Pentecost

In Jerusalem today is the weekly Shabbat (sabbath). Therefore, in the Jewish sections of the city, everything is closed. However, the same was true yesterday, since Thursday was Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-21), and Pentecost is observed as a "special Sabbath."

It was not an accident that "on the day of Pentecost...there were God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:1,5). This "Feast of the Weeks" is still an enormously popular Jewish festival. From sundown on Wednesday through today, Jews of every shape and size have streamed into the Old City on their way to the Wailing Wall. You often can tell what nationality or sect a family belongs to by the hat that the man is wearing. For instance, the family at the right are Russian Jews (notice his unusual hat).

Not everyone goes to the wall as a family. Sometimes there is a group of teenage girls or boys or simply two men or women. What everyone has in common is they all are wearing their "Sabbath best." Why? Because, even though the Temple has been destroyed, they believe--as a sign near the wall says--that "the Divine Presence never moves from the Western Wall." So, for them, approaching the Wall is synonymous with approaching God, and they want to look their best for God.

I admire the devotion of these "God-fearers," but I believe that, after Jesus, God is found in a people, not in a place. Prior to Christ, God's people were instructed to go to the Temple at certain times of the year. After Christ's earthly sojourn, God's people are the Temple (I Cor. 3:16, 4:19-20)! Listen to the Apostle Paul's counsel: "Do not anyone judge you ... with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration, or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ" (Col. 2:17).

I am glad that I do not need to wear the long, heavy coat of an Ultra-orthodox Jew to express my devotion to God. For one thing, it's hot enough here without that much fabric! And Jesus said that the focus of our hearts is what counts, not our external appearance (Mt. 23:25-28). However, our freedom in Christ can lead to a different danger. Do we too casually approach "God's throne of grace"? When we come to our worship services week by week--indeed, in our daily lives--are we aware that we should prepare ourselves internally? Do we recognize that worship itself is a sacrifice, not just a time of instruction or inspiration?

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased" (Hebrews 13:15-16).

What's Norm Doing?

Preaching, of course!

This is the preaching platform or "ambo" at the 4th Century church in Oboda (or Avdat, if you prefer).

We didn't have much time there, but, to quote Jeff Iorg: "There's no such thing as a bad short sermon."

Enough said!

In the Caves

There's a reason I've been incommunicado for a few days. We've been on a three day field trip. Allow me to give you a taste of one site we explored.

All of these pictures were taken in the Bet Guvrin-Maresha Park. Don't you like this first picture? I call it, "Beam me up, Scotty!" It was shot in one of the "Bell Caves." These caves were quarried out in a "bell shape" during the 7th to 10th Centuries A.D. Most are 40-50 feet deep, the deepest one 82 feet. In the second shot you can see the hole in the roof where the limestone blocks were raised and removed by means of ropes.

The last two pictures were taken in the Sidonian Burial Caves inside a family crypt where the original paintings have been restored. Harry Potter fans, do you recognize the first picture? The second pic shows three of our college students in front of the main burial niche. These caves are from the 3rd-2nd Century BC.

I love these caves. They provided a cool respite from the scorching sun.

Some people spend most of their lives hiding in their self-made caves. I understand this. Life can be tough. The sun--and circumstances--can be unrelenting. Caves are a good place for retreats (think about Elijah), but Christ calls his followers leave their caves, to seek and to save the lost, and to disciple people in his name. We all need our sanctuaries, our places of retreat, our caves, but we are aspiring to something much better. We're pilgrims on a holy journey to "Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God" (Heb. 12:22). It is there that God "will wipe every tear from their eyes," and "there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain" (Rev. 21:4).

Don't become too enamored with your cave!

Tomb Raiders

We had a free afternoon on Monday. Tom, a pastor from Des Moines, and I hiked across the Hinnom Valley with the goal of finding the tomb of Herod's family. Although Herod was buried at the Herodium, his family was not. We were interested because this is one of the few intact 1st Century tombs in Israel. Especially unusual is the fact that this tomb has a large stone that was rolled across its entrance to keep out scavengers. In this picture, can you see the top of the stone to the left of the entry arch?

Allow me to make a suggestion: if you ever go "tomb exploring," take a flashlight. Since we expected this tomb to be sealed, we didn't. However, two pastors couldn't let a little darkness deter us, could we? So we climbed down the stairs, bent down to explore the first chamber, and got down as far as we had to--even on all fours--to grope our way through the other three chambers.

Another interesting thing about this tomb is that it--like most Jewish tombs of this era--was designed to be used by multiple people. After a body was fully-decayed, the bones were placed in an ostuary, and the tomb was ready for the next corpse(s).

There are two reasons our exploration was important to me. First, everything about this tomb corresponds well with what the New Testament reports about Jesus' death. It was good to see that with my own eyes.

Second, it reminded me that many people have been buried in a tomb like this. Only one came out alive. Isn't that reason enough to want to get to know him better?