Reflections from Saturday, July 3rd

Good morning, There were a few problems uploading the photos - sorry for the delay.

Saturday morning we are off to Bethlehem. This is our second visit and we will focus on Shepherd's Field and the Lutheran Center. This center focuses on bringing culture and the arts to this depressed region in the world - with emphasis on serving the young.

Shepherd's Field is the responsibility of the Franciscans and the site is beautiful, prayerful and offers us a gentle breeze. Excavations have revealed that this is indeed a place where shepherds lived during the time of Jesus. Shepherds were at the bottom of the class ladder, they were poor and not much liked. They slept with their flocks in caves that were in the field and it was to these that our faith tradition says the angels came and announced the most amazing news ever heard in the world - "Today a Savior is born and you will find him laying in a manger..." A few photos from Shepherd's field.

Diane and Ann (West Coast of Florida) led our troupe into the chapel area at Shepherd's Cave. Sister Bridgett from Tantur is our guide today and she brings with her many years experience in the Holy Land and at Tantur









The chapel with natural lighting offers beautiful frescos on the walls and a beautiful place to hear God's word proclaimed. Just before this photo we taken, we sat and listened to Luke's story of the birth of Jesus and the revelation announced to the shepherds. We were alone at this place and had time for several minutes of quiet prayer. Then a few photos and were are off to the caves.






Sister Bridgett led us down to this location - it is dark and musty and very, very quiet. We sat, prayed and then sang "Angels We Have Heard on High." I was overcome with images of my mother and reflected on all she had given up for her seven children and how she was present with two of her children at this place and at this moment.







After several minutes of deaf silence we looked around the cave and saw how it might have been set up 2000 years ago (without the picture). On the ledge were cooking utensils and other items for this cave home. Some stories are shared from one of our historians regarding the difficult life of the shepherd and how short thier lives were perhaps dying because of lung diseases.






And as the scriptures always do, we were led to the realization of the meaning of God's Word in our lives today. We leave Shepherd's Field and arrive at the Lutheran Center. It is a beautiful oasis in the midst of poverty and brings to the young refugees culture and the arts. Young people crowd this center during the week and are able to develop their gifts of dance, art, and song. Angie, one of the workers at this haven, shares her story of being "black-listed" or in our terms a terrorist. She is a college student and advocates peacefully for freedom for Palestinians. She has a great spirit and is a happy person in the midst of a community of people who never smile and yet are kind and offer us hospitality. Angie is a great guide and her talk about the crypt in the cellar of this place and the history of the church are told with vivid and colorful words. She is truly a blessing for this community.

We stopped at the Church of the Nativity, but the heat of the day and the lines told us to visit the place where Christians say Jesus was born on another day. Actually Diane and I have been here once already. We head back to Tantur for lunch and an afternoon of study.

Peace and blessings