Day One Video!!!



What a day! We started the morning out on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. We sailed from the shores of Capernaum. By all accounts from our tour guides, it was one of the clearest days in recent memory. The weather was extraordinary. We had a worship service at sea. It was truly overwhelming to be out on the water in the region where Jesus himself spent so much time. From our boat, we could see Capernaum & the hillside from where it is commonly believed Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. It was pretty amazing to imagine the masses gathered to hear Christ's instruction. The Sea of Galilee was beautiful, though it is frighteningly low - down by more than 30 feet. The locals have asked for our prayers for rain. Still quite beautiful.

After a vibrant worship service on the boat - Dave hauled his guitar half-way across the world & knocked out a terrific Emmylou Harris song about the Sea of Galilee (who knew?) - we headed directly into the town of Capernaum. The city has been meticulously excavated and preserved. It's really hard to get your arms around how old everything is. Walking through the ruins places scripture in an entirely new context. I have a much more profound understanding of the landscape. We read scriptures that correspond to the area all along the tour. To hear descriptions of "the other side" & then to look out across the lake "to the other side" is really something. To hear scriptural references to the home of Peter's mother-in-law while you are standing in the middle of the ruins is incredible.

We went on to Gerasene (home of the demoniac that Jesus healed), Korazin (an even better preserved village) & the Mount of the Beatitudes. We had seen the latter from the lake, but we eventually went up onto the hillside. From there you can see back to Tiberius & out across the Galilee. We had a quick devotional at the Mount & talked about the Sermon on the Mount. From there we went to the Church of the multiplication - believed to be the area where Jesus multiplied the loaves & fish. The church was spectacular. From there we went to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter along the banks of the lake where we spent some time on the shores looking out on the water.

We closed out the day at a museum that houses the "Jesus boat." The Jesus boat is a recent archaeological find. When the lake retreated several years ago two gentleman walking the shores discovered the remains of a boat that is literally 2000 years old. The process of its restoration in worth the visit alone. Check out www.jesusboat.com for some info on the boat.

It's a bit of a challenge to put together the pieces of the trip. It is still surreal to some degree to be in such close geographic proximity to where our call to discipleship began 2000 years ago. We have absorbed so much in just one day.

Tomorrow we hit Mt. Carmel & the Jordan River for a service of baptismal renewal. The we go to Cana. It will be tough to top today, but we seem to be going from strength to strength. Our guides are gracious. The land really is a gospel unto its own & I am grateful to have such knowledgeable hosts. Peace to everyone back home. I think we'll put some video up here in a bit if I can figure out how to do it.