Jordan river, church of the feeding of the four thousand, Sea of
Galilee
"I'll
go down to the river to pray thinking about the good old ways and who should
wear the robe and crown"
One of the great feats of modern
pilgrimages to places like the Holy Land is the conflict in modes of
transportation, then and now. Many of
the most interesting streets and roads in places like Nazareth where we are
[presently were built for cart travel, not huge tourist buses of today. So it takes a person of dexterity and courage,
not to mention icy in the veins to negotiate such a behemoth.
Our driver's name is Omar, and like our
guide Iyad describes himself as an Arab/Palestinian/ Christian, Oman is an
Arab/Palestinian/Muslim. Omar and Iyad
are great friends. This morning I
thought we had finally tested Oman's skill to the limit. Most groups experience the Jordan River at
one of the recognized spots. There are
parking lots and gift shops. Iyad seeks
to give his clients a very different experience.
So he directed Omar down a dirt road,
soft from last night's rain to bend in the river that by all-accounts is
frequented only by locals. It was
magical. Just us and the river, we
renewed our baptismal vows and sprinkled each other with water from the river
where Jesus was baptized. There was a
wonderfully clear blue sky, and just out of the corner of my eye I think I saw
a dove flying above. But then, I am such
an incurable romantic. Later in the
afternoon we took a tourist boat on the Sea of Galilee. It was a great day, but the highlight for me
anyway, was down by the riverside.
1 comment:
It is such a blessing to follow along both here and through photos on FB! Thank you!
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