It’s been several weeks since I returned from my trip to the Holy Land. Yet, even as time wedges more distance between Israel and my experiences there, the change in my heart is as pronounced as ever.
I remember seeing the brushy shore of the Sea of Galilee as we drove toward Tiberias, the undulating landscape rippling through Jerusalem, and the boxy concrete homes studding the hillside in Bethlehem. I’ve memorized the taste of the air weaving around the Dead Sea and the homemade hummus at the Olive Tree Hotel. I can still sense the feeling of friendships strengthening, new bonds being forged, and the indescribable spiritual journey we experienced through walking the footsteps of Christ.
On the fifth day of our pilgrimage, we took a trek that I will never forget. The Via Dolorosa, Latin for “Way of Sorrow,” is a road in the Old City of Jerusalem thought to be the path that Jesus walked to his crucifixion. Fourteen stations make up the Via Dolorosa, including His condemnation, flagellation, and three falls. It ultimately ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the two traditional sites believed to be where Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and resurrected. Within the light stone walls of the 1,700-year-old church were hundreds of Christians, gawking and soaking in the majesty of the Greek Orthodox embellishments throughout the holy building.
It was late in the day when a small group of us went back to the church to see it again. A church was hosting mass in the upper part of the church at the Rock of Calvary, believed to be where the cross of Christ once stood. Their voices and incense garnished the air. To the left and under the rotunda, an ornate wood chamber—the aedicule—enshrined the traditional site of Jesus’s tomb. As I entered the structure, I felt nervous. I knelt down and prayed. Almost instantaneously, images of Christ’s sacrifice came to mind. “How could someone love me so much?” I thought. I was so overwhelmed with the thought of His unending, perfect, sacrificial love and in that moment I was reminded of one of my favorite scriptures:
“Love one another as I have loved you.” John 13:34
It is our calling in this life, on this earth, to love each other and to share kindness and grace to those around us. As we continue our mission this year with the Kindness Project, think about how your act of kindness toward someone else will shape the way they see Jesus. Your actions could reveal the same truth I was reminded of in the Holy Land—God loves us so much that He made the ultimate sacrifice so that we might know His love for us.
Beth Armstrong, Director of Welcoming Ministry
