PSA Bible Reading Challenge 2023-2024

Day 5

Departed Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee for Gideon’s Spring, where Gideon wondered out loud, if God is supposed to be with us where is he since we’re hopelessly surrounded by Midianites?  God’s response?   I’m here, I’m with you and YOU Gideon are now going to switch from complaining to becoming the solution with God’s direction and God’s power. 

How about you.  Where might God be calling you out of reticence and complaint to becoming part of the deliverance from whatever problem you’re facing?

We drove route 90 south along the Jordanian border, observing the reality of life surrounded by those who want the elimination of your existence.  The battle between Ishmael and Isaac, between Jacob and Esau, between the Israelites and Canaanites perseveres.  Zionist’s see Jericho still standing as a Muslim Palestinian city right in the middle of Israel as an impediment to God’s will!   Palestinians refuse to surrender to the Zionist invaders.  What now?  It will be wonderful to behold what the Prince of Peace has up his sleeve!!

Back on the bus to ascend  from the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea, climbing one full Kilometer in elevation up to Jerusalem!   From quite warm to really chilly.  Doing so brought to life the Psalms of ascent, Psalms 120 to 134, which the Jewish believers in Yahweh would sing on their way up to worship at Passover, Pentecost And the Feast of Tabernacles. This trip is bringing the Bible alive to all of us!!!

Jerusalem!!!! A Jewish Cristian who worships in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, prayed the Lord’s Prayer with us in Aramaic! 

Walked the Palm Sunday path from the Mount of Olives thru Gethsemane to the Kidron Valley.  Imagine Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, walking or riding that route, entering the East Gate, approaching the opulence of Herod’s temple and seeing the seduction of his people by power, wealth, empty ritual, and materialism.  No wonder Jesus ‘trashed’ the place.  Some of us wonder if Jesus feels the same way about us Christians who have been co-opted by the empty promises of the materialism that captures our hearts.  

One clue to how Jesus might feel about us is that he wept. He knew that the empty promise of Herodian wealth was a trap and that 70 AD was inevitable. 

Can we learn from that?

Tomorrow we play!   We’ll float in the Dead Sea!  No fish nipping at our heels!!

Day 4 

The “Mount of Beatitudes” where Jesus gave his “Sermon on the Mount”.   

There we listened to a testimony of one of our group explaining his healing from an inoperable brain tumor!  Recalling Matthew 6:33 where Jesus implores us not to worry, we sang “seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you”.  This is a teaching that every one of us would do well to remind ourselves of on a daily basis. 

Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee!   The 15 minutes of peaceful silence there was huge for each of us.  From our boat we could reflect on the power of Jesus:  he walked on water, calmed a storm, made fish fill nets, fed 5,000, taught parables from a boat, crossed to the “other side” to outsiders to heal a demoniac, made Capernaum  his base for ministry, healed Peter’s mother-in-law, taught in the synagogue and more!   We stood in some of those places 

We stood right above the synagogue  where Jesus taught.  We stood in the Golan region of the Decapolis where Jesus chose to go because he cared not just about “his own”. 

Had lunch where most of us were served a whole fish that looked at you while you ate it. Yuck!  Concluded the day with another wonderful devotional at waters edge on the Sea of Galilee 
Several of us were well prepared having watched a lightning storm light up the sea the night before. 

It occurs to some of us that the home of the Prince of Peace is not a place of peace.  Israel is surrounded by those who hate her: Syria, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Hezbollah, Egypt, on and on the list goes.  Yet she survives, no, flourishes.  She is far from being God’s perfect servant but God made a Covenant with her and God does not break promises.  It seems to some of us that there is nothing on planet earth that has happened that has not happened here in one form or another.  The history and destiny of the world is right here in microcosm.  One day it will be set right. Instead of missiles and jets flying over, lions and lambs, Syrians and Jews, Muslims and Christians, Druze and Kabalists, Hindus, Buddhists, and whatevers will be breathing deep the breath of God in God’s inclusive Kingdom having been ushered in by Jesus Himself.  Jesus is the hope of the world. 

Please google the song “Breathe Deep the Breath of God” by The Lost Dogs.  It captures the heart of God

Tomorrow Jerusalem!!!

