You wouldn’t know it now, but a year ago, as we stood in the West Bank among the fields of Bethlehem, it felt like there could be peace on earth and good will to men. The sounds around us didn’t include the thundering of tanks and the booming of artillery. It didn’t include the shuffling of soldiers or the panic of civilians fearful for their lives. It didn’t include the … [Read more...] about The Shepherd’s Fields
Holy Land Tour Images
Jericho
On a trip to the holy land, Jericho is another stop along the way. It sits at 250 m below sea level. At first, it doesn’t seem much to look at. Nestled within the Palestinian territory labeled as the West Bank, with a current population of around 20,000, it features ancient ruins among contemporary accommodations. This centre of civilization is one of the longest enduring … [Read more...] about Jericho
The mount of the beatitudes invoke blessings
Imagine looking around you and seeing people in an endless stream down the slopes of a mountain from where you bask in the warm glow of the sun. The view of the creative lakeside setting is stunning. You’re on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee between Capernaum and Gennesaret. While the hilltop is 200 metres above the lake shore it is really still 25 meters below sea … [Read more...] about The mount of the beatitudes invoke blessings
The mountain fortress – Masada
Any pilgrimage to Israel should include a cable car ride, or a walk, up to the palatial ruins of Herod the Great at Masada. The Judean King captured this desert outpost in 43 BC from the Hasmonean rulers who had first developed it. According to the historian, Josephus, Masada was the last stand for 960 Sicarii (Jewish extremist rebels) opposing the Romans in 73 AD. The site’s … [Read more...] about The mountain fortress – Masada
The good news the tomb of Jesus is empty
The good news is that it’s still empty. Not only on resurrection morning but all year long. Huddled outside the Old City walls near the Damascus Gate at the site of a bus station, by a rocky structure faintly once resembling a skull, sits a garden tomb which some protestants have pegged as the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. The garden tomb is said to have been … [Read more...] about The good news the tomb of Jesus is empty