THE REV. DR. KATE CRESS — Before visiting the Holy Land for the first time, we pilgrims often imagine ourselves walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Visiting holy sites, we imagine we will engage in something close to time travel, transported to first century life. Then, when we arrive in Israel and Palestine, we find almost every holy site where Jesus performed a miracle or healed an invalid to be covered up with a giant Catholic Church! So we file into these churches, built many centuries after Christ, trying to catch a whiff of ancient life and holy power. Sometimes, it happens, and these gracious spaces echo with the holy. Not always, though.
But, in my experience, this disillusionment is temporary! Before long, we pilgrims begin to discover the life, legacy and ongoing presence of Jesus in other ways. In the faithfulness and hospitality of the Palestinian Christians we meet, offering us endless cups of mint tea and heartfelt conversation. In the stunning landscapes dotted with sheep. In our own personal pilgrim journeys as we pray for clarity, guidance and healing in our lives. And in getting to know one another and sharing our faith experiences.
Ultimately, we meet Jesus in the here and now, in all the mystery and complexity of modern life in the Holy Land. For me, moments that mattered most included sharing the Eucharist outdoors on Shepherds’ Field, the place where angels visited the shepherds to announce the birth of the newborn king. Unexpected moments, like baptizing a family in the waters of the Jordan River. Inspiring ones, like standing atop Mt. Nebo and looking out across the Promised Land as Moses would’ve done in the moments before his death. All of this while in the midst of the clashes and juxtapositions of cultures today, as complicated as Jesus’ own time.
We Episcopal and Lutheran pilgrims enjoyed every moment of our travel and we thank you for your prayers for us along the way. As we reminded ourselves in prayer each morning, we are pilgrims, not tourists, listening for deepest meaning. May you walk a pilgrim path in your own life each day, searching for signs of the living God everywhere you go and in everything you do.
(pictured: Pilgrimage co-leaders, The Rev. Dr. Kate Cress of St. James in-the-City and The Rev. James Boline of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Santa Monica)