felix hominum

In the footsteps of St Paul - pilgrimage 2010

Churches carved into the rock…ancient cities where the Gospel was first proclaimed…  the birthplace of the Creeds of the Church…  Roman and Byzantine ruins…Greek islands…sandy beaches…one of the friendliest and most interesting cultures in Asia…   All this and more can be found on our pilgrimage to modern-day Turkey, ancient Asia Minor, and the Greek island of Patmos.

Turkey was the site of much of Saint Paul’s work of evangelism, the home of Early Church theologians, and the site of the earliest ecumenical councils of the Church. Patmos was the home to St John the Divine, author of the last book of the New Testament, and the place where his Revelation was written. Both are tremendous places of pilgrimage for Christians today.  If you have ever wondered about the ancient world, about the life and times of Saint Paul, about the meaning and message of the Book of Revelation, or even about Christian theology in general, then this pilgrimage is for you! We will be following in the footsteps of the great Apostle, exploring the cities where he preached, taught and wrote, and visiting the land that in many ways gave rise to our modern church. In Western Turkey and on the Greek island of Patmos, we will explore the challenges of early Christian life in the ancient world, and the context which gave rise to some of the great Christian writings. We will visit, among other places, Ephesus, Colossae, Pergamum, Laodicea, Antioch of Psidia, Patmos, Nicea and, of course, Byzantium.

Please consider joining us for a pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Paul next spring. The trip will be led by the Rev. Sally French and the Rev. Joe Walker.  A full itinerary and registration materials will be posted soon for downloading.

Itinerary in MS Word  Download Turkey_2010

Itinerary as PDF: Download Turkey Itin

speaking of Turkey...

Plans are being considered for another "Footsteps of St Paul" Christian pilgrimage to Turkey (and possbile a bit of Greece).  I'll post the proposed details as they take shape, but the dates we are considering are for late Spring 2010 - probably in late April.

serious looking saints...

Chora Church, Istanbul,

© Joe Walker, 2008

Church sign, Mount of the Transfiguration

Arab shopkeeper, Jerusalem

 

Crosses over Capernaum

Crosses over Capernaum
photo ©  Joe Walker 2009

early morning, Holy Sepulchre, Old City of Jerusalem

the morning commute
©2009 Joe Walker

An Arab Palestinian Israeli citizen who is an Anglican Christian - a modest proposal

One of the things we try hard to do on our Holy Land pilgrimages is connect people with local Christian communities.  This is not in any way an "official" sort of thing - just a grassroots connecting of Christians from the west with Christians who live and work and worship in various parts of the Holy Land.  With that in mind, we are hoping to expand this connection in some sort of fruitful direction.  As part of this, we are hoping to make some local grassroots connections with Father Fuad, an Anglican priest and friend in the Holy Land who says he can only be described as an Arab Palestinian Israeli citizen who is an Anglican Christian, ministering in a very complicated context.

I'd like see Father Fuad's ministry supported in prayer and through some local connections.  It's just an idea at this point, but I'd love to fly him over to share with some of us what it means to be a Christian ministering in that part of the world today.  There are lessons to be learned.

I particularly like Fr. Fuad's response to the inevitable questions he gets from western Christians who saunter by his church.  "Oh, you are an Arab - when did you convert to Christianity?"  "I think my ancestors converted sometime around the end of the 1st Century..."

I'll let you know if it gets beyond the idea stage...

doors of the Holy Land

Muslim Quarter, Old City, jerusalem

rooftop hermitage, Old City, Jerusalem

Old Jaffa port
© 2009 Joe Walker

like a rolling stone tomb

photo © Joe Walker 2009

There are a few examples of rolling stone tombs still to be found in Israel.   This one in particular is found in Nazareth, and it comes with an unusual story.  Although, to be fair, most things in this part of the world come with an unusual story.  It seems that when the owners of this site were first purchasing land for expansion many years ago, the local Muslim landowner wanted a fairly steep price.  The land was, according to local legend, the "home of the righteous man."  The land was bought, and some time later, while doing work on the property, a first century house and road were uncovered, along with this first century tomb.  You can get a sense of what scripture means when it refers to rolling away the stone.  The location of this particular tomb is in Nazareth, and local speculation (nothing proven, except piety) ties in with Saint Joseph, whom the Gospel describes as being "a righteous man"...


