It was with a feeling of trepidation that I found myself in the departures lounge of Heathrow Terminal One waiting for our flight to Tel Aviv at the beginning of our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. But what was the reason for this feeling – was it because of the recent fighting between the Israelis and the Palestinians? Or perhaps the thought of spending the next seven days with 24 ordained members of the Church of England?

On reflection I think it was a feeling of excitement and expectation at the thought of visiting some of the holiest sites in the Christian world, the chance to put into some kind of perspective the teachings of the Holy Bible and the life of Jesus Christ.

Our trip had been arranged by McCabe Pilgrimages as part of the Kensington Area Post Ordination Training. It was to be a whirlwind of a tour, taking in Jerusalem, Ein Karem (birthplace of John the Baptist), Bethlehem, Jericho, Nazareth, Tiberias and The Sea of Galilee. It was to be a mixture of study, reflection, worship and a little bit of tourism. It was going to be a memorable trip whatever happened.

Our hotel in Jerusalem was the Golden Walls Hotel, situated in the Arab quarter of the city just outside the Old City walls and close to the Biblical sites we were to visit. We began our pilgrimage at the Mount of Olives with a panoramic view of the walled city across the Kidron Valley. This valley is mentioned several times in the Bible – Jesus crossing it several times in his last days – but the distance is a lot shorter than the label ‘valley’ portrays.

On the Mount of Olives we visited the Dome of the Ascension, which venerates the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven from a cave on the Mount. We also visited the Pater Noster Church, built on the site where Jesus taught his disciples the Lord’s Prayer (it is depicted in this church in 62 languages – even Welsh!). We then moved down the Mount to the Dominus Flevit – a tear-shaped Church built in 1955. This commemorates where Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Here was a special moment for me as we celebrated the Eucharist overlooking Jerusalem. As we prayed together as a group I have never felt so close to God.

After the Eucharist we continued down the Mount of Olives to The Church of All Nations in the Garden of Gethsemane. The church, built in 1924, is on the traditional site of the garden in which Jesus prayed on the night he was betrayed. The altar covers the rock where Jesus spent the night in prayer. I felt so humble being amongst the Olive trees where Jesus was arrested.

We finished the morning by entering the walled city and visiting the Pool of Bethesda and the Church of St. Anne. This pool is believed to have healing powers and to be close to the birth place of Mary, mother of Jesus. The crusaders built an impressive church to mark this and dedicated it to her mother Anne – Jesus’ grandmother. This came over as a very Holy place and one which Debbie found very powerful.

We then walked through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem to Mount Zion. Here we visited the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu (cockcrow). Built in 1931 this church was to commemorate Peter’s three denials of Christ. This was followed by the Dormition Abbey, a German Benedictine monastery, dedicated to Mary, who is believed to have lived and died in Jerusalem. Mount Zion itself is where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and the meeting place of the first Christians.

As I looked out from Mount Zion I was reminded of the troubled area Jerusalem is in. In the distance you could see the security wall being built to separate the Palestinian West Bank from Israel. This wall splits streets, gardens, neighbourhoods and family and friends. We prayed for peace.

The second day was a little less hectic, beginning with a visit to Ein Karem, birthplace of John the Baptist, where we celebrated the Eucharist. We then visited the Israel Museum, home to the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the fascinating St James Armenian Cathedral where we attended afternoon Vespers.

The day finished at the Western (Wailing) Wall, the holiest site for the Jews. This was fascinating as we arrived just as the Sabbath was beginning. I had prayers said for my family by members of the Brothers of David – a special event.

Saturday began with one of my highlights of the visit to Jerusalem – a walk along the via Dolorosa, taking the route Jesus Christ followed to his crucifixion, carrying his cross. I had the honour of reading at the second station of the cross – ‘Jesus takes up his cross’. I must admit I was in tears for most of this, thinking of Christ’s suffering as he went to his death. This walk finished at the magnificent Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Golgotha, believed to be the place of Jesus’ crucifixion. It is also said to contain the place were Jesus was buried.

We then started our journey to Bethlehem, stopping in the village of Beit Sahour, the Shepherds Fields, which is where the Angel of the Lord visited the shepherds and informed them of Jesus’ birth. The Eucharist was held overlooking the field. We carried on to Manger Square and the Basilica and Grotto of the Nativity and St Jerome’s Caves. This is of course the site of Jesus’ birth and where he was laid in a manger. The present church is 6th century and is said to be the oldest continuously operating church in the world. You have to bow your head in humility to enter – and because the door is so low.
This again was a special place for me, made even more so as we were the only group present in the grotto at the time. This enabled us to pray together and sing a hymn whilst thanking God for sending us his only son.

Our last day in Jerusalem saw us visit the Temple Mount – site of the Dome of the Rock and el-Aqsa Mosque. Due to its importance for Judaism and Islam, it is one of the most contested religious sites in the world. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. They hold that it was from here that the world expanded into its present form, and that this was where God gathered the dust he used to create the first man, Adam. The Torah also records that it was here that God chose to rest his Divine Presence. In Islam, the site is revered as the destination of Islamic prophet Muhammad's journey to Jerusalem, and the location of his ascent to heaven, and is also associated with other local Muslim figures of antiquity. This tension is very real when you visit this site – our group had to pass through airport-style scanners before entering the site and once there we were accompanied all the time by an armed guard. No praying or bibles are allowed on the mount so as not to inflame religious rivalries.

After this we travelled to St Georges Cathedral, the centre of Anglican worship in Jerusalem. We joined the 10am Eucharist which was performed in both Arabic and English (for our benefit). Hearing the eucharistic prayer said together in both languages will be another enduring memory for me from this pilgrimage.

After the Eucharist we left Jerusalem on our journey to Tiberius and the Sea of Galilee. On route we visited Jericho and took a cable car up to the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus was tempted by the devil. Atop the Mount sits the Monastery of the Temptation. We arrived late evening at the Ron Beach Hotel, our base of for the next three days. The following day we drove via Cana to visit the Church of the Transfiguration on the summit of Mount Tabor. As mentioned in a recent sermon by Debbie, the taxi drive to the church was rather precarious to say the least and I said a prayer or two for our safety. We then continued to Nazareth where we visited the Sisters of Nazareth Convent where we celebrated the Eucharist. This was special for me as I read the lesson here, in the town where Jesus grew up. Across the road we entered the magnificent Basilica of the Annunciation, built where Mary was told she was to be the mother of our Lord. The modern Basilica was dedicated in 1968 but preserves the outline of the 12th century Crusader church. Of course Mary is rightly glorified as the Mother of our Lord, but what of Joseph? Just behind the Basilica stands the Church of St Joseph built in 1914. In it lies a subtle picture of Mary, Joseph and Jesus – with Joseph’s arm around our Lord instead of the usual depiction of Mary holding him. One for the boys I think!

Our final full day of the pilgrimage saw us explore the sites associated with Jesus’ ministry around the Sea of Galilee. We visited the ruins of Capernaum, Jesus’ Galilean home. We continued to Mensa Christi (where Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection). The highlight again for me was the Eucharist which today was said on the shores of the lake at Tabgha, beside the Church of the Multiplication (more commonly known as the Church of the Loaves and Fishes). In this church lies the famous mosaic of two fishes flanking a basket of loaves. We lunched in the Convent of Beatitudes where we visited the church and garden that commemorates the Sermon on the Mount. We then sailed on Lake Galilee back to our hotel on a replica of the design of boats used in the time of Jesus and his fisherman disciples. The weather was perfect – what a way to end a fascinating and moving pilgrimage.

Source: Rob Oades, The Spire Magazine - 2009 March