by Greg | Feb 15, 2013 | Blog Posts
Cross Crosslet This cross is composed of four Latin crosses arranged in such a manner that their bases overlap. The Cross Crosslet is often associated with the liturgical season of Epiphany, which affirms that Jesus is revealed as the Son of God. The four crosses symbolize the four corners of the earth and the spreading of the Gospel to the world. “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Prayer: Your Word, like the four winds O Lord, covers the world. Your Word is the Creative Word; your Word is the Saving Word; your Word is the Forgiving Word; Your Word is Love. Thank You for Your Word, spoken deep in our hearts and throughout Your creation....
by Greg | Feb 14, 2013 | Blog Posts
Each day of Lent it is my intention to share with you a different image and reflection of the cross, followed by a prayer. Today let us refelct on the Tau Cross. Tau Cross The name comes from the cross’s resemblance of the Greek letter T. Tradition has it as the form of the staff which Moses raised up in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9). Other names for this symbol are Cross of the Old Testament, Prophetic Cross, and Anticipatory Cross. This cross is also the form often represented in paintings for the two thieves crucified on either side. “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:14-16) Hear and believe the Good News: In a world of pretentious posturing and survival of the fittest, we do not have to weary ourselves any longer with being good enough, smart enough, rich enough or talented enough. It is enough to look up, be loved and believe. Christ is enough, today and all our days. Prayer: O God may my thoughts and words; actions and intentions hold your love high that the world may see your magnanimous love....
by Greg | Feb 13, 2013 | Blog Posts
Today we begin the forty day journey of Lent. It is a journey that will lead us – followers and stragglers of Jesus – to the cross. The cross was at one time a symbol of terror and domination. Its purpose was to strike fear and imperial suppression against anyone who dared to threaten Rome. One man did, and suffered beneath the cross. Through the centuries since the crucifixion of Jesus the cross has been elevated from a symbol of torture and defeat, to the marking of disciples. The cross has been adorned, decorated, beautified, trivialized, but also has served to indentify and set apart believers. During Lent I will be sharing different shapes the cross has taken, along with some of its symbolic meanings. Regardless of how we see and picture the cross, we have been invited to bear the cross and follow Jesus. It is the only way to Easter. On Ash Wednesday young and old are invited to come forward and by marked with the cross in ashes. We share the words, “…you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) We are surrounded by silly symbols of our anxieties that oftentimes are manifested in over-consumption and violence. Yet we are all, in the end, destined to be no more than a can of ashes on this earth. Ash Wednesday and Lent call on us to ignore the anxious voices that cannot believe in anything but the self, and listen to the voice of the One, who out of dust, breathed in each the breath of life. There will come a day when our...
by Greg | Feb 8, 2013 | Blog Posts
How do you picture forgiveness? Are you in need of forgiveness? Do you struggle to forgiven another? Why do we need to forgive? For Lent (and two weeks prior to Lent) I am focusing for my Wednesday evening Bible Study as series on “Faces of Forgiveness.” Below are my notes for the last two weeks. Please overlook grammatical and spelling errors. We know about it and we hear about it and sometimes we see it, but do we believe it? In 2006 the Amish community in Pennsylvania had a school shooting that killed five children. They went very public with their need to forgive. Or… Do you recall when the now infamous runaway bride of Duluth returned home, talk radio pundits and the call in public took their shots and jabs, but the fiancé spoke of forgiveness. And the media and public alike ridiculed him, as if such an act was a sign of stupidity. Forgiveness? Does it really exist? Or maybe it would be better to say is it really possible? I am convinced that at the root of any poisoned or broken relationship is the failure to forgive. Please understand this: for the Christian believer, forgiveness is not an option, it is rarely easy, it does not come natural, and it will be hard work. What did Jesus say about Forgiveness? Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors… 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 18:...
by Greg | Jan 23, 2013 | Blog Posts
There and Back Again” is the subtitle to J.R.R. Tolkien’s tale of hobbits, goblins and wizards in The Hobbit. There and back again has been my theme after ten days of travel through the Holy Land, seeing where the Bible comes alive over the rolling waters of the Sea of Galilee and the bustling streets of Jerusalem. Our group had wandered far and now we have wandered home. One of the things I like about traveling is enjoying local foods. In Texas I appreciate beef barbeque (no substitute for pork, but it will do). In India I could not get my fill of curry. I do not need to even comment on the sheer volume of raw oysters I consume when vacationing near Apalachicola. I have never had goulash like I ate in Hungary. Readers of my blog know that while wandering through the Holy Land I did not tire of pita bread, falafel, hummus and other tahini laced dishes. No matter where I wander off to, however, it is always good to wander back home. Give me biscuits and country-fried steak and I know that I am at home. Wherever you find yourself wandering, I say wander with a purpose. God has created a wonderful world for us to see and experience. The psalmist sings: “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (24.1) You do not have to touch the Jordan River or pray at the Western Wall to be closer to God. You just need to look up, look around, and look forward for God is before you...
by Greg | Jan 17, 2013 | Blog Posts
Today was our “free” day which meant to guided tours (or tour buses) and only breakfast and suppers was scheduled. In spite of having good intentions to sleep in, I was up and at it after six hours rest. Apparently everyone else was too because our folks were all having breakfast by 7:30. I cannot speak for the others but I spent the day primarily wandering the streets of the Old City in Jerusalem. Most others were doing the same because I ran into folks I knew throughout the day. This was also a time to catch up on buying last minute knick-knacks. One merchant wanted to sell me an item that started out at $120. By the time I left his shop he sold it to me for $25. In another store a merchant wanted $35 for an item and even though he blocked the doorway from me exiting I walked out and he chased me down the street to sell it to me for the $5 I originally set. By the time we all returned (or most of us anyway!) for supper, everyone was chattering excitedly about their adventures. Tonight we packed up and prepared for our flight home. This will be my last blog entry for our Holy Land Wanderings. Thank you all for reading and sharing in our great pilgrimage. this has been extraordinarily special to share this place and journey with so many from our church. I am blessed...
