Deacon Peter

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As I write this at the end of a long day, I am at a Franciscan guest house on the ‘mount’ where the Sermon on the Mount was given. It is a beautiful clean modern building in a very peaceful setting. I can look out my window and see the Sea of Galilee, where Peter fished, Jesus walked on the water and calmed the storm. It is a very peaceful setting and quite a contrast to where we started our day, in Jerusalem.

We got on our bus early and left Jerusalem on a 6 lane modern highway, one of the first towns we drove through was Emmaus. From the story in scripture I really never thought of the road to Emmaus as a super highway.

Our first stop was Caesarea on the Mediterranean. A city built by Herod to open up trade with Rome. We saw the theater where St Paul defended himself against charges of starting a riot.(Acts 25:11-12 & 23) The theater is still in quite good shape and still in use occasionally for concerts. There was a chariot racing track that made me want to watch Ben Hur when I get home (LOVE that chariot race scene).

We stopped at a Roman aqueduct. Kind of interesting but when you realize they were building these with 2,000 year old instruments and the rate of descent is one inch per mile, you really develop some appreciation for the engineers and crafts men who built them.

We stopped at a beautiful church on Mount Carmel in Haifa, a beautiful modern city where the Christians, Muslims and Jews cooperate and have built a prosperous city. It is home to the only municipal Christmas tree in Israel. The church is also home to the cave where the prophet Elijah stayed and heard God in the still small voice.

We left Haifa and stopped at Cana to celebrate Mas where the wedding hall once stood. The couples on the trip renewed their vows. Jerry Maguire made, “you complete me” a cheesy clique but I have seldom felt as incomplete without Patti as I did then.

Our next stop was where we are now, the Mount of Beatitudes. Judging from all the art around her, I am guessing Jesus fed the 5,000 here as well.

Tomorrow we go to Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation



Good Night and blessings from Galilee

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Photos

Governor's seat at Cesaria
area in the middle now has bars around it

hippodrome
Of course I found the race track

Elijah's cave
See 1 Kings

Stone water jar at Cana
No wine left

Original Floor of the Wedding hall at Cana
Did the Lord dance with his mother on this floor?

Comments

[Beth]

Aww...
Very nice post dad! :)