Mark 15.45-16.8

When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back.

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’

15 year old killed as "Israeli collaborator"

On one of my early morning walks through Jerusalem (and early morning is the best time for such a thing) I got into a conversation with one of the local shopkeepers.  He was relatively annoyed at someone who was habitually using the loading/unloading area as a private parking stall, thus hindering the shopkeeper's operations.  "What can I do?", he said.  "If I complain to the Israeli police and have him issued a parking ticket, perhaps I will be beaten as a collaborator."

 a Palestinian family has killed its 15-year-old son in the West Bank after accusing him of "collaboration" with Israel.  The boy's body was discovered near Kalkilya on Wednesday.

The Palestinian Authority security forces announced that they have arrested a number of the boy's family members in connection with the killing.  The victim was identified as Raed Wael Sawalha.
PA security sources said the suspects confessed to the killing, claiming that they decided to kill Masalha because of his alleged connections with the Israeli authorities.  Sawalha is the youngest Palestinian to be killed on suspicion of "collaboration" with Israel.

Hundreds of other suspected collaborators have also been killed by Palestinians over the past few years.  The boy's body was discovered in the basement of a house in his village of Hijjah in the Kalkilya area.  A preliminary investigation launched by PA security forces revealed that Sawalha had been brutally tortured before he was hanged to death.

Life on the ground in the Holy Land.  Story here.

the faithful at prayer: Western Wall, Jerusalem

photo: © Joe Walker 2009


 1st century temple steps exposed

The only problem with Masada...

word on the street: reaction to Obama's speech from the Green Line, Jerusalem

On the corner just outside the Damascus Gate leading up from the Old City of Jerusalem is a guy with a Bunsen burner.  For 3 shekels he will boil you up a fine Arabic coffee in just under 15 seconds.  I take mine ithneyn, 2 sugars.  The place is one of most under-rated people watching spots in the world.  You can throw a rock and hit the old Green Line, and I'm sure such a thing has in fact been done many times in the past.  Two or three street vendors sell kebabs and such - street meat in the Middle East is not for everyone, though I confess I do have a tender spot for it. 

The corner is a great meeting place for locals.  Workers heading to their day jobs will pick up their morning coffee, unemployed and out of school kids will gather to smoke incessantly, and in the evening the old men come out.  "Politicians, just politicians. We've heard politicians for 60 years.  This is nothing."  "What can he do?  He is not God."  In my rather unscientific poll (conducted, if you are wise, among the older gentlemen - the younger can become a bit too impassioned after a bit), what I heard was mostly a variation on "thanks for coming out Mr. President, but..."

ps:  a billboard in Nazareth, one block from the Church of the Annunciation:

East Jerusalem, child among the women

photo: © Joe Walker 2009

Greetings from Nazareth

The sun is just coming up here in Nazareth. We have been in the holy land for a little over a week now;  we began in Jerusalem with an overview of the city, and then I took people down by the Jericho road into the wilderness, along the dead sea (with the obligatory float), Masada, Qumran, and then back up to Jericho.  That leg of the trip took us about 2 days, and on the third day I took the group into Bethlehem, to explore the Shepherds' and then around Manger Square and the church of the Nativity.  Despite what you may have heard, the checkpoint into Bethlehem was quite smooth, and the town itself has remained mostly peaceful (it is part of the west bank).

One of the great sights which one must not miss in Jerusalem is Shabbat celebrations on Ben Yehuda Street.  There is everything from jugglers and street musicians to groups of Orthodox men dancing in the square and inviting men passing by to join in.  For Pentecost we worshipped with the Anglican community of St George's cathedral - a mix of Arabic and English, which seemed a fitting mix for the day.  Monday and Tuesday we took people around the Sea of Galilee, and managed as well to get up into the Golan Heights for a spectacular view of the entire region.  We renewed our baptismal vows in the Jordan, and have continued on west to Nazareth.  I am planning to introduce our group to a local Anglican parish (Abbouna Fuad is the priest & I have a connection with him) and let the group learn about life as a Christian in the Holy Land, away from the souvenir shops and trinkets.  Will update later in the day...