Day 3 

After overnighting in Netanya overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, we took off for Caesarea in the Sea, the location of one of Herod’s magnificent palaces, his Roman theater and his Roman Hippodrome, his racetrack for chariots and later place of throwing Christians to the slaughter.  It was in Caesarea when Paul was imprisoned for two years before losing his life in Rome. It was here where instead of pleading for his life he sought to convert his Roman captors, Felix and Festus.  Read Acts 22-26 

On to Mt Carmel, where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal.  From here we can see the valley of Jezreel, MT Tabor where Jesus was transfigured, Cana, Nazareth…..the Bible is coming alive!! 

Off to Megiddo, the once magnificent most popular city of the region.  Whoever controlled Megiddo and therefore the trade routes, controlled the territory.  Can you just imagine Solomon capturing the sight, rebuilding it and then entering its towering gates in his chariot with full military escort!   So many battles there!  Add Har (hill) to Megiddo and you get the Armageddon of Revelation 16.  In the end those who would rather die than live will get their wish. 

From there on to the Jordan River where 15 or more of us renewed our baptisms by immersion. Pastor Bob and Pastor Jeff had the blessing of doing the renewals and then Pastors Bob Jeff and John baptized each other!!!!  So very, very, very moving.  The call to live for God and serve Christ renewed!!!!! 

Now to bed in Tiberius on the Sea of Galilee. 
Each of us has a room with a balcony overlooking the Sea!!!   Are you kidding me???   

We are right now in the little corner of the earth where God ACTUALLY PERSONALLY SHOWED UP! 
It’s overwhelming.   It’s the most amazing thing that ever has happened on planet earth.  And its meaning could not be more profound and personal for you.  Why did God show up? BECAUSE YOU MATTER TO HIM.   If you can internalize that so that becomes your motivating force in life then your life will find itself increasingly blessed and increasingly fruitful regardless of circumstances.

This is from Ursula Rice who lives in Moscow, Russia and is a member of the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy.  She will be posting periodically as well as Jeff Lampl.

We all made it in one piece with all of our luggage! Praise God!

DAY TWO!

Arrival Moscow 8:00 am-ish Moscow time. Immediately boarded a another big but smaller Aeroflot plane for Tel Aviv. Add it all up plus getting to JFK and that means a lot of tired but really excited pilgrims who clapped when our plane landed in Tel Aviv around 11:30 local time. Everything’s In Hebrew! Go figure!

First stop, Jaffa, the Biblical Joppa where Jonah boarded a boat to Spain to escape God. Many of us were reminded of how we do the same only to be yanked back in by God’s kind but painful mercies.

Others of us, recalling Jonah’s hatred of his enemies were challenged how we want our enemies to “get theirs”

Others of us recalled Peter raising Dorcas from the dead and how it blew Peter’s mind that a non Jewish, uncircumcised, Roman Soldier working for Israel’s oppressors and who may have had no clue about Jesus was nevertheless declared acceptable to God and was baptized by the Holy Spirit even before “praying the sinners prayer”!

It was so so interesting to observe Jews, Christians, Muslims and so many others from diverse backgrounds happily mingling in a country that is the flashpoint of seemingly irreconcilable differences.

It is also Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, where outside of Jaffa (ancient Joppa) almost no one was working. Much of Israel shuts down sundown Friday to sundown Sat. Their work week begins Sunday!

How well do YOU honor the Sabbath! Some think the 4th commandment is really the most important!

Our tour guide is great. He made a really, really funny and really, really not funny joke when he referred to Purim (celebrating the foiled attempted genocide of the Jews recorded in Esther). He said something like “we Jews have all these holidays and so many are about the world trying to kill us. So we just say ‘they keep trying to kill us so let’s eat. (OK it doesn’t sound funny here but it was – sometimes is incredibly profound)

One of us was in tears today as she recalled her dad having given her a Bible from Israel and here she was decades later in Israel with the Bible he gave her.

Neither she nor the other 45 of us will need to say with the Jews this Passover “Next year Jerusalem!” We’re here!

Thanks Pastors Bob and Stacy for making this happen!

Hope you can tolerate the typos!

