Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan

This has been a fast pace week traveling from Jordan to Lebanon, to Syria, and back to Jordan. This is the beginning of two weeks of travel with the Middle East Study Committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Our task as mandated by the 218th General Assembly is “to prepare a comprehensive study, with recommendations, that is focused on Israel/Palestine within the complex context of the Middle East.” The scope of this study is four-fold: a description of the P.C. (U.S.A.)’s mission and relationship with other Christians in the Middle East; an overview of the complex interactions among religions, cultures, and peoples of the region; an analysis of U.S. policies that impact the Middle East; and an identification of steps to be taken with our partners that will foster justice and improve relations while nurturing the building of a peace that will insure a viable and secure future for all. A necessary step in the writing of this report was to travel together in the Middle East and visit with all parties whose contributions are necessary to accomplish this work. This has and will continue to lead us to a broad range of conversational partners within Arab, Palestinian, and Israeli communities.

Last Monday morning, I met Doug Dicks, our Presbyterian Church’s Regional Liaison for Jordan, Israel, and Palestine, at my Amman hotel and we drove to the airport where I returned my rental car and we caught at flight to Beirut, Lebanon. During our two days in Beirut, we met with the following people:

Dr. Joseph Jabra, President of the Lebanese American University
Dr. Mary Mikheal, President of the Near East School of Theology
Dr. Paul Haidosian, President of Hagazian University
His Grace Bishop George Saleba, Syrian Orthodox Bishop of Mount Lebanon
Rev. George Mourad , Moderator, National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon
Rev. and Fadi Dagher, General Secretary, National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon
Guirgis Saleh, General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches
Rev. Dr. Habib Badr, Pastor and representative of the Middle East Council of Churches
Arab Group for Christian-Muslim Relationships
Three Iraqi Presbyterian Pastors who traveled from Iraqi (Basrah and Kirkuk) to Beirut to meet with us
His Grace Elias Awdeh, Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of Beirut
His Grace Bishop Boulos Matter, Bishop of the Maronite Church of Beirut and also President of the Middle East Council of Church of the Catholic family

In addition, we had the opportunity to visit a ministry site to Iraqi refugees, the American University of Beirut, the Near East School of Theology, and see the sights of modern Beirut.

We departed from Beirut on Wednesday afternoon and made the four-hour travel east and then south across the mountains and the border to Syria.

While in Damascus, we had four very important meetings with:

His Beatitude Igantious Harzim, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and all the East
His Beatitude Laham, the Greek Catholic (Melkite) Patriarch of Antioch and all the East
Madame Colette Khouri, a well-known Arabic author and Poet and Special Assistant to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
An Iranian Presbyterian Pastor who traveled from Tehran to be with us for two days

We did manage to have time to visit the great Umayyad Mosque and Saint Annanias’ house (where Saul receives his eye-sight again and is baptized – cf. Acts 9), and to walk “the Street Called Straight.”

Our time in Damascus defied the preconceptions of all of us. This country is very open and respective of Muslims, Christians, and Jews alike and hopes to host the world-wide gathering of the World Council of Church in 2013.

Late Friday morning, we left behind our Iranian pastor, who inspired us with his deep and steadfast faith, courage, and commitment and we left behind the intriguing and inviting country of Syria and made our six-hour bus trek to Amman, Jordan.

We arrived in Amman, just in time for a key two-hour meeting with His Excellency Mr. Akel Biltaji, former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and Special Advisor to His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan. Following this engaging presentation and conversation, we had dinner with Wafa Goussous, Director of the Middle East Council of Churches’ Amman Liaison Office. Saturday began with a morning with Father Nabil Haddad, a Greek Catholic (Melkite) priest and Founder and President of the Jordanian Interfaith Co-existence Research Center. We then had lunch and a subsequent meeting with Rev. Fadi Diab, pastor of the Anglican Church of the Redeemer; Rev. Samer Azar, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Good Shepherd Church; and Rev. Halim Fa'eq Haddad, General Secretary of the Diocese of Jerusalem and Vicar of the Savior Episcopal Church.

Saturday was the beginning of Ramadan in Jordan and this will have a major impact of our travel from this point forward. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is a month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking from dawn to dusk. This month marks the month during which the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad. For us, this means that activity is extremely limited during the afternoons when most Muslims have returned home to rest during the hot afternoon. The day of fasting is broken at sunset with an Iftar meal and much festivity.