Mt Sinai, mid morning

photo Joe Walker

The little gathering at the bottom of the photo is the last of several tea huts along the way.  It also serves as a bit of a camel parking lot. At the top right you can make out a few pilgrims who are near the summit.

caeserea mosaic

Easter day, inside the church of the Holy Sepulchre

photo: Joe Walker

Good Friday in Jerusalem...

photo Joe Walker, 2005
courtyard of the church of the Holy Sepulcher,
just after a small incident, which I might relate when I have the time...

the church at prayer

 

Coptic area, Old Cairo
photo Joe Walker, 2007

the rock churches of central Cappadocia

The early Christian communities of Cappadocia.  I think the thing which most strikes visitors is the contrast between the sheer rock and stone of the exterior, and the rich decoration of the interior.  The first shot shows the beginning of the internal structure;  it was exposed after earthquake damage.  I think this to be an apt symbol for the life of the monastic and the hermit.  From a purely external point of view, all one sees is the harsh discipline of the ascetic life.  But within, hidden from view, is the rich spiritual life of one who devoted to Christ.

from a cafe in Istanbul

photo©Joe Walker

all the colours of the rainbow

that would be a selection of belly dancing outfits in the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

photo Joe Walker 2008

in case you were wondering what Rick Warren meant by Isa...

as seen in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. 

Apparently Rick Warren made reference to Isa in his prayers.  To make a cultural confession, I didn't watch any of the inauguration stuff.

photo Joe Walker 2005

1000 troops needed to get Bethlehem ready for Christmas

In another step aimed at bolstering the Palestinian Authority, Israel will allow the deployment of close to 1,000 PA policemen in Bethlehem in the run-up to the Christmas period.

Brig.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the head of the Civil Administration in the West Bank, will meet Wednesday with his Palestinian counterparts to discuss a request to increase the number of PA policemen currently stationed in Bethlehem...

Bethlehem Mayor Victor Batarseh said that he expects a good Christmas season this year.  PA Information Minister Riad Malki said the number of tourists to the Palestinian areas has grown steadily since 2006, following a sharp decline in Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

from the J'lem Post

In case you are wondering why Bethlehem might need 1000 additional troops around Christmas, let's just say peace on earth has not yet come to the place of Jesus' birth.  Keep an eye out for this year's traditional festivities...

this ain't Kansas, Dorothy

in fact, it's the far side of Mt Sinai.  Over the ridge away from the main pilgrimage routes there is a great little place where Ahmed & I had some tea and about an hour of  conversation.  He runs a great little shop which is, ummmm, off the beaten track.

I'll introduce you if you want to join us this spring for our next Holy Land Pilgrimage.

Monks brawl at Jerusalem shrine

Israeli police have had to restore order at one of Christianity's holiest sites after a mass brawl broke out between monks in Jerusalem's Old City.  Fighting erupted between Greek Orthodox and Armenian monks at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's crucifixion.

Two monks from each side were detained as dozens of worshippers traded kicks and punches at the shrine, said police.  Trouble flared as Armenians prepared to mark the annual Feast of the Cross.

Shocked pilgrims looked on as decorations and tapestries were toppled during Sunday's clash.  Dressed in the vestments of the Greek Orthodox and Armenian denominations, rival monks threw punches and anything they could lay their hands on.  The Greeks blamed the Armenians for not recognising their rights inside the holy site, while the Armenians said the Greeks had violated one of their traditional ceremonies.

Full story at the BBC, complete with edifying video footage.

Update: Holy Land Pilgrimage 2009, In the footsteps of Jesus

We've had interest from bishop Greg Kerr Wilson of Qu'Appelle having some people from his diocese join us on a Holy Land Pilgrimage in 2009.  So we have done a bit of adjusting and here is the updated info for 2009: 

The itinerary is very similar to our original pilgrimage route, with two options:  Israel only, and for those who wish, Egypt and Israel combined.

For full itinerary and pricing click here.

ritual washing / 'baptismal' at Qumran

Notice the two sets of steps:  you go in one way, and you come out a different way.  It captures my imagination that this is a physical image of change of direction.

"Repent, and be baptized."

photo: felix hominum