Monthly Archives: August 2010

Looking for God

Published: August 25th, 2010 | Categories: Footsteps of Moses 2010 | 0 Comments

In March, a group from our church took a trip to the Holy Land. One of the historic sites we visited was the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The church was built in 326 AD by the Roman Emperor Constantine and later rebuilt in 530 AD by Justinian. Religious pilgrims travel from great distances to view the silver star in the underground Grotto, which marks the traditional site of Jesus’ birth.

There was a crowd the day of our visit and we waited patiently for our turn to descend the stairs into the Grotto – a former cave now carefully entombed in stone and concrete. As we stood in line, we were overwhelmed by the religious relics dominating the architecture and history of the site. The Crusader period painted columns and 4th century mosaics were  over shadowed by hanging lights, lanterns, candelabras and various ornamentation inside the Nave.  The altar at the front of the church was filled with a smoky haze from the many burning candles lit as prayer offerings. Somewhere under all the sensory overload was a church.

Entering the Grotto

So there we stood, observing all the activity around us and all the ornaments hanging from every conceivable nook and cranny. As I gazed down the steps leading into the Grotto, I noticed an electrical wire snaking down the wall to a lone light bulb hanging in the doorway. That’s where I took this picture of our dear friend Michael. He was looking for God.

I didn’t know this at the time. Later that evening, Michael shared his experience with us. You see, Michael was raised in religion and this trip was a gift from his beloved wife. He was excited to see the traditional birthplace of Jesus and maybe, possibly, feel the presence of God in that place. Surely His presence would be palpable in this holy site.

Michael shared with us his steps into the Grotto, looking first at the silver star on his right and then making his way around to the left to observe the traditional site of the manger. All the while, an Orthodox priest sat nearby observing our every move. We were quickly ushered through and up another set of steps leading out into the sister church of St. Catherine.

As Michael recounted his steps, he remarked, “I knelt down, gazed at the star and looked around. Could God be here? Then I walked over to the manger site and looked around. Was God here? As I walked around the small Grotto, I looked for God – but He wasn’t there.” Read More »

Highways and By-Ways

Published: August 19th, 2010 | Categories: Christian Living | 0 Comments

Just the other night, my husband and I were meeting friends for dinner and needed directions to the restaurant. We got into our vehicle, my husband driving and I in the passenger seat. I activated the navigation system, selected the location and started the route guidance. Soon the pleasant automated voice began instructing us to turn here and there and we were on our way.

The closer we got to our destination, the more my husband began to question the route guidance. “What? Why are we turning here? Shouldn’t we be going the other way? I don’t see that street. Oh, there it is! Honey, what do you think…?” The ‘honey’ (me!) was fuming in the seat next to him. For the past 20 minutes I had tried to calmly acknowledge his comments without loosing my cool. We were about to join friends for dinner after all! It would not be good to have a disagreement and then paste the ‘happy smile’ on our faces. Why couldn’t he just follow the directions? Why did he have to question every twist and turn?

We did make it successfully to the restaurant – which is not always the case with navigation systems. And when we arrived, we had a good laugh. I commented to my husband that following the navigation system was a lot like following the Lord. The closer we get to His destination, the more we try to question Him and take over the route guidance!

The Pilgrim’s Progress

This summer I have been re-reading The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, which was first published in 1678.  As the Lord would have it, He was giving me 21st century application for His Word as illustrated in Bunyan’s timeless allegory. Just days before our dinner date, I had been reading about the pilgrims’ encounter with Giant Despair.

The pilgrims, Christian and Hopeful, are on their way to the Celestial City and traveling on the Way. At this point in their journey, the Way follows along the bank of “the river of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:1) After a time, the Way and the river part and the path becomes rough. The pilgrims’ feet grow tired and they become impatient. They wish for a better way. Read More »