Today we checked out of our Amman hotel and went to worship at the Anglican Church of the Redeemer with the Rev. Fadi Diab. This good size congregation is made up to a large part of Palestinian Christians who were forced to leave their Palestinian homes during the Israeli war of 1948. We were welcomed by this vibrant congregation and I was invited to participate in leading the worship. Following the worship service, we spent time visiting with the members of the congregation.

We then left Amman in the sight of our rear-view mirror and worked our way to Jerusalem. After a long delay at the Allenby Bridge border crossing, which is typical of Israeli crossings, we finally pulled into Jerusalem at 4:30. We then settled into the Notre Dame, which is located directly between East and West Jerusalem, and is owned by the Vatican. After a few hours, which I used to write this blog, we then welcomed Gradye Parsons, the Stated Clerk of the P.C. (U.S.A.), who will be with us during our time here in this Holy City.

There is still much to see, a sea of agony to embrace, and many voices to listen to in this next week.

Signing Off...

I've hijacked Dad's blog one more time just to say a few parting words before I hop on a plane to head back to NC. I had intended on doing a bit more guest blogging during my time here, but Dad packed the schedule so tight I barely had any time to sleep! I wouldn't have had it any other way though, and I realize how unbelievably fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to see and experience the Middle East the way that I have over the past couple of weeks.

During the past few days I have floated in the Dead Sea, ridden a camel through one of the seven wonders of the world, followed the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia in Wadi Rum, and enjoyed many amazing meals - some of which I was given a chance to prepare myself. The best part of all, however, was that I was able to do all these things with one of the greatest guys I know - my dad. These two weeks really have been an amazing opportunity to not only learn and explore, but also to spend time with my best friend. I owe many thanks to everyone who had a hand in making this possible.

As much as our time in Israel and Palestine was intense and demanding, this past week and a half in Jordan has been a true vacation. I'm now thoroughly relaxed and ready to take on the year ahead with all of its challenges and responsibilities.

I look forward to seeing you all and sharing stories from this amazing experience.

See you in a couple days!

Colin

Feed Me Till I Want No More

I think that most of you know that old hymn, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.” It was written by William Williams in 1745. The following is the first stanza.

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand;
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more,
Feed me till I want no more.

This hymn based on the backdrop of the Israelites exodus from Egypt, wandering forty years in the wilderness, marching up the east of the Jordan River to Mt. Nebo where Moses dies, and led by God’s presence in the fire and cloudy pillar into the “land flowing with milk and honey.” This week, Colin and I have traveled the same road that the Israelites traveled 3200 years ago before they crossed the Jordan River. The only difference is that they began in the south and progressed north and we began in the north and followed their footsteps south.

As I mentioned in the last blog, on Tuesday, we left Amman driving (I would never advise this unless one has a Garmin or knows Arabic, and I do not have my Garmin and I only wish that I knew Arabic.) and drove south to Madaba and then climbed west to Mt. Nebo. It was here that Moses viewed the land to which God was leading the Israelites. From this perch, one has a beautiful panorama view of the Jordan Valley and Palestine Occupied Territory on the other side. What one sees has been called the “land flowing with milk and honey,” and for most of us that conjures up images of lush green countryside. In reality, the view from Mt. Nebo is of barren, hot, and arid land, yet a place where there is abundance of milk goats and honey bees. So there is a life-sustaining abundance of milk and honey.

We then descended 3300 feet to well below sea level and the Dead Sea. At the Dead Sea, we spent Tuesday afternoon floating in the Dead Sea and reading and relaxing by the pool. Wednesday morning, we enjoyed the beach of the Dead Sea and the morning sun, before heading south on the Kings’ Highway, one of three roads that lead north and south in Jordan. While the vistas and views on this highway are stunning, it is not easy driving. At one point, the road was blocked and after attempting for a half hour to find an alternate route, we simply decided to go around the roadblock and face the consequences if arrested. We estimated our travels on this day to be 200 kilometers or a two hour trip; we did not arrive in Petra until five and a half hours later. We both decided that was this all a part of the adventure and challenge of travel.

