Israel is unbelievable and beautiful! In case I forget to mention, the food is phenomenal! Olives, hummus, falafel, olive oil, and fresh veggies! Makes me hungry again just to think about it!
Before going, my friend and I completed the 9 lessons from Moody Bible Institute that are a part of the study trip. They helped a lot with the geographical layout, history, culture, and temple/synagogue blueprints.
One of our trips was into Bethlehem which is now in the West Bank. We saw the Church of the Nativity where Christ could have been born. Emperor Constantine's mother, Helena purchased several Holy sites in about 300 A.D. The site where Christ could have been born is one of them. Because Helena purchased these sites so soon after Christ's life on earth, it is thought by some the sites could be authentic. The only ruins we saw in Bethlehem are under the church; a home attached to a stable which you can see below.
Upon entering the church, we went down into the basement from the Greek Orthodox portion of the church. The Church of the Nativity is made up of three churches; Greek Orthodox, Catholic, and Armenian. It takes a while to enter into the basement where the star is located. As you can see in the picture below, there are crowds of people waiting to go in. We had to wait for a mass to finish before entering. There were priests inside waving incense around the stable. I was told in March, when the tourist season picks up, one can expect to wait about 3 hours to get down inside the stable!
The picture below shows an alter with candles. This is located in the home portion of the church. The stable is on the other side of this wall. Of course, the home and stable were not separated 2,000 years ago. They are now since they are each under two different churches.
Here are people waiting to enter the basement to see the stable. This is the line behind me as I am crowded in with our group. You can see some of the incense burners hanging above people's heads.
The next day, we traveled around Jerusalem and one of our sites was the Church of the Holy Sepluchre. Most of my pictures did not do it justice so I borrowed a few from Google Images. Below, you can see the main alter and all the incense burners hanging above. Both of the churches are beautiful! This site was also purchased by Helena and was thought to be where Christ was crucified and buried.
The two pictures below are of the slab where Christ was supposedly wrapped in linen after pulled down from the cross. When we were there, crowds of people surrounded this slab; kneeling, kissing, laying on it, and wiping it with cloths.
Here is another alter in the church. The church also includes a huge rock behind a glass case where Christ's cross could have been held. It is said as his blood dripped onto the rock, a crack appeared. Again, there were crowds of people everywhere. As we were visiting these sites in the off-season, there were not nearly as many crowds as there will be starting in March!
This is taken outside the Church of the Holy Sepluchre.
The picture below is inside the tomb where Christ could have been buried inside the Church. There is a monitor outside the tomb. As you wait in line to go in, he is there to make sure visitors do not tarry inside the tomb. As I was watching other tourists go in, I again saw them laying on the surface and kissing where Christ could have laid. The monitor gave people a few moments, then knocked on the door and told them time was up.
As I was observing people worshiping emblems, a few thoughts and verses came to mind. I saw a problem with people kneeling, kissing, and basically worshiping man-made emblems! Christ was not there nor is He still in the grave. Why seek for the living among the dead? Christ is risen, in heaven, and lives in our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. Isaiah 53:2
While the churches were beautiful and attracted so many crowds of people from all over the world and in different stations of life; I thought of the occurrences of 2,000 years ago. Before Christ was born, an angel appeared to a young poor Hebrew girl. She had little status and contrary to what we have now, no drawings, photos, or paintings of her appearance. Joseph was just a carpenter from a small village. He had no fame or fortune. The first to hear of Christ's birth were lowly shepherds sung to by a choir of angels! I imagine that choir had to beat anything ever heard or played in the future! Christ was born in a beat-up stable, not in a gorgeous church with chanting priests and incense burners. In my mind, there was a huge difference of what occurred on these particular sites then and now.
How do we worship Christ? The issue is not what we worship as in emblems and beautiful buildings, but whom and how! True worship always brings you into a right relationship with God. It is not worshiping external objects but internal with our hearts, minds and all of our being. Lately, I have been enjoying messages by John Piper and found an interested article on this topic. I am sharing the link with you if you would like to take a peek.
The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4: 23-24
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