) after two SwissAir flights, we were greeted by our guide, Gilbert, and our driver, Walid, who were to accompany us for the duration of our stay.
Our first hotel – the Olive Tree Hotel – in Jerusalem awaited and a welcome chance for a rest as we acclimatized to the rise in temperature. In fact during our trip the temperature in the early afternoon rose to 44 degrees, exceptional even by Israeli standards. Each hotel that we stayed in offered a sumptuous array of choices for breakfast and evening meal -- all on a self-serve basis and including the most tempting selection of salads both for breakfast and evening meal, and always with a huge choice of main courses. The orange and grapefruit juices lacked any of the tartness and acidity found in England.
The visit of the Pope to Jordan and the Holy Land coincided with ours. Posters and flags of welcome were everywhere.
The Pope had arrived in Jerusalem just ahead of us so we were expecting changes in our schedule as police and security guards closed roads; however, this was much more haphazard than advertised and caused some chaos on more than one occasion.
During our 8-day pilgrimage we visited 50 sites, 37 of which had a direct Christian significance – the rest being archaeological and historical sites of note. Rather than give a detailed sequence report, perhaps it would be better if we explained some of the atmosphere and ambience. Malcolm Raby, the pilgrimage leader, had explained to us that we all probably have preconceived ideas as to the background and geography in the familiar Bible Stories. Most of the Christian sites represent the events which they commemorate, rather than being confirmed as the actual site. For example, it cannot be said with absolute confidence that the Church of the Pater Noster (on the Mount of Olives) is the actual place where Jesus taught the Disciples the Lord’s Prayer; the church there is a commemoration of that event (Luke 11:2-4) which may have taken place in that spot or nearby.
With regard to Jesus’ Crucifixion, Burial and Resurrection there are two possible sites. They are in direct contrast to one another. The first one we visited, The Garden Tomb, is a peaceful oasis just outside the wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. The gardens are beautifully maintained and beside this garden there is a stone outcrop which resembles the outline of a face – believed to be ‘the place of the skull’ (John 19:17). A detailed explanation of the ghastly method of crucifixion dashed our traditional understanding of the crosses on a green hill. The tomb itself was quietly placed in the midst of this garden. Around the garden, small areas were set aside where pilgrims could hold a service during their visit and we did just this, with a short Eucharist in beautiful surroundings.
All this was in strict contrast to the alternative place of the Resurrection – the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at the end of Via Dolorosa. Although this church is now inside the city wall, in former times it would have been just outside the wall. Dark, with hundreds of hanging oil lamps, and stewarded by noisy, argumentative priests of various denominations, it did not equate with any of our own thoughts about the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Perhaps this is a matter of culture, but we did not find the atmosphere particularly encouraging even though this is much more likely to be the actual site than the Garden Tomb. The interior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to our western eyes, didn’t seem to resemble a church at all with its very ornately eastern decoration, a confusing layout and many chapels. In the Greek Orthodox Chapel of Calvary the altar is placed directly over the place where it is believed the cross stood. The natural rock below is visible through glass panels on either side. The tomb itself is enshrined in the centre of the lower part of the building, and we were allowed to enter in groups of four. It was uncomfortably noisy – with long queues everywhere. Priests and stewards constantly cried “move along quickly” making spiritual reflection very difficult.
Photographed from a covered passageway above the Wailing Wall, a series of Bar Mitzvahs were taking place beside the Wall
We visited the Wailing Wall. Men and women are separated by a 6’ fence – men to the left and women to the right. After our visit we walked up a covered way towards The Dome of the Rock. We could see down into the area where people pray at the Wall and found that there were many tables at which Bar Mitzvahs were taking place. Somewhat to our surprise we saw tourists on the women’s side standing on chairs taking photographs over the dividing fence. This was rather intrusive, we felt, and this same intrusive sensation occurred at other Holy Places where we refrained from taking photographs. For most of us our quickly-taken photos act as a reminder of the order and immensity of the journey we were undertaking.
The Temple platform is a huge level space on which stood the Temple where Jesus worshipped and taught. It was built by Herod the Great, and utterly destroyed by the Romans in the aftermath of the Jewish rebellion in AD.70. It was never rebuilt and Orthodox Jews are forbidden from entering the Temple area as it once contained The Ark of the Covenant and therefore the ground is still regarded as too sacred to walk upon.
The Temple platform is also sacred to Muslims who believe that from here the Prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven. There are now two mosques on the site. The beautiful Dome of the Rock with its golden dome and the El Aqsa Mosque. Unfortunately non–Muslims are no longer allowed inside.