The last two days, Thursday and Friday, have been spent exploring one of the Seven Great Wonders of the World – Petra. While it was only rediscovered in 1812 by someone other than the local Bedouins, our discovery of it in these last two days has only confirmed all the glory attributed to it. This is a place which is off the beaten path, but worth every effort of the hike.

Petra, often called the Rose Red City due to the rose colored rocks from which all the structures and tombs are hewn, was the capital of the Nabataeans, who flourished here from 500 B.C.E. – 300 C.E. …The poet Dean Burgon captures some of the wonder of this place,

Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime
A rose-red city half as old as time.

It is little wonder the reason that Petra is increasingly drawing more international acclaim. This ancient city, hidden behind the crevices of rock, and surrounding mountains easily filled two full days of hiking, exploring, and climbing (Colin did all the mountain and rock climbing because I really do not thrive well when standing or sitting on the edge of a 2000’ rock face.) It is hard to describe the raw beauty of the ¾ mile long ancient main entrance through the long, deep, and narrow gorge with cliffs on both sides which soar up 300’. At the end of this grand entrance, you come face-to-face with the Treasury, whose rose red beauty truly does bring a smile to your face; and yet, this is only the beginning of days of further discovery.

Each of our three nights here in Petra, Colin and I have been participating in cooking classes at the Petra Kitchen. Each night two, three, or eight of us gathered in the kitchen and we were entertainingly instructed in the craft of preparing well-seasoned, remarkably tasty common Jordanian meals, which each night included a soup, two cold mezzas (salads), two hot mezzas, and an entrée. The following are our top picks and we will be glad to share the recipes.

Soup: Shourbat Adas (Lentil), Shourbat Freekah (Green Wheat),

Cold Mezzas: Arabic Salad, Baba Ganuj, Tabboulch, Tahinah Salad,
Hot Mezzas: Galaya Bandura (Sauted Tomatoes), Foul Mdammas (Crushed Fava Beans), Mutabal (Eggplant Dip)
Entrée: Sawani Djaj (Roasted Chicken and Vegetables), Kabasah Dajaj (Chicken, Vegetables and Rice)

The Mediterranean triad of food is: bread, wine, and oil, and scripture acknowledges all three are gifts of God (Hosea 2:3). We truly did enjoy God’s gifts this week in Petra.

“Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah” – God did indeed guide the Israelites in their wilderness journey and in less dramatic ways, God has been our guide during these last three days in this shockingly beautiful wilderness. This hymn acknowledges that life is often a journey through the barren land of wilderness; but, even here, God is graciously present.

But there is another phrase of that old hymn that has also resonated with me this week. It is the phrase, “Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.” I think that this metaphor of “the Feeding God” (or would I be going too far to say “the Cooking God”) is of One who stunningly provided manna from heaven for the Israelites, bountifully provides daily bread for you and me, and graciously provides bread for Eucharist for all, and generously cares for us in all of life.

So, Colin and I have enjoyed these three evenings of participating in the activity of God—that is, in the activities of our “Feeding God” or more particularly our “Cooking God.”

There is a Jewish table blessing that says,

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe,
Who feedest the whole world with goodness,
with grace and with mercy.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who feedest all.

God indeed has feed us well this week in many ways!

Tomorrow morning, we are pulling out of Petra very early and driving further south to Wadi Rum, which was made famous by T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), where we will spend the morning and early afternoon hiking the desert. Tomorrow evening will be in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba. On Sunday morning, our plans are to awaken early again for a morning of snorkeling. We will then drive up the Desert Highway most of the length of Jordan and arrive in Amman five hours later. After dinner, Colin will hail a taxi for a ride to the airport and catch his flight back for his Monday morning arrival at RDU. I will try to get a good night sleep in Amman and prepare for a Monday morning flight to Lebanon, where I will be meeting the other eight members of the P.C. (U.S.A.)’s Middle East Study Committee and our four staff. From August 17 – September 1, we will be traveling together and meeting with various church, agency, and governmental leaders. I am not sure whether I will be able to blog during this two-week period due to pace of our schedule and the sensitivity of our meetings. Of one thing I am sure, I will look forward to seeing you very soon!