Bus was late!  Hope we make it!   Holy Land here we come.  First stop Strasburg Pres. then JFK, then Moscow, Russia, then Tel Aviv!   Then immediately to Joppa where Jonah tried to run from God and where Peter raised Tabitha from the dead AND  where Peter had the amazing dream that people who aren’t Jews are accepted by God too!  What a Gift!!!  Wonderful!!

Abraham went out not knowing wither he went.  We DO know wither  we go and we can’t wait!

9:00. Made it to Strasburg Pres. !   Off to JFK.  Bob Reich in charge of counting so far he hasn’t missed anyone.   44 of us so far.  If anyone goes missing it’s Bob’s fault!

Pastor Bob of Strasburg Pres is our leader and everyone loves him!   Way to lead, Pastor Bob!

In the following pages you will find a blog that was put together for the Israel trip that First Presbyterian Church took from March 22-30.  It will be a blog that we will try to post on the days that we will be there.  Jeff Lampl, a retired Presbyterian pastor, will be the primary contributor.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The prophet ends his book with a counting off of the things that are going wrong and ways in which calamity has befallen the nation.  The underlying reality is that family members have turned against family members.  It is a real picture of a civil war portrayed which shows son against father and daughter against mother.  It is tragic, it is sad, it is a reality that is reflected in many countries today.  But look at vs.7, while all of this chaos is happening around him, while his very family is being torn apart…”I will look to the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will  hear me.”

The enemy delights in the downfall of the righteous, the enemy delights in seeing bad things happen to good people.  In fact, the enemy asks the question: “Where is the Lord your God?”  But this quickly transitions to a recognition that when the Lord comes to shepherd his people with his staff, then all of a sudden the narrative will change as it does in this chapter at the end.

Look starting at vs.18 where we find God portrayed as a forgiving and pardoning God.  One who is full of grace and doesn’t retain his anger forever.  The author continues and says: He will again have compassion on us.  The author relies upon the promises of the Lord from the past to know that God is faithful all the time, all the time God is faithful.

This has to be in my top three of favorite Scriptures in the entire Bible.  Look at vs.8, that is my favorite Scripture in this chapter.  Let me just write it again and then you can soak it in and see how it applies to you, how it applies to what you expect of people, and how it applies to what people expect and think of you.  

HE HAS TOLD YOU, O MORTAL, WHAT IS GOOD; AND WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE OF YOU BUT TO DO JUSTICE, AND TO LOVE KINDNESS, AND TO WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD?

Do you notice with what punctuation this verses ends?  I know, the Hebrew doesn’t have the punctuation so it is something that we have added, but why do we have a question mark and not an exclamation point?  The idea is that the author is saying: hasn’t God already told us what we are supposed to do?  It is very similar to Jesus’ statement to his disciples that has been twisted and taken out of context: “You will have the poor with you always.”  This last statement assumes that you know that we will have the poor with us always so the assumption is that you will always make them a priority not just when it is to your benefit because people are watching you or you can put it on your resume to pad it and make you look good.  You should always be reaching out to the poor.

In the same way we should always know what God requires of us, always.  We are called to do justice.  We are called to love kindness.  We are called to walk humbly with God.  Not just walk humbly and think that is good enough.  We are to walk humbly with God.  That is good enough.

So, you should know this chapter and specifically verse 2.  Go back to Matthew 2 the first verses when the wise men went to Herod and asked him about the newborn king and where that king just might be.  The king’s own wise men went back and debated and they came up with this Scripture which states that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, yes, Bethlehem, which was considered a small inconsequential city.  As a result this is where the wise men went and found Jesus.  All because these verses foretold of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem.  

It is very important to note that the new Messiah would not arise from Jerusalem, which would have been the most logical place.  But actually, maybe not the most logical place because we know that David was also born in Bethlehem.  You can look at I Samuel 17:12 where David is introduced that he is spoken of as one who was the son of an Ephrathite from Bethlehem.  So Jesus, our Savior and the Messiah, was born in the same town where David, really the first king whose heart was after the Lord, was born.  A great way to link the Old and the New Testaments in a way that reminds us that we are not just people of the New Testament, but of the entire Scripture.