Galilee Mosaic

I want to avoid making too many judgments by comparing and contrasting this time with my previous visits to Israel. Each visit stands on its own, and I am grateful for them all. But it does help (me, at least) to reflect on what is new and different, even while embracing the lessons learned in each pilgrimage.

Today's itinerary focused on a Galilee Mosaic. It included the following: exploring Mt. Carmel, Bahai Gardens, , Muhraqa, Megiddo, a mikveh (where, at a local kibbutz, one of our fellow pilgrims reaffirmed the conversion she made to Judaism fifty years ago) and dinner in a Druze home.

If you needed to click on all or most of those links to understand what I did today, don't feel too badly. I've been ordained for three decades and most of it was pretty new to me. And oh yes, it's my fourth time in Israel.

While there may be much more to say, here is where a contrast helps. My two most recent pilgrimages were both focused on the life and ministry and ultimately death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, a first-century Jew. In "my Galilee" we were focused on Capernaum, where Jesus delivered his first sermon, and the Sea of Galilee, where he called his disciples. We will see both of those tomorrow. We also spent some time in Nazareth, Jesus' "hometown," in  both of my previous visits. Today we made a brief stop "on the way."

But I got to see a much larger context today and in both directions historically from Jesus - both to times much earlier than Jesus as well as getting a sense of modern Israel. This "Galilee Mosaic" was precisely that. And both experiences matter to me; I'm grateful to be here and have this time not be a repeat.

But they are different. And that makes it more real. If I were to show you the Worcester County I love in a few days, a Worcester Mosaic - it would undoubtedly be different from the places a millennial woman of color might take you. So there is a richness to today that I end the day feeling very grateful for.

One of the reasons I'm here is that I've been teaching in the Worcester Institute for Senior Education (WISE) for many years now; close to two decades in fact. Most recently I taught a course with my co-leader on this trip, Rabbi Aviva, on "Fifty Shades of Genesis." As a preacher and teacher I've always been interested in making the Old Testament texts come to life for the people among whom I've served - people who too often have been taught too little about why the Old Testament matters for Christian faith.

With the Revs. Meredyth Ward, Nancy Stroud,
and Elijah

So being on Mount Carmel today and remembering the story of Elijah as told in First Kings 18 was a good reminder to me of this commitment. Before Elijah ever gets into that cave (that he has run to for fear of his life!) to hear the sound of sheer silence, or the still small voice, he takes on the prophets of Baal. It doesn't end well for those prophets. It's the kind of story that Christians are tempted to resist - the kind of story that confirms the Old Testament seems to be about "a god of wrath."

But in many ways, trash-talking Elijah bragging about how "his god is better than their god" is unfortunately not exactly "ancient" history. We live in polarized times, when the kind of work we are here to do as Christians and Jews (encountering not just each other, but Bahais and Druze and Muslims) is so very difficult.

In one sense. In another, it's not hard at all. It's the same as it ever was. Yet again, at table, the sounds we heard were filled with laughter and joy and wonder as we shared a kosher meal in a Druze home, speaking with one another about parts of faith that we often take for granted. Episcopalians trying to answer the question of what makes us different from other Christians. And Jews talking about the waters of a mikveh ceremony that sound, to Christian ears, an awful lot like the waters of Baptism (except that you aren't limited to just one time with a mikveh.)

As Bono sings, "we're one...we're not the same, but we get to carry each other." Listening and learning - expanding our horizons - being patient and kind with both holy curiosity and holy envy, it was another very good day.