Lest we forget

Interior of St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem.

Sunday morning I began my day celebrating the Lord's Day at the Arabic speaking Eucharist at St. George's Cathedral. It's always interesting to hear the celebration of the Eucharist in a language that is unfamiliar to you, but to be able to recognize exactly what point in the service you are at. It is especially meaningful to be celebrate the Eucharist in the Holy Land and to hear the Word being read about the sites you have just visited, the places vivid in your mind. It was here in Jerusalem that Jesus came to celebrate the passover. It was here that he had his last supper and it was here that he was betrayed and killed.

The entrance to Yad Vashem.

After the Eucharist we were give the afternoon off and a number of us went to Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Museum. It was a powerful experience and emotionally draining. It's one thing to understand this part of our history from Western history textbooks, and another to understand it through the eyes of the Jewish peoples.

Hall of Names at Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.

We returned home to St. George's College to reflect on our experience and then went for a walk in the Old City. It's always an experience to enter the Gates of the Old City and to experience the souk and life within the walls of Jerusalem.

Entrance Gates to Yad Vashem, Jerusalem.




After dinner we welcomed a Rabbi from the Hebrew University here in Jerusalem who spoke to us and gave us one perspective on the situation here in Jerusalem and in Israel. What a full day it was with so much to think about, reflect on and pray.

Entering the Old City through Herod's Gate.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.’ - Psalm 122:6-7