"Oh, But You Are Jewish"

I left Tantur Ecumenical Institute on Saturday afternoon and made my way to West Jerusalem, where I am now at the Montefiore Hotel. It is located just west of Ben Yehuda Street, which is the well known walking street of Jerusalem. On Saturday night at the conclusion of Shabbat, I went to a wonderful Italian restaurant that was recommended by my friend who is the Chicago Federal prosecutor. The pasta at Spagettium would match any that I had while in Italy. It was a very unique fusion of Italian with Thai. My antipasto was fried goat cheese with drizzles of olive oil and tapenade served on arugula and red leaf lettuce. My entrée was pasta with chicken, fried basil, cilantro, red peppers, onions, yellow curry, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. It was very interesting to eat outside on the patio and watch all the crowds of people who were coming into West Jerusalem on the culmination of Shabbat. From sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday, most traffic ceases in West Jerusalem and activity does not begin again until the conclusion of Shabbat.

Shabbat is something that most of us in our fast pace, hectic lives do not understand, and yet are fully in need of. “Most of us are so sold on speed, so invested in productivity, so convinced that multitasking is the way of life that stopping for one whole day can feel at first like a kind of death” (Barbara Brown Taylor). And yet, it has been said that “the Jews keep Shabbat, and Shabbat keeps the Jews.” And how true I think that is. Shabbat has been that which has both marked and nourished the Jewish faith. Most think of Shabbat as a heavy burden, but Jews who keep Shabbat would say that it is a gift more than an obligation. It is a gift from God the Liberator to God’s people made for enjoyment and blessing.

On Sunday morning, I arose early to go the Lutheran Church of the Nativity where I assisted in leading worship and serving the Eucharist. I served alongside of Mike Powell, who is Lutheran seminary intern from the U.S. After worship Martin Shoffner and I went out for coffee and the opportunity to talk about life and ministry in Israel Sunday afternoon was a true gift from heaven – an afternoon of rest. For the past month, I have been going nonstop, and it was such a joy to simply go back to my hotel room and read the International Herald Tribune and Haaretz and to take a nap. On Sunday evening, I went to the opening of an art exhibit at the Gallery of Contemporary Art Daana that is owned and run by a couple that I met on that afternoon while taking a walk. The exhibit portrayed the work of Boaz Noy, a young contemporary Israeli artist, whose work I found to be very inspiring. I then went to dinner at a very progressive Israeli restaurant, Charka. I had the most wonderful seafood that I have tasted in some time. (Well, it has been a month since I have had seafood, since neither Jews nor Muslims eat shellfish. I was told that you could buy shrimp in Jerusalem, but it would be brought from the freezer in the back and wrapped in brown paper.) The dish that I enjoyed was calamari, shrimp, and clams in a rich and spicy Moroccan sauce. So much for eating Kosher!

Monday was another true gift from God. It has been my Shabbat – a day of rest, walking, reading, writing, and corresponding. I have realized the next four weeks are going to be very busy, and I will probably not rest much until I return to Burlington. Colin arrives tomorrow in the early evening, and we will be in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the West Bank until Saturday. We will then be traveling throughout Jordan until his return to Chapel Hill on August 17.

Monday night I went to eat at a close by Kosher steakhouse, Red Heifer, and I enjoyed the first steak that I have had since my departure from Burlington on June 12. I was so pleased when the chef knew how to cook my steak “Pittsburgh rare,” and I will have to say that it tasted mighty good. In the part of Jerusalem where I am staying, it was not unusual that I was the only male not wearing a kippa, but I felt very welcomed by the manager, whom I got to talk to for some time. While I was there a Jewish family with six girls and one boy came into the restaurant and chose to be seated on the outside patio where I was. I was amazed to see the way that they interacted with one another and how all six older sisters took care of their younger brother, who was only two. Of course, I had to find a way of meeting them, and I did and ended up taking a picture for them of the entire family. I came to discover that they are from the Los Angeles and have been here for a month and are returning home on Wednesday. As I was finishing my meal with a cup of expresso, I overheard (Pam taught me the ability to listen in on the conversation at neighboring tables) the oldest daughter, who is probably fourteen, say, “But I just want to be like everyone else.” And her mother thoughtfully answered, “Oh, but you are Jewish.” I think that what this wise mother was saying was, “Oh, but are meant to be distinct and different by what you eat, by what you wear, and by how you act.”

Oh, I wonder if my children had said that if I would have been thoughtful enough to have said to them, “Oh, but you are Christian. You are supposed to different and distinct by how you act—by your kindness, by your love, and by your work for reconciliation and peace.”

