In February, I joined over one hundred United Methodists from Georgia who visited the Holy Land. I am sharing my reflections about the pilgrimage in a series of journal entries.

After touring Jerusalem on the final day of our Holy Land tour, we returned to the Olive Tree Hotel. The group enjoyed a buffet supper before the bus ride to the airport. We arrived at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv about 7:30 p.m. local time.

The Israelis take security seriously. As the Bus Captain, I represented the forty-plus people on our vehicle. The Head of Security asked me a series of questions about the individual members. By the end of the intense interrogation, I felt mildly guilty about some unknown offense.

After the prescreening interviews, we presented our credentials at passport control. Then the line led to another security checkpoint where inspectors checked suitcases and documents again.

On the far side of security, duty free stores gave travelers a final chance to spend their remaining New Israeli Shekels. I bought two water bottles for the twelve hour flight. Then I discovered a final security check at the plane prohibited taking liquids onboard.

I traded seats with a group member who preferred a window seat on the Boeing 777. I sat in the middle section on the starboard aisle. In a plane filled to capacity, the middle seat next to me remained unoccupied. God is good ALL the time!

After reaching cruising altitude, the flight attendants served a late supper. For variety’s sake, I tried the crepe entrée. I chose . . . poorly! I spent the flight watching movies, reading books, taking catnaps, and pacing the aisles.

Twelve hours later we landed at Newark Liberty International Airport for the connecting flight to Atlanta. Our church bus took us back to Lawrenceville—THANKS Jeff and Otilio!

I later did the math—it took twenty-four hours to travel from the hotel in Jerusalem to my home in Grayson. I arrived midafternoon in Georgia; however, my body remained on Israeli time seven hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

Since arriving home three months ago, people have repeatedly asked about my favorite part of the trip. How does one summarize such an amazing journey to the Holy Land in a thirty second elevator speech or a 140 character tweet?

My memories include: baking in the Dead Sea sun . . . climbing the Herodium’s steep slope . . . bowing beneath the Church of Nativity’s low entrance . . . gazing over Bethlehem’s shepherds’ fields . . . boating on the Sea of Galilee . . . praying at the Mount of Beatitudes . . . walking to the high place in Dan . . . eating falafel on Mount Hermon’s slopes . . . descending into the cool grotto of Jacob’s well . . . ascending the hills into Jerusalem . . . walking the Via Dolorosa . . . praying at the Western Wall . . . witnessing Christ’s empty tomb.

The wise on life’s journey discover an important truth. The trip and the destination are certainly important; but it’s those you travel with who make the most difference. Long after the memories of the trip’s itinerary fade, I will still recall the brothers and sisters in Christ who blessed me with their presence.

Since our return, many have expressed an interest in visiting the Holy Land. When the time is right in your life, I strongly encourage you to consider making the journey.

Talk with those who have been—it’s more than a excursion or vacation. Traveling to the Holy Land is a pilgrimage that will radically transform your life and your understanding of the Bible forever.

Amen.

In February, I joined over one hundred United Methodists from Georgia who visited the Holy Land. I am sharing my reflections about the pilgrimage in a series of journal entries.

We spent the final day of our Holy Land Tour in Jerusalem. The bus dropped us atop the Mount of Olives with a panoramic view of the city. After a group photo with the Dome of the Rock in the background, we followed the traditional route of Jesus’ triumphal entry on Palm Sunday.

Tombs line the slopes where the Jewish faithful have been buried for 3,000 years. According to a religious legend based on Zechariah 14:4, the resurrection of the dead will begin on the Mount of Olives when the Messiah comes.

The site of the Garden of Gethsemane rests at the foot of the hillside. We walked through a grove of ancient olive trees before entering the cathedral. The Church of All Nations rests on the foundations of two earlier churches from the 4^th and 12^th centuries. The Roman Catholic church covers a rock where Jesus’ prayed “Thy will be done” the night before his death.

Entering the Old City of Jerusalem, we visited the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed an invalid on the Sabbath. Then we walked the Via Dolorosa and paused at plagues designating the Stations of the Cross.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher (or Sepulchre) marks the traditional location of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. Although the claim cannot be supported with historical certainly, Christians have worshiped at this sacred site since the fourth century.

Altar marking Golgotha

Past the entrance we climbed a stairway on the left that ascended to the site of Golgotha. Under an elaborate altar, pilgrims knelt and touched the rock where the crucifixion took place. The Chapel of Adam is located beneath the altar. Legend claims the blood of Jesus seeped through the rock and covered the skeletal remains of First Man.

A large rotunda left of the entrance houses the traditional site of Jesus’ tomb. I stood in a line winding around the sepulcher. The anteroom contained the “Angel’s Stone” which is purportedly a piece of the stone that sealed Christ’s tomb. A priest stood inside, directing three people at a time to enter the second chamber of the tomb itself.

The low entrance forced us to bow while entering the site of Jesus’ burial. An altar marked the place where Joseph of Arimathea placed the body. We knelt in silent reverence on holy ground.

Later in the afternoon we visited a second site claiming to be the possible place of the cross and empty tomb. Golgotha (Calvary in Latin) literally means “the place of the skull.” A British general and amateur archaeologist named Gordon found a rock formation outside Jerusalem’s walls that resembled a skull. He then unearthed a tomb nearby bearing a striking resemblance to the Gospel’s descriptions of Jesus’ burial place.

The Garden Tomb

The Garden Tomb certainly gave us a sense of what the tomb might have looked like. Our British host talked about the various claims supporting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Gordon’s Calvary. Finally, he paused and said in true English fashion: “However, ultimately it doesn’t matter which site is authentic. The important thing to remember, you see, is THE TOMB IS EMPTY!”

The Crucifixion and the Resurrection bisect history. History swings on the hinges of the cross and empty tomb. On the far side of Easter, nothing remains the same.

The Easter angel’s words continue to ring down through the centuries and in our ears: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here—he is risen!”

God has conquered sin and death. Jesus Christ is the firstborn of the resurrection, and he invites us to receive life, abundant life, and everlasting life. Easter people need not fear the grave because we serve the Lord of Life.

The important thing to remember, you see, is THE TOMB IS EMPTY!