Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

A long-awaited part of my sabbatical leave is an upcoming pilgrimage and study course in Jerusalem at St. George's College.  The Learning Objectives are:

• Integrate contextual biblical study with theological and spiritual reflection
• Reflect on some of the contemporary issues in Israel and Palestine
• Explore the nature of Christian ministry and Anglican identity in the context of Israel and Palestine
• Engage with Jewish and Muslim perspectives
• Return home renewed in faith

I wanted to share the highlights of the itinerary, hoping in a small way that you all might share this journey with me.  It will be my first trip to Israel and Palestine after many years of preaching -- trying to imagine the landscape of the many Bible stories.  

Sunday, March 8               Arrivals

                          

Monday, March 9                      O, Jerusalem!

10:00        Board bus to Nebi Samuel (Tomb of the Prophet Samuel; only if weather is fair)    

Vistas into Samaria and Judea

Second Temple period ruins

Crusader period fortress and ruins

(If weather is inclement) Visit the Museum of the History of Jerusalem in the Citadel

         13:30        Briefing:  Geography and Topography of the

Lands, Lecture Room

14:30        Visit the City of David.  Walk through Israelite excavations and Warren’s Shaft through the dry tunnels.  Visit Pool of Siloam.  Return to Temple Mount SW corner via underground passageway.

 Tuesday, March 10           Herod the Great and the Holy Child

         8:30          Depart for Bethlehem

                                    The Wall of Separation

Church of the Nativity

                                    Tomb and Chapel of St. Jerome

                                    St. Catherine’s Church

         13:00        Depart for the Herodium

Visit interior and exterior ruins of Herod the Great’s palace and fortress

         15:30        Depart for the Israel Museum

                                    Model of Jerusalem in 66 CE

Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls and Aleppo Codex)

                                

Wednesday, March 11              Into the Wilderness

         8:30          Depart for Judean Wilderness

                           Monastery of St. Euthymius

                                    Kasr al Yahud: Jordan River site of the

                                    Baptism of Our Lord

                                    Renewal of our Baptismal Vows

   

         13:30        Visit to Tel el-Sultan (ancient Jericho)

         14:15        Depart for Qumran

                           Film and visit to excavations of the

                           Essene community

                           Overview of Cave IV and Dead Sea

Thursday, March 12         The Great Sea and On To Galilee

         7:15          Depart for Caesarea Maritima

                                    Morning Prayer on the bus

         9:45          Visit Caesarea Maritim

                                    Meeting Herod the Great once again

                                    Caesarea in the New Testament

                  Roman and Christian (Byzantine) Caesarea

         12:15        Picnic lunch near the Mediterranea Sea

         13:15        Depart for Nazareth

                                    Walk through the Old City

       

 Friday, March 13      From Mt. Hermon to the Sea of Galilee

         8:00          Depart for Caesarea Philippi (Banias National Park)

                                    Visit to the Shrine of Pan

         13:30        Depart for the lakeside

Tabgha (Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes)

                           Mensa Christi (Peter’s Primacy; opportunity

                           to wade in the Sea of Galilee)

                                             Capernaum  

                                             

Saturday, March 14          Transfiguration; Facing Jerusalem

8:30          Depart to Mt. Tabor

                 

Sunday, March 15            

A “Holy Week” Begins        

       

         10:00        Eucharist in the Cathedral with the

Arabic/English-speaking congregations

    

         13:00        Depart for the Mount of Olives/Palm Sunday walk

                                    Bethphage

                                    Mt. of Olives descent

                                    Church of Dominus Flevit

Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations

  Monday, March 16

        

7:45          Walk the Way of the Cross (meet outside College front door)

         9:15          Devotional visit to the Holy Sepulchre

                       

 Tuesday, March 17                   Heading home 

You have come to the Holy City, and now return home in peace. Travel safely, and may . . . 

The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face to shine upon you,

and be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up his countenance upon you,

and give you peace.

 The Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6

Reconnecting with family

My current sabbatical has allowed me some long overdue time to connect with family.  My two sisters live just north of Tampa, Florida and I arguably do not visit them as much as I could and should.  We have not lived under the same roof for 40 years. Last week I enjoyed some days in the sun with them.  As with many families: same old stories were shared! 

I brought with me stacks of old family photos and albums that I had inherited from my late-mother when she died 10 years ago.  I found sorting and distributing the photos to be both a nostalgic and a therapeutic exercise.  With so many of our photos digital these days, I wonder how many will have old albums to sort through in coming years.  I would urge folks to find those old photos and spend some time looking through them.  Pass them on. Take pictures of them.  

