Mark 14:27-42
In May of 2019, I was blessed with my wife, Merry to take our trip of a lifetime and visit the Holy Land! Throughout the entire experience we felt God’s arm of protection and guidance surrounding us as we traveled the 7,000 plus miles, adjusted to the 8 hour time difference, doing our best to navigate the many religious, cultural and language barriers, met, bonded and toured Israel with 28 until then strangers to finally arrive and spend our last two magnificent days in Jerusalem!
In May of 2019, I was blessed with my wife, Merry to take our trip of a lifetime and visit the Holy Land! Throughout the entire experience we felt God’s arm of protection and guidance surrounding us as we traveled the 7,000 plus miles, adjusted to the 8 hour time difference, doing our best to navigate the many religious, cultural and language barriers, met, bonded and toured Israel with 28 until then strangers to finally arrive and spend our last two magnificent days in Jerusalem!
We had toured the Old City the previous day with our tour group and with our confidence now emboldened, we decided to take in more of Jerusalem on our own that final day. When I reflect back on the events that unfolded on our final day, Jesus’s great commandment of ”You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, speaks loudly to me. We were on the recipient’s end of this powerful piece of scripture. Very shortly after departing our hotel it dawned upon us that without any GPS to guide us on our phones and without our trusted guide Gabriel, we were truly on our own. Still feeling confident enough from our previous day’s tour of Jerusalem, we pushed on. We eventually managed to find ourselves totally lost within the walls of the old city and in a zone designated for the thousands upon thousands of worshippers celebrating Ramadan. After several attempts to find an exit point and to no avail, panic was beginning to set in. Literally out of nowhere we were being motioned to by a young man who proceeded to extend his grace and assistance to us at a time we most needed it. His name was Herod. In addition to giving us the directions we needed to eventually exit and catch a cab back to our hotel, Herod opened his shop to us and shared a wonderful conversation over tea of his family’s Armenian heritage and his personal Christian journey. We have brothers and sisters in Christ near and far. Our neighborhood extends all over the world. I am thankful for my brother, Herod.
Prayer: Heavenly father we give thanks for your tender love and mercy. We thank you for the holy-spirit being used through your children of all nations to extend compassion and generosity to one another in a loving and selfless way. Amen.
Prayer: Heavenly father we give thanks for your tender love and mercy. We thank you for the holy-spirit being used through your children of all nations to extend compassion and generosity to one another in a loving and selfless way. Amen.
by Jim Tillman