The old city is a maze of very narrow cobbled alleys some of which are stepped and on both sides of which are a bewildering variety of shops and stalls. It is hard to believe that prior to 1947 there were hardly any houses outside the city walls and it is very easy to become distracted and lose your way even when carrying a map, as three members of us found out late one afternoon. We watched in consternation as a tractor towing a rubbish trailer moved through the alleys and like other passers by leapt for safety in a shop doorway as it passed.
The star marks the traditional spot of the birth of Jesus below the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
On our visit to Bethlehem (now a Palestinian city surrounded by Berlin-type walls and maximum security) we encountered a similar atmosphere in the Church of the Holy Nativity as we had found in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Waiting in a queue for an hour to visit the place where Jesus is said to have been born, we were caught up in a violent disagreement between one of the guides (not ours!) and some of the stewarding priests at the site. This did not add anything to our enjoyment or appreciation of the holy place where people were intent on elbowing one another out of the way, so anxious were they to get in. The Church of the Nativity was built by Constantine over a complex of several caves in one of which, tradition states, Jesus was born. After our long wait we finally entered the shrine which is lined with marble; in the floor is a silver star marking the traditional place of Christ’s birth. Again, here are a large number of hanging lamps common to eastern churches. Because of the throng of people behind still waiting to enter, it is not possible to remain there for more than a few minutes – silence and contemplation are difficult in such an atmosphere.
Each member of our party was invited to lunch with a Palestinian Christian family
One of the highlights of our visit to Bethlehem was the lunch we enjoyed with Palestinian Christian families. The whole party divided into groups of five and were collected by our hosts. Time was all too short – we had barely one and a half hours to hear of the problems of being a Palestinian living in Israel. Faced with regular power cuts (courtesy of Israeli authorities), water supply limited to 5 litres per person per day (not much opportunity for washing there then), and the difficulties of obtaining specialist health care, opened our eyes to the strains of such a life – and we are not talking about terrorists here. In this part of Bethlehem all are Christians of various denominations, and sadly they feel that their churches are not able to help them at all.
Part of the Children's memorial at Yad Vashem -- the pillars represent broken lives
We were all deeply affected by our visit to the Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem. The exhibits include photographs, film clips and the recorded testimonies of over 90 individuals who tell the story of the Holocaust very movingly. Most harrowing was the children’s memorial -- a darkened windowless space with mirrored walls and ceilings which reflect in all directions the tiny glow of candle lights. A recorded voice intones the names of the approximately 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. It was some consolation to see the Avenue of the Righteous among the Nations. Trees have been planted in and around the avenue to honour non-Jews who risked their lives to help Jews during the Holocaust. Plaques adjacent to the trees display the names of those so honoured, along with their country of residence during the war. Oskar Schindler is honoured here.
The Garden of Gethsemane with its ancient olive trees
One of Bridget’s favourite experiences while staying in Jerusalem was walking the Palm Sunday Way. At the head of the way, there are spectacular views over the whole of Jerusalem, with the Jewish graves immediately in the fore, and the Old City of Jerusalem rising on the other side of the Kidron Valley. Palm Sunday Way itself is a winding steep drop, worn smooth by years of pilgrims and very slippery – so slippery that there is a handrail for support. Half-way down is the Church of Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the site of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41) during his triumphal entry. Further down one comes directly into the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39) with its olive trees. Carbon-dating tells us that these trees are in excess of 2,000 years old, so they could well be the very same trees that Jesus saw during the week before his Crucifixion.
The Church of All Nations (so called because 16 nations contributed to its building 1919-24) marks the place made holy by the prayer and agony of Jesus. David and Kate were both deeply moved by this particular visit. This beautiful church was designed and built in 1924 and constructed in the manner of an ancient Byzantine church. It is adjacent to the Garden of Gethsemane. The focal point of the church is the area of bedrock preserved in front of the altar and is the rock upon which tradition states that Jesus prayed before his arrest. In contrast to the hubbub in the churches of the Holy Sepulchre and Nativity, there was almost complete silence and an atmosphere of absolute reverence in the church. Some people took photographs, but a larger number sat in silent contemplation. Suddenly a young woman moved to the altar and began to sing part of a lament in a pure clear voice, entirely unaccompanied. It was beautiful but almost unbearably sad and also deeply moving. The memory of that experience will remain with us always.
