A Birthday in the Old City

This morning started with a birthday cake for Dr E, with candles labeled "6" and "0" on it.  (I won't tell you his exact age!)  After a rousing rendition of the happy birthday song, Dr E successfully blew out both candles.

We then left to take the bus from here into the old city of Jerusalem.  We got to the bus station to find there is no bus directly from here to there like there was two years ago.  A cab driver was more than happy to arrange cabs for us to get to the checkpoint, which we'd have to go through on foot before finding the bus on the Israeli side that could take us to Old Jerusalem and our intended destination, Christ Church.  We arrived just minutes before the service started.

Old Jerusalem is divided into four quarters - Armenian, Christian, Muslim, and Jewish (divisions which don't necessarily reflect the present).  Christ Church, in the Armenian quarter, is passionate about outreach to her Jewish neighbors.  Today's service was in English, with some liturgy and songs in Hebrew.  The sermon on Zacchaeus was meaningful for our group because we just saw his tree yesterday!  I appreciated the pastor's emphasis on Jewish mindset which created the framework in which Jesus interacted with Zacchaeus. 

After meeting up with Chris E (from last year's ICS trip; he's studying in Jerusalem this semester), we visited some "holy" sites, including the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial - the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Christian quarter.  Many in our group were saddened to see so many pilgrims desiring to touch "the very" spots where Jesus was nailed, hung, laid, etc, when we knew the Bible said he was crucified outside the city gates, so this couldn't be the location at all.  JT had us pray for those who were here seeking a religious experience and missing the relationship with Jesus.  Then Chris E graciously took our group photo.

The evening ended back in Bethlehem, hearing Joseph the innkeeper's testimony of how God has worked in his life and how He's working even now in Bethlehem.  He was born 130 meters from the place where Jesus was born, but his spiritual journey took him to the States for many years before coming back and opening a hotel in Bethlehem.  Joseph is passionate about sharing the love of Jesus with his neighbors, a task which has unique challenges, considering the surroundings.  Pray for Joseph - and many others like him - for encouragement and perseverance!