Back from the Holy Land

Dear Mission Family,

Greetings to you all! Rita and I recently arrived home from a ten-day tour of the Holy Land; specifically Israel and Jordan. This was hardly a vacation. Our traveling companions often said, most appropriately “We ran in the steps that Jesus walked!” Since returning to Appalachia many people have asked me, “What were the most memorable moments of your pilgrimage?” You might think it would be experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of the Old City of Jerusalem; walking along the Via Dolorosa (the sorrowful way) two weeks before Easter. However, this being my second visit to this most notable part of the world, I found myself focusing more on the people I encountered than on the history that surrounded me. While I developed a great many impressions during our journey, I would like to briefly relate three which are etched in my memory.

While the Old City usually leaves visitors with a feeling of awe, I personally preferred walking the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee. It was in this place that Jesus really began His earthly ministry, calling a group of common men to become the first human beings ever to receive understanding of a New Covenant between God and man. The serene hillsides that roll up from the north end of the lake provide a wonderful setting for pondering the importance of “The Sermon on the Mount”. We all embrace doctrine that seems to grow in proportion to our Christian maturity, or at least to our experiences in the church. How needful we are of often returning to the simple roots of our faith; reconciling strained relationships, casting off the things that inhibit these relationships, being faithful people of our word, giving with compassion to those in need. I believe that our understanding of advanced issues, such as the place of “signs and wonders” in the church, will come into the proper perspective if we focus on what Jesus told us our primary mission must be.

The birthplace of our Savior provided me with a wonderful opportunity to consider these teachings of our Lord. You may already know that Israel has been constructing a long fortified wall to separate itself from the areas which are under Palestinian control. As we approached Bethlehem I noticed this imposing structure with its’ large steel gate. The harshness of the dull-grey concrete barrier left me feeling cold. As we drove to The Church of the Nativity, which is the traditional site of “the Incarnation”, I asked our Palestinian-Christian driver how he felt about the exclusion which the wall presented. He gazed off at that structure for a few moments, sighed a little, and then softly offered, “The wall has always been there. The difference is that now it is visible.” I thought about how good we are, as a people in general, at building walls so that we don’t have to relate to each other.

Once inside The Church of the Nativity my feelings of uneasiness quickly dissipated. Not having time to tour the entire building, which is actually several churches and shrines tied together, we entered into the area where the Birth of Christ is said to have occurred. With the smell of incense filling the air, the presence of religious icons all about, and candles softly glowing around the altars, I found myself drawn into a certain sense of awe; not at the elaborate religious setting, but at the immensity of what had transpired in this area over 2,000 years ago. As a small group of Armenian worshippers began softly singing, I allowed my voice and spirit to join them in praise. But my worship was suddenly interrupted by a loud coarse sound. The Orthodox priest keeping watch over the church, and who was lounging in a large ornate chair beside the altar, emitted one of the loudest yawns I’ve ever heard. I looked his way to see his apparent passiveness to all that was going on about him. No doubt, for years he has experienced the conditions that were now moving so many of us. I thought about how this same reaction can creep into our own lives within “the church”; feelings of boredom, complacency, and a