It truly is hard sometimes to be distinct and different in this world.

All Good Things

All good things must come to an end! As our last days at Tantur Ecumenical Institute drew to an close, that was the reality that dawned on each of the fourteen who have been a part of this month of study and travel together here. On Wednesday, we had our last morning lecture and we gathered that evening at The Tent, a Palestinian restaurant in the West Bank community of Bet Sahour. It was an evening filled with a cool breeze, much laughing, and great food—many Middle Eastern salads, humus, chicken and lamb kabobs, lamb chops, and concluding with Turkish coffee. (I will have to admit that upon my first visit to Israel, I did not care for Turkish coffee, which is very strong, thick, and spiced with cardamom. I really do not like anyone to mess with my coffee by adding flavors. However, I have really grown to appreciate Turkish coffee and whenever I am dining out here, I find it a very nice conclusion to a meal.)

Wednesday afternoon, I had the opportunity to go into Jerusalem to B’tselem and meet with their Executive Director. B’tselem is the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. This organization was founded by a group of prominent Israeli public figures in 1989 and has earned an international reputation as the leading source of reliable and comprehensive information on human rights in the Occupied Territories.

Thursday was a quiet day in the Jewish sections of Jerusalem, as it was Tisha B’Av, a day of fasting, mourning, and prayer. This ninth day of Av is the saddest day in Jewish history, for it was on this day that four tragic events took place: the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE by the Babylonians, the burning of the Second Temple in 70 CE by the Romans, and the expulsion of the Jews of England in 1290 and from Spain in 1492. The day began on Wednesday at sundown, as most gathered at their synagogue for the reading of the book of Lamentations, which was written by Jeremiah after the destruction of the First Temple. On Thursday, thousands gathered for prayer at the Western Wall, Jewish buses did not run and Jewish shops were closed. For me this was a day of recognition and confession to God of the many, many times that our Christian communities have been guilty of hatred and oppression of our Jewish brothers and sisters.

On this quiet day, I was privileged to have the opportunity to lead the Thursday noon worship for the staff and friends of Sabeel. Their office is located in the north at the opposite end of Jerusalem from Tantur. Sabeel is a grassroots liberation theology movement among Palestinian Christians which encourages all to discern what God is saying to them as their faith connects with the hard realities of their daily life: occupation, violence, discrimination, and human rights violations. It seeks to encourage Christians to work for a just, comprehensive, and enduring peace informed by truth and empowered by prayer and action.

On Friday, two of my new friends, one an Chicago Federal prosecutor and the other a Catholic priest from Cleveland, Ohio, rented a car and drove to Tel Aviv on the west coast of Israel for a day of walking around Jaffa, the ancient city of Jonah, and the modern capital city of Israel. (My Italian-learned driving skills proved valuable as I wove in and out of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv traffic.) We returned late that night to Jerusalem to enjoy our last night of cool hilltop breezes and wonderful conversations on the Tantur upper patio. As I said, all good things must come to an end; but the thrill of life is anticipating what tomorrow will bring. The next four weeks will be entirely different from this past month and with that will bring new opportunities for learning, adventure, and encounter.

This morning I am leaving Tantur and will be staying for three nights in a West Jerusalem hotel. These days will be days of rest and reflection, but also of an additional meeting or two prior to Colin’s arrival on Tuesday.

Three Days of Creeds, Culture and Cuisine

Saturday morning began with an early tour of the Mount of Olives, where we visited the place of the beginning of Jesus’ final and tragic journey into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and also the suggest location of Jesus' ascension into heaven. I then left the Tantur tour and caught a cab to West Jerusalem where I joined another tour led by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. This group of Israeli citizens is actively working to advocate for Palestinians whose houses are being destroyed by the oppressive policies of the occupying Israeli government. The tour led us from one Israeli settlement to another, which are made possible by the demolition of Palestinian houses and the illegal construction of Israeli homes in the occupied territory. When you drive from one section of Jerusalem to the next, the disparity of infrastructure between the Israeli sections and the Palestinian sections of Jerusalem is immediately obvious in the lack of water, garbage pickup, parks, road maintenance, and basic health services in the Palestinian sections. Tours like this indeed open one’s eyes to the growing injustice of the settlement movement and thus the insistence of the Obama Administration that all settlement expansion must cease immediately.

