Along with my traveling companions, we safely arrived today on a direct flight from Logan Airport in Boston to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. We are a rabbi and a priest with twelve others from the Jewish and Christian traditions. (Actually two of the Christians are also priests, so in truth it's three priests, a rabbi, and...) This is my fourth time in the holy land and the third in the past decade or so after a spring break trip with a college friend in 1983. The last two pilgrimages have been well-documented in this blog, with countless photos and reflections. My previous pilgrimages have focused on Jesus, and key moments of his life, ever aware of his Jewish context. But this pilgrimage will include places I've not seen before as well as the opportunity to return to some places that I expect I'll see with new eyes. It comes at an important moment in my own life journey, although in truth I think they are all important moments. Sometimes we are just more aware.
We are at the very beginning of this interfaith pilgrimage. And each new beginning holds within it the seeds of possibility for transformation. We had a recovery day after a ten-hour overnight flight, but our first stop was promising. We stopped in Joppa - the place where Jonah got on a boat for Tarshish. And also the place where St. Peter was staying in Acts 10, with Simon the tanner.
There is a lot going on in Acts 10. (You can read about it here.) One could argue that it is in fact the place where the early Jesus movement began to diverge from Judaism to become a Gentile religion: Peter's vision and subsequent lunch meeting with Cornelius changes everything. It's a pivotal moment in Acts and in the life of the early Church. Moreover, it's from there that word begins to spread around the Mediterranean to places like Corinth and Ephesus and Philippi and Rome.
We finished our day with a shared meal together, gathered around a table, Christians and Jews. A lot can happen when people share a meal together. Stay tuned.
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