June 28, 2005
06/26 Jerusalem - Day Five
Look at Genesis 22:1-14
The story of Abraham and Isaac has always been an incredible story. Why would God want Abraham to sacrifice his "laughter" - his only son, Isaac?
Today we worshiped at Christ Church on the edge of the Christian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. We worshiped with people from all over the world - England, France, Germany, Australia, USA - all of us drawn to the church for the same reason. We came in search of the roots of our faith.
As we sang the opening hymn, "In Christ Alone," the passion in our singing was obvious. I think we were all glad to be there. We were glad to get off the mad, merry-go-round of non-stop touring with a desire to experience the pause of worship that refreshes.
The two hours of worship flew by, and no one was in a hurry to leave afterwards. To hear the reading of the scriptures was a helpful opportunity to untangle the mess of conflicting thoughts and feelings a traveler often experiences from the clash of cultures and different religions. Worship in another country is like coming home after a long trip away. I'm not sure I've ever experienced that reality before. It's the sense of something familiar when everything else is changing.
This trip has been far more than I expected. Listening to a sermon about Abraham while sitting on the top of Mt. Moriah in a little church with people of other nations all praying to the same God was another; well ... I can't help but say it ... a mountain-top experience. "Father Abraham has many sons ..." His willingness to be obedient brought about redemption and multiplied the possibility for God's blessings to be extended to all the families of the earth.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Posted by roger at June 28, 2005 01:37 PM