I returned back to Tantur late on Saturday afternoon exhausted physically from a full day of activities, but worn out emotionally and spiritually by the political reality that I was forced to confront. I firmly believe that we each need to seek to more fully understand our Jewish brothers and sisters and to demonstrate a deep and abiding love for each of them, and yet stand against some of these illegal and harmful policies and actions of the Israeli government. While we Christians have been guilty of gross acts of anti-Semitism in the past, that does not necessitate that we blindly turn our eyes away from current, cruel and unjust acts which the Israeli government is carrying out against those different from themselves. Sometimes, it is suggested that one is anti-Semitic if a person speaks out against Israel; yet, one is not anti-Semitic simply because one disagrees with policies and actions of the Jewish state, anymore than one is anti-American because one disagrees with policies and actions of our own American government. My growing concerns have nothing to do with the religion of those involved, but rather with the politics of those involved.

After a great night of rest, I woke up on Sunday morning to the opportunity to worship again at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. I have really felt at home with this Lutheran congregation and am sorry that I have only one more week to worship with them. Sunday evening, I joined Ian Alexander at this apartment of the Mount of Olives. Ruth Scott also joined us. Ruth is an Anglican priest, writer and broadcaster. You may know her as a regular presenter of ‘Pause for Thought’ on BBC Radio. She is involved in conflict transformation work and interfaith dialogue. We had a fun evening together which concluded with Ian’s dramatic reciting of Robert Burns’ Tam O’Shanter. The Middle East has not been able to squeeze the Scottish out of this man!

Monday was a day that began with a trip to Ein Karem, a hillside community outside of Jerusalem, which is the site of the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth. It was here that the angel Gabriel speaks to Zechariah and where Mary and Elizabeth meet and the baby leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. The small community of Ein Karem was hastily cleaning up in preparation for the arrival on Tuesday of George Mitchell’s envoy. Oh, that his visit might be a step forward for peace and thus bring again leaping for joy!

I concluded Monday by attending a Muslim wedding in Bet Sahour, which is an adjoining community to Bethlehem. The bride is the daughter of the lady that I had the opportunity to cook with last Saturday. The actual signing of the wedding contract was on Saturday night, but the public celebration was Monday night with about 1000 people in attendance. It was an amazing event to observe. The differences of customs and traditions were so fascinating for me to observe, especially since Pam and I have just enjoyed Megan and Marc’s April 25th wedding in Charleston. The grand entrance procession with dry ice smoke, a series of indoor mass lighting of sparklers, the Middle Eastern dancing, the cutting of the cake with a sword, the groom dancing while sitting on the shoulders of another man, and the hospitality that made way for the inclusion of a few strange foreigners – all of these were a wonderful contrast to our American traditions.

While at the wedding celebration, I entertained by the elegant pageantry and the festivity of the Middle East dancing, but I was a bit distressed by the lack of outward affection that the bride and groom showed to one another by way of a gentle kiss or a tender smile for each other. It appeared to me that when together as a couple that both were simply going through the motions. In a presentation this morning by Michael McGarry, the Director here at Tantur, this came into focus as we reflected on some of the differences in eastern and western culture. One of these contrasts is in “the culture of marriage” and I would suggest that there are far greater differences in “the cultures of marriage” than in “the celebrations of the wedding” itself. For example, in the West, you fall in love and then marry; in the Middle East, you marry first and then fall in love. In the West, your marriage is the happy end to a wonderful romance; in the Middle East, your marriage is the beginning of a long love affair romance. In the West, marriage is a contract; in the Middle East, marriage is an indissoluble bond. In the West, your love is vocal; in the Middle East, your love is mute. In the West, you delight in showing off your love for others; in the Middle East, you try to conceal your love from the world. This contrast of cultures is what so often leads to misunderstanding, judgmental attitudes, and even conflict.

How truly thankful I am for this opportunity to experience the culture, creeds, and cuisines of the three Abrahamic faiths!