by Greg | Jan 16, 2013 | Blog Posts
I have noticed that I have been posting the wrong date corresponding with the actual event – sorry about the confusion. This article is about yesterday’s travels on the 15th (of course who knows what day my body thinks it is. The sermon this Sunday should be interesting to say the least!) This is the day that everyone realizes that touring the Holy Land is hard work even if it is on an airconditioned Coach and not a camel. Nevertheless we were determined to make our last day of pilgrimage (tomorrow is a free day) and good one. It turned out to be a great one. We traveled to Masada, the site of the fortress built by Herod the Great. A century later Jewish zealots, the Sicarii, occupied it during their revolt against the Romans. The fortress occupies the top of an impressive, free-standing rock some 1300 feet above and two-and-a-half miles on the western side of the Dead Sea. Masada is not mentioned in the Bible, but is famous in Jewish history. In 73 AD, 960 Sicarii occupied the fortress and chose to die by their own hands, rather than allow capture by the Romans. According to Jewish historian Josephus, they “chose death rather than slavery…” and carried out their resolve “neither to serve the Romans nor anyone else except God.” The morning after the mass suicide the Romans broke through the fortress and, instead of facing a battle, were met by silence. It has become a national shrine for Israelis, who commemorate their sacrifice. Beginning with Herod the Great it remained occupied until the fifth or sixth...
by Greg | Jan 15, 2013 | Blog Posts
Either I am staying too late or these nights are getting too short or I am just getting too tired. Nevertheless breakfast, no matter how early, calls my name and I obey its call everyday. Most days in Jerusalem that is at 6:30AM. Our group is holding up very well. Yesterday began with a quick bus ride to Yad Vashem, The name means “a name and a place,” and it is taken from Isaiah 56:5 – I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Yad Vashem is an archive, research institute, museum, and most importantly, a memorial of the more than six million who died in the Nazi Holocaust. It was a somber way to start the day, but the visit was an important one. Throughout the museum we deal with history and the pathos of humanity. We are also given the chance to reflect and hopefully look ahead. In fact the exit of the museum opens out onto a large sweeping porch that overlooks the city of Jerusalem. It was a marked contrast to leave the reflective morning of the museum to enter once again into the marketplace. In this case we visited an antiquities dealer whose family helped preserve the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. The Kando family has a display of one of the clay jars whose contents included the scroll of Isaiah. We made our way to a Kibbutz and enjoyed a meal together. As I have written in the past,...
by Greg | Jan 14, 2013 | Blog Posts
I am hastily typing a blog this morning because last night I decided getting some sleep was more important. Currently I am sitting out on a small balcony overlooking some of the ancient walls surrounding the Old City. Rusty Brock is sharing the other half of the table doing pretty much the same thing – blogging to his church family (in between checking NFL scores). The morning is beautiful complete with crisp air that betrays the heat I am hearing about in Georgia. In just a few minutes I will make my way downstairs to enjoy a breakfast. Though there will be plenty of fresh fruits and whole grains, I will focus on whatever is fried or covered in honey or both. My attending doctors are happy to note that our dinners are quite sensible. Usually the main dish is fish of some sort, lentils and sweet potatoes as sides and a fresh green salad. Oh, and then we are served a molten lava cake (we cannot be all good all the time, even in the Holy Land). Thankfully I had a great night’s rest and so I was more than ready for the wake up call at 6am to begin another great day for our Holy Land wanderings. Outside our hotel windows we share lovely views of the city including glowing sunrises. We boarded our bus driven by our capable driver Moddi who has taken loving care getting us from one place to another while driving through narrow streets and harrowing curves. I have watched him make u-turns and parallel park – amazing! Following a prayer where we...
by Greg | Jan 12, 2013 | Blog Posts
Our day began with the usual wake-up call at 6 and I am happy to report I have now enjoyed two good night’s of sleep. After breakfast we loaded the bus and departed Galilee for good, heading south with Jerusalem as our ultimate destination. Our guide, Nadar, is outstanding. He is a Syrian Orthodox and full of good humor and important knowledge. He was our guide last time the last time our church toured the Holy Land and he has not disappointed me yet. His favorite line as we depart the bus for each site is: “Chop, chop; shake a leg; let’s get going!” Our drive was about 2 1/2 hours which was largely below sea level as we journeyed down the Jordan Valley. The geography changed dramatically from vibrant green hills and rich vegetation to stark, arid land. The wilderness, or desert as it can be translated in the Bible is a rough and rugged environment. Yet it was out of this same wilderness that Moses was called, Israel was led and fed and John the Baptist preached. The desert was where Jesus was tempted and so is a place of holy happenings and wanderings. We made one pit stop at an interesting roadside convenience store/tourist attraction. Along with bathroom breaks, others took advantage of new and exotic snacks and delicious coffee. So far no one has taken the opportunity to ride a camel but I suspect this will happen before we head back home. . We approached Jerusalem and were greeted by remnants of snow! While Georgia is going through a warm spell Jerusalem was brought to...
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