A day of senses

This was a day of vivid senses. A day which I will remember for the roughness of stone and bark, the sharpness of prickly pears, the taste of figs straight from the tree, the rich smell of damp leaves, the sound of rushing water, the wonderful coolness of spray on my face, the smile of a child and the kindness of a friend.

The day started early - in fact to be truthful it kind of drifted in from the previous day. So much had been going round in my head that despite offloading some of it onto here (see below) when I finally got to bed sleep had given up on me and gone elsewhere! So I dozed, thought and fidgeted (sorry Rosemary) until 5 am and then got up and swam in the almost cool and wonderfully refreshing sea until the day decided to get up and join me. When it arrived it had clearly got much more beauty sleep than I and was totally awesome. To watch knowing that even if I took photos every couple of seconds each one would be completely different, and utterly stunning was an experience for which words don't even come close.



Morning prayer followed, where we were joined for a brief while by a kingfisher, then breakfast led to the usual scramble to get ready to pile onto the bus. It was at this point that one of my fellow travellers recalled a little know piece of scripture 'The first will be last, and the last will be . . Helen'!! Ooops!



Having finally got on board we climbed from the relative cool of the lake side up (only just above sea level) into the hills to Korazin one of the villages which Jesus denounced for their unbelief (Matt 11:20-24). OK so maybe not the best way to be remembered, but we saw examples of a typical Galilean synagogue, houses built with many arches to support the roofs which were made of blocks of stone, rather than wood or palms, and the most detailed and beautiful carvings. The rock here was basalt, stunningly dark after the relentless limestone of the south, volcanic and full of tiny bubbles. Having never worked with stone I really wouldn't know but this did not look like an easy material to work with. In spite of this the workmanship even after 2000 years was stunning. I really didn't think I could get this excited about lumps of stone - but wow I did. Rather than whittle on any more I'll leave you to check out some of my photos on the 'Flickr' badge on the left. Enjoy!

From Korazin we were driven further north up to and along the boarder with Lebanon to the base of Mount Hermon and Caesarea Philippi. This is the location of one of the largest springs feeding the River Jordan. In a dry land all of this water has made the area very fertile and as a result very attractive for religious worship. Many temples have been built on this site through the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It was at this place of religious diversity that Jesus asked Peter to declare on behalf of the people and himself who they thought Jesus was (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2016:12-%2020;&version=31;).

Having eaten figs from an overladen tree (evidently not the one cursed by Jesus - Mark 11:12, 20!) we walked up to see the Grotto of the god Pan, past temples and sacred niches which were are important to the Greeks and Romans as the Holy Sepulchre is to Christians today. From there we walked down through winding, shaded paths and then up onto the side of the mountain always coming closer to the sound of rushing water. Having seen pictures I thought I knew what to expect, but when we reached the foot of the the Banias waterfall the effect was completely stunning. White water bursts out of the side of the cliff, losing 190 meters in altitude over the course of three and a half kilometers and forming what is describes as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Israel (see http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=507388 for more information).

Having spent two and a half weeks in such dry conditions to be able to sit beside this amount of crashing water was utterly intoxicating (and wonderfully cooling). I have of course dozens of photographs which inevitably do not quite capture the experience, but even now sitting at my computer many lifetimes away from this beautiful place I can feel spay settling on my face, almost like silk, refreshing but so gentle that I would never want to dry it off. Memory is a wonderful thing.

Having dragged myself away (not wishing to walk home), I climbed up to the bus alongside a Jewish couple and their baby. He also had enjoyed being cool and really didn't want to be confined in his carrier. His parents seemed keen to delay the inevitable fight and so we sat chatted for a few minutes. With their permission I took some photos of their little man who sat on the ground examining leaves with great intensity. For one brief moment he looked up at me and smiled, heaven broke open and God laughed!

From here lunch and then a trip along the Syrian boarder. Beautiful scenery but for once I decided to pass on the opportunity to view and take photos of the UN boarder positions that guard this disputed area. Eventually we arrived back in Tiberius and in the Sea again. Weary but still running high on adrenalin I was deeply grateful for good friends, with whom to walk, chat and eat very good ice-cream. To them many, many thanks.

So was this day about study? Well maybe not. Was it about spirituality? - Most definitely. I visited a place where one of those closest to Jesus broke through from practical, rational, human understanding into the sheer glory joy and certainty of eternity. On this day, (maybe in part due to lack of sleep which stripped down my usual defences) I was able to catch glimpses of that eternity. It was something I will never forget and hope one day to see again.

Coming out of hiding!

OK, so I know this blog is unfinished. And I know that I have been home a whole week now - but that is just it - I am home and my head is so stuffed full of memories, that it is really hard to fish them out in any sort of order. People keep asking - did I have a good time and mostly I end up saying (in an ever so slightly crazy way) - "It was fantastic" and that is where I leave it 'cause if I try to say any more it will be like opening the flood gates and I won't be able to stop talking. But now maybe it is time to try and at least finish off journalling the last couple of days. After that there are loads of people to say thank you to and then maybe I will use this space to try and untangle what all this has meant for me and for my future ministry. And wh knows where that might lead!