Day 4: Bethlehem, Shepherds Field, Jerusalem

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Day 4 we boarded the bus to go to the Church of the Nativity, the traditional site where Jesus was born. This is the oldest church in Bethlehem because when the Persians invaded they saw a picture of the three wise men and believed it was their countrymen so they left it standing. Typically when we go there we get to go down to the Grotto of the Nativity which is where Mary laid Jesus in the manger. We think of the manger as being one of wood and straw, but the manger was actually a stone trough. Today there was a service going on so we couldn't go to the Grotto. When you enter the church you must bend low as the door is very short. The reason for this is so camels, donkeys, etc couldn't enter the church and so you would humble yourself upon entering. It is called the door of Humility.

The adjoining church is the Church of St. Catherine,, the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to St Catherine of Alexandria. It is the church where Christian gather to celebrate the birth of Christ on Christmas Eve. You may have seen it on television. Just outside is Manger Square where people also gather on Christmas Eve to sing and celebrate Christs birth. In the courtyard of St Catherine's is a statue of St. Jerome who is best known for translating the Bible into Latin. He carried a skull with him reminding him that life is short and we should always be in preparation for the next life. Good advice but I don't see myself carrying a skull to remind me!

Beneath the church is an area of caves that were turned into chapels. they are all fairly large and decorated. They include the Cave of St. Jerome, mentioned above; St. Joseph's Chapel; and the Chapel of the Holy Innocents. the Chapel of the Holy Innocents commemorates the children age two and under the were killed by Herod thinking he would kill the baby Jesus. It was so terribly sad to look at the small tombs/graves for those young baby boys. It made you realize what a crazy person Herod was!

From there we headed to Nissan Brothers Olive Wood Factory where we saw how the olive wood products were made. All of their products are made by hand either by a hand copier that carves eight statues at once or by individual people carving by hand. They have some beautiful pieces there.

Our next stop was Shepherd's Field where the angel announced the birth of Jesus and the shepherds went to see him. You will find that story in Luke 2. We got to see a shepherds cave that had a church built on top of it which is customary here. Then we actually climbed down a hill (really uneven steps) to a shepherd's cave that remained as it was during Jesus time. I was surprised at the size of that cave. It was bigger that I would have imagined.

Because we covered so much territory today we went on in to Jerusalem. We visited the site of the Upper Room which is, in all probability, built over the actual Upper Room site. We also visited David's Tomb and then went on to Caiaphas's House which also has a church built over the site. In one room of the church you can see the actual stone walls/foundation of Caiaphas's house. This is the place where Peter denied Christ. It is one of my favorite places because it reminds me of my Emmaus experience with roosters everywhere. I also love how Jesus would use Peter even after he denied knowing him. That should give hope to anyone who knows the story or reads the Bible.

After our visit to Jerusalem we returned to the hotel. Some of us were going to dinner in the homes of Palestinian Christians. This is a planned event by our tour company and we go in groups of four or six. Our groups of four had a lovely and talented family. The father worked in his family's olive wood factory and his wife was a very accomplished as a seamstress. She showed us some of her work and we purchased had sewn change purses from her. We had a wonderful meal exchanged Facebook profiles and hoped to meet again. What a wonderful evening!

So another day has passed. Even though this is my third trip here I am still in disbelief that I am walking the land of Jesus. I am putting my feet down and walking where he walked. I am truly blessed to be here!

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