Saturday, April 18, 1998

Holy Lands trip brings new meaning to Easter

By JENNIFER BEALL / Guest Columnist

Easter was completely different for me this year.

I recently returned from a 10-day interfaith trip to the Holy Land. The group was composed of members from Trinity Baptist Church and Temple Beth-El, both in San Antonio.

Our itinerary was packed with all the usual tourist sites -- the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, the Dead Sea -- and with several special touches, such as a memorial service at the Holocaust Museum.

We spent three days touring the northern part of the country, where we visited archaeological sites in Sepphoris and Megiddo as well as places of significance to Christians.

In Caesarea Philippi we saw the site of the Great Confession. In Capernaum we saw a church built where Peter's house is believed to have been. Galilee is where Jesus spent most of his ministry. He spent most of his time at his "lake house."

We arrived in Jerusalem on a Friday afternoon. Several of us went to the Western Wall, also known as the "Wailing Wall," at sunset to welcome the Sabbath.

A ceremony occurs at the wall every week when the Yeshiva students parade down to the wall, dance in a circle singing, then begin to pray.

As I watched one of these young men rocking back and forth reciting prayers, I saw a passion on his face I will never forget. I thought of how I lack this passion in my style of worship and was humbled.

In Jerusalem we traced Jesus' steps along the Mount of Olives and Via Dolorosa. The Via Dolorosa is the proposed route Jesus took carrying his cross up to Calvary. No scripture proves this is the actual route, but it was instituted to help Christians experience what a condemned man's walk feels like.

Today the Via is crowded with shops and vendors. I was repulsed to see how commercialized this area had become, and I was disturbed at first by people aggressively trying to sell me souvenirs.

I then realized it gave me a little taste of the chaos Jesus may have been surrounded by as he walked along this street.

But by far the most unforgettable experience for me was our worship service and communion in the Garden Tomb. Our tour guide explained the clues found in the scripture and history that suggest the Garden Tomb is the possible site of Jesus' crucifixion and burial.

During our worship service, we learned that other gravesites are famous for what they contain, but this one is famous for what it doesn't contain. At the conclusion of the services, we sang, "At the Cross" and "Because He Lives."

From now on, whenever I hear those songs, I will remember the time I sang them as I looked over at an empty tomb.

I felt such an energy in Israel that cannot be captured in pictures or even words. I feel lucky to have experienced it. This year during Easter, I tried to keep that feeling with me to guard against taking the holiday for granted.

I urge everyone from now on to look beyond the Easter baskets and egg hunts to the miracle that occurred almost 2000 years ago, giving us hope for the new life that awaits us.

(Jennifer Beall is a pharmacist for Hendrick Health Systems.)