Easter Sunday

Two of us went to the Church of the Redeemer, a German Lutheran church in the Old City that has ties with the ELCA. Pastor Younan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land was the preacher.
The service was in Arabic, English and a bit of German because of the presence of a choir from Germany. At the end of the service we received colored hard boiled eggs, a symbol of the resurrection

Easter Vigil

Holy Saturday found us again at the Basilica Ecce Homo. It began on the roof in the dark. A roaring fire was lit and from it light for the Pachal candle. We processed into the sanctuary and stool around the altar in candlelight hearing the Easter Proclamation sung. It was beautiful. We sat down during the readings. They were interspersed with Psalms and songs. We regathered around the altar for the affirmation of baptism and then the meal. It was wonderful. Many of the songs were songs we also sing. I wish you all could have been there. We heard the first alleluia a if Easter. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Good Friday

Today we worshipped again at the Basilica of the Ecce Homo, which means "behold the man." We were in a portion of the church which felt like being in the catacombs.
The sign that directed us to this space referred to it as Lithostrotos, "judgment seat," where Jesus stands before the elevated Pilate and is tried and sentenced.
We heard John's Passion story read by several people. And maybe because Jesus died and was buried, the catacomb had a tomb like feel about it.
Now we wait.

Maundy Thursday

We gathered at Ecce Homo, an English speaking congregation connected with Tantur, for their Holy Thursday service, followed by a simple meal. After the meal, the entire congregation walked to Gethsemane, a part of the Mount of Olives, to pray. The altar of Gethsemane Church is built upon the rock that Jesus leaned against as he prayed. From there we waked the Kidron Valley to St Peter's in Gallicantu where Jesus was taken after his arrest. We then went home to await the events of Good Friday.

Bethlehem

Yesterday we spent the day in and around Bethlehem. It started out at the Herodian, one of three palaces constructed by Herod the Great. It is truly remarkable. It was like an oasis in the desert. It is an active archeological site. Then we went into Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, which has been standing since the fourth century. we also visited a cave, typical of what would have been used for housing by the shepherds. We also visited a refugee camp in Bethlehem.

Palm Sunday Procession

What an amazing afternoon. We participated in the first leg, which lasted two hours. People from all over the world were present. Many sang songs. Some had musical instruments. Some had recorded music. The weather was wonderful-sunny and in the 50s. We began at Bethphage and ended at St Anne's Church in the Old City. There were lots of palm waving and singing of hosannas.

Palm/Passion Sunday

Today as you process around Jerusalem in the sanctuary, we will be processing around Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa, some with palm branches, others with olive branches.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Wake Up Calls

Every morning around four I hear two sounds-birds outside my window and singing from the town of Bethlehem. The latter is a formal call to prayer which seems to last for 15 minutes. The former is like a prayer without ceasing for about two hours. Both wonderful. This morning they are also joined with the sound of ruach, the Hebrew for wind or breath or spirit .

The Wailing Wall

One of the most sacred spots for Jews is this place of prayer.

Spiral around Jerusalem

Today we had a whirlwind trip around Jerusalem. We started at Tantur on the southeast side and went clockwise in a spiral to old Jerusalem. Old Jerusalem in the middle from the Mount of Olives.

Tantur Entrance

Tantur sits on the top of a hill overlooking the city.

Posterous.com Learning Curve 1.6.13

I have been reading about how Posterous works and how to set up a "space" for my sabbatical blogging experiment. They make it sound easy, but I'm not quite an "A" student. Today I'm learning how to add followers. I also read some on starting a picture gallery. I'll try adding a few things on another occasion. The time is flying by quickly. So much to get ready for, so diminishing is the time.

Buying the Ticket 12.25.12

I watched ticket prices off and on for several months. I finally decided to purchase tickets even though things were heating up in Syria. I wasn't sure if prices would go up or down, but decided to buy at what seemed a reasonable price. I did check and recheck school dates and I'm glad I did. The original acceptance letter had the wrong dates. So now I have a corrected acceptance letter, passport and flight tickets.

Tantur 12.25.12

The major travel piece is a trip to Israel through the Tantur Ecumenical Institute. It is a pilgrimage over The Three Days and a mixture of class time and site visits. It is three weeks long, but I expect the time will go quickly.

Writing the Plan 12.25.12

After the initial request, a more detailed plan needed to be written for the council six months prior to the sabbatical's start time. It was well received, but took quite a bit of work to think through the various pieces and their value to me and the congregation.

Passport 12.25.12

I was able to get my passport in town. Everyone was very helpful. It only took about five weeks.

Blog Experiment 11.29.12

Trying out a new site for blogging on sabbatical. This is all new to me. We'll see if this old dog can learn a new trick.

Posterous to Blogger

When I began blogging in anticipation of my sabbatical, I started with posterous.com. I made six posts before they gave notice that they would be closing down April 30, 2013. Soon after that notice I decided to switch to Blogger.com, but there was no easy way to import from one to the other. So the next six posts will be those from Posterous.com that I've simply rewritten to this blog. They will be out of sequence, but they are a part of the journey I want to remember.

The Candle

If you were too far away to see the candle, here is a picture of it. The scent is vanilla.

The Tradition of the Candle

As a part of the sabbatical sending, two candles were on the altar. One was left there to be lit when people gather to worship while I'm away. The other is with me to be lit daily to remember the people of Augustana. When I am in Israel, my granddaughter will light it for me at breakfast time. I'll take a picture of it lit for when I'm away. I like this tradition.

Floyd

I often think of my relative Floyd. He was married to my dad's cousin Bea. He was a professor of sociology at Gustavus Adolphus College. In the summer at the lake he had a tradition of study in the morning, mowing lawn in the afternoon (is that work or relaxing?) and chilling in the evening. At least that's what I remember. My intention is to follow some of his practice. Thank you, Floyd. I miss you and our summers together.

Day One Haiku

Altered time and space
The sabbatical begins
Labyrinth walking

The Home Office

I'm rearranging our computer room as a temporary reading room while at home. It is now filled with plants from my church office. Tomorrow I'll arrange my books and begin.

The Countdown Begins

T minus two and counting. Tomorrow is the day before my sabbatical officially begins. And it will be an exciting last day-a first communion milestone at the early service, affirmation of baptism (confirmation) at the late service and a sabbatical sending for me. Tonight it's early to bed for an early rise tomorrow. I can hardly wait.