Mark, Mindy and Terri Pendleton circa 1966 in Cincinnati, Ohio 

Some years later 

My sister's church in Tarpon Springs, Florida 

My sister and husband attend a large non-denominational church in nearby Tarpon Springs, Florida.  It was an interesting worship experience for me and I can see why it is appealing to so many. 

Leslie and me kayaking down the Weeki Wachee River (fed by a natural spring)

My Mexican Journey: A first look with some pictures and thoughts

Chiles (the hot variety) from a market in Puebla, Mexico February 2020

It was for Leslie and me our longest trip away from home, certainly out of the country, that we have ever shared -- five weeks in Mexico.  We began with three days in Mexico City, which for me is my favorite city in the world for its immense size, its vitality, history and of course its amazing street food.  Celebrating New Years' Eve until 2 a.m. (I rarely make it to midnight) with a church friend from Mexico and her husband was a great way to ring in 2020. 

Why Mexico for part of my sabbatical?  As my journey in faith began nearly 37 years ago on a beach in South America when I first felt the presence of Jesus, it was been true ever sense that when I want to rekindle, refresh and remember the roots of my vocation and faith, I must return to Latin America.  I need to drink from the well that first inspired me to say "yes" to a way and a life that at the moment I had absolutely no idea where it would lead.  The region has been my Holy Land since 1983. And Mexico is one of the giants of Latin America, with its history, culture, its many vibrant indigenous peoples and languages, food, cinema and its proximity to the United States -- making it for me a nation that I have long been drawn to. Mexican people are open and friendly, making it an easy place for traveling gringos. 

In exchange for free accommodations in the rectory in Oaxaca City, a significant travel destination in southern Mexico, the trade off was that I would preach and preside for five Sundays at Holy Trinity Episcopal/Anglican Church.  Leslie and I fared quite well with a small chapel area as our living and dining room during the week and coped even when there was no running water for two days.  Water is a chronic problem in the desert region.   We spent four weeks total in Oaxaca City, which in the winter months is a major travel destination for foreigners.  We saw no rain and daytime temperatures were in the 80's. 

The exchange rate and the power of the U.S. dollar allows ex-pats and other travelers to live and eat very well: high-end restaurants with elaborate tasting menus and expertly trained chefs abound.  That brings its own internal issues and conflicts, as one can not walk a block without being confronted with the crushing poverty of so many.  I would fill my pocket with peso coins each time I would venture out, unable to look away or deny giving something when I could.  (That is probably a topic of a longer blog post.) 

Enjoying some tamales with parishioners after Sunday service on the patio on our last Sunday 

One of my five Sunday homilies that shall we say were very much off the cuff 

The "little" church around the corner from the rectory.  La Soledad

Oaxaca is a city of surprises.  Known for its colonial architecture and its deep indigenous roots, we found new neighborhoods each day as we ventured further out.  The church itself is located on a very busy street for bus and taxi traffic, making the clouds of exhaust and toxic fumes at times unbearable (the trees were black).  

Not far outside the city many treasures awaited us.  The ruins of Monte Alban, the original settlement in the Valley of the Zapotec peoples going back to 1200 B.C. was massive, inspiring and hot.  Mitla was another destination. 

The Main Plaza of Monte Alban 

With Leslie in nearby Tula is the largest tree in Latin America estimated to be 2,000 years old 

We had the opportunity to go on a full-day tour of small mezcal producers outside the city with a local expert.  Mezcal has been the drink of Oaxaca for centuries and is made from the agave cactus.  There has been increased interest in foreign markets for this unique beverage, which in turn is employing thousands of locals who otherwise would have very little work and would often look to emigrate across the Mexican border. 

Getting ready to bury and cook the agave 

Distillation of mezcal in copper pots in a local and rural producer 

One of the other perks/duties of my Oaxaca stay was to perform a wedding for a New York City couple at the beautiful botanical gardens next to the ancient Santo Domingo Convent.  It was an amazing event that included a calenda, a parade through the streets with dancers and a band and much more.  

A traditional post wedding calenda -- amazing! 

There are many other pictures I could share.  And, since a sabbatical is also about rest, Leslie and I flew to the Oaxaca coast for four days for an early celebration of our 30th wedding anniversary (June 2).  We spent four days in paradise high atop a cliff just outside of Puerto Angel.  We promised to return. 

Pondering the mysteries -- with a view of whales and dolphins from the pool.  What a gift! 

We arrived home in New Hampshire on February 3.  More news to follow.

Thank you Christ Church Exeter for the gift of this time away.