Palm Sunday

We spent Palm Sunday morning in a lovely worship service (in Arabic) at The Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church, and then went to watch the march into Jerusalem and to take Communion.

People from all over the world sang joyful songs and waved palm branches as they walked; it was a great atmosphere to take in, and so nice to see all the people from varying walks of life. All week, it has been amazing to see the diversity of people coming to the Holy Land, people from all over the world coming to remember Jesus.


And now, forty hours later, we've made it through all the security and gotten home safely.

This week our group, consisting of people from 20 to 71 years of age, from all over the US, both Methodists and Lutherans, found community with each other.


We remembered many acts of God as cited in the Bible, but also observed God working in our lives and those around us, looking out our day to day lives and observing as best we could the day to day lives of others, we saw with our own eyes acts of God no less miraculous than those recorded in the Bible.

I am still trying to wrap my head around the strength that we saw in each person we met, and have been reminded of the real truth that no matter what terrible situations might befall humans, those who are open to God will find peace.

As we send so many prayers in their direction for peace, for the fighting to stop, I have forgotten the importance of their inner peace. God's peace.

And as I hope I never forget to pray for every Holy Land residents' peace, my prayer is also that we may have learned from their fortitude. That we may each search for that peace within ourselves, and recognize the holy in each other. That we may always continue to search for God's peace.

Shalom.