God's Strange and Different World

In the last five days, I have had many enriching experiences. These opportunities have included among other things four stimulating mornings of lectures by two Jewish professors and one Palestinian Christian, a full-day trip to the Negev (home of Abraham and Isaac), three afternoon meetings with different individuals who are working for peace and justice in the Middle East (Ian Alexander, a Scottish minister with Sabeel, which is a Palestinian Liberation Theology Organization; Father Frans Bouwen, a friend of Toddie Peters who serves with the World Council of Churches; and Estephan Salameh, who works for the Palestinian Authority), leading evening prayers one evening here for the gathered community, and two evenings of walking the streets of East Jerusalem and Ben Yehuda Street.

This indeed has been another good week, but a very hot week here in Israel. Many days the temperature has reached 95 degrees, and yesterday afternoon when we were in the Negev, it was 110 degrees. The big differences between the heat here and the heat of North Carolina are that there is almost no humidity here and the day cools down very quickly in the late afternoon with the cool breezes. While we do not have air conditioning at Tantur Ecumenical Institutes, I have been very comfortable here and it has begun to feel like a second home after almost a month. In some ways, wakening to the cool morning breeze blowing in my sliding glass door and the Jerusalem sun shining in my window have been reminders at the start of this new day that I am not in the familiarity of Burlington and that I am now in a strange and different land.

As I reflect on my first month in Jerusalem, it has been a time of encountering the diversity of God’s world and of God’s people. Upon arrival, I immediately said to myself, “Ron, you are not in Kansas anymore!” And how true that is! In this little country of Israel, which is no larger than the state of Vermont, the diversity of the world can be experienced rather quickly. From Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, one can encounter the diversity of landscapes with the lush mountain waterfalls at Banias and the aridness of the desert at Beersheba. One can encounter such diversity of religion portrayed by the braided corners of hair and black hats of the Hasidic Jews to the covered women of Islam, to the brown robed Christian monks. One can encounter such political extremes between the claims of the ardent Zionist Jews and those of Palestinian Hamas.

I think that most of our lives we seek to avoid those who are dramatic differently than us, and we tend to socialize and worship with those who are most like us in many ways. In fact, when we are around someone who is different in culture or creed from us, we initially find them interesting and intriguing, but we quickly withdraw again into the shell of our protective and comfortable and familiar environs. It is a kind of “bump and run” encounter.

My time where at Tantur has not permitted me the comfort of this type of encounter. (I say “comfort,” because I think that my natural human tendency is to engage in this type of posturing.) I have been a part of a group of fourteen individuals, and we are very different and diverse. According to nationality, 2 are from Canada, 1 from the Philippines, 1 from Nigeria, 1 from New Zealand, 1 from El Salvador, 2 from the United Kingdom, and 6 from the U.S. According to our religious expression, 1 is Anglican, 2 are Nazarenes, 1 is United Reformed Church, 9 are Roman Catholics, and 1 is Presbyterian. According to vocation, 1 is an Anglican Bishop, 5 are Catholic priests, 4 are laypeople (one of these a Federal prosecutor), and 4 are Protestant ministers. We are a “strange” bunch that I have grown to deeply appreciate.

Today my day has been interwoven in another way with the deep diversity of this land. I began the morning with the lecture by an Orthodox, feminist Jewish professor on the importance of time and place in Judaism. Tonight, I was her guest at the Kehita Yedidya Synagogue in Jerusalem for a service for the beginning of Shabbat. This afternoon, however, with the help of Pauline Coffman, a friend from Chicago, I was able to go to Ramallah, which is north of Jerusalem in the West Bank, and meet with Estephan Salameh. He works for the Palestinian Authority and is directly responsible for Palestinian Authority donor relations with foreign governments, which might be equivalent to being the head of the U.S. State Department. After spending time talking about recent work in forging some common ground between Fatah and Hamas and the current possibility for peace and justice, we went to the PA camp, site of the current president’s compound, the place where Yasser Arafat was besieged in 2004, and where Arafat’s memorial tomb is today. This was truly a day of encounters of dramatic differences.

What I am discovering is that encounters with those who are dramatically different from us can truly enrich our lives. The “bump and run” type of encounter with other people though leads at best to a diversionary fascination which can entertain one for a moment, but it does not lead to a more enriched life. True enrichment seems to come when we are forced sometimes to do more than simply “bump and run,” when we can sit down and get to know the hopes and dreams, fears and anxieties, challenges and roadblocks which another is facing.

I look forward to tomorrow and the new opportunities for encountering more of God’s diverse and different creatures, all of whom bear the image of God and are loved by God!