The modern church of St. Peter in Gallicantu is built on the slope of Mount Zion over the reputed site of the house of the High Priest Caiaphas. It commemorates St Peter’s denial of Christ after his arrest and his subsequent remorse. Archaeological excavations have revealed the remains of a substantial building with its own water cistern, corn mill, store rooms and servants’ quarters and very importantly, a complete set of measures for liquids and solids as used by temple priests. On the lowest level of the church, excavations have revealed what might have been a prisoners’ dungeon. Three crosses dating from the Byzantine period are cut into the walls, so confirming an early Christian presence. Could this have been the place where Jesus was held after his appearance before the Sanhedrin?
Malcolm & Sue Raby, followed by Archdeacon Hugh, climb the steps to the house of Caiaphas
Outside on the north side are some adjacent steps which were part of a main street running between the Kidron Valley and the top of Mount Zion. They date from the 1st century and would have been familiar to Jesus. He is likely to have been brought up these steps after his arrest to appear before Caiaphas.
Happy Pilgrims in the cable car ascent to Masada, Herod's fortress
After 4 nights in Jerusalem, we journeyed to the Dead Sea, via Jericho, Qumran and Masada. As the Judean hills around Jerusalem gave way to the bleak wilderness with its towering cliffs and steep bare rocky slopes, we were better able to understand the nature of the journey to Bethlehem made by Joseph and Mary and the hardships and difficulties of such a journey undertaken by a woman in the last months of her pregnancy.
Swimming in the Dead Sea was certainly an experience. ‘Swimming’ is an exaggeration – one can only float on one’s back as splashing the water in one’s eyes can cause great discomfort. It is strange to realise that the Dead Sea is something like 300m BELOW sea level!
The following day we set off to Tiberius and the Sea of Galilee (200m below sea level). We all had rooms opening onto a lovely terrace with swimming pool, and the Sea itself just a few yards away. It was so hot that we spent much of our little free time in the water.
We visited the Church of the Beatitudes from here, together with Capernaum, and even took a trip on the Sea of Galilee in a boat similar, but larger, to that in which Jesus would have travelled. We also visited Caesarea Philippi (on the Golan Heights) and the temples to the Gods – the site where Jesus is thought to have asked his Disciples ‘Who do you think I am?’ (Matthew 16:16). It is significant that Jesus should choose this spot with all its pagan temples to challenge the Disciples, and yet Peter was able to declare, in contrast, that Jesus was indeed the Son of the Living God.
An astounding thing about this part of N. Israel is the number of springs which appear seemingly out of arid desert and flow together become the River Jordan.
Married couples in our party renew their marriage vows
We also visited the church at Cana – the site thought to have witnessed Jesus’ first miracle (John 2:1-11). The married couples among us were invited to renew their marriage vows, which proved to be a very moving experience both for them and for those who were either single or travelling without their spouses. There was not a dry eye in the place.
At Nazareth we saw a village which is representative of the time of Jesus – and we experienced hospitality of the people in a delicious lunch of traditional foods and saw examples of how people would have lived 2,000 years ago.
Following renewal of our Baptism Vows, we were signed with the Cross in the River Jordan
Our last port of call was the River Jordan with the renewal of our Baptism Vows. One of our number stripped to swimming trunks and totally immersed himself before receiving the sign of the Cross from Archdeacon Hugh McCurdy. Once again it was a busy place, but a fitting end to a memorable visit.
We must express our thanks to Malcolm and Sue Raby who organised and led our trip, and whose experience and understanding of the Holy Land added immeasurably to our own enjoyment and understanding. Their patience and skill in shepherding what was such a large group through a packed itinerary was truly amazing.
Archdeacon Hugh enjoys a joke with Sue Raby at the Garden Tomb
When we heard that the Archdeacon Hugh was to be a member of the pilgrimage, we wondered if his inclusion might result in a somewhat subdued atmosphere; we could not have been more wrong! Hugh McCurdy’s presence enhanced both the spiritual and the social aspects of our experience, with his irrepressible sense of humour and seemingly boundless energy. In Galilee, his ability to stay up chatting until the early hours, combined with the ability to swim in the sea shortly after sunrise (around 5.30 am) was greatly admired by the more sedentary members of the group.
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem.
Bible readings will never be the same again – scenes from our trip instantly spring to mind and the bustling and confused city of Jerusalem is -- as it was in the time of Jesus – full of controversy, confusion and frailty.
by Bridget Garton, Kate and David Reed, St. John's, Cambridge
- Download a report written by Geoff Grayton
- Photographs of the Pilgrimage taken by Geoff Grayton Album 1 of 2 Album 2 of 2
Other local places offering opportunities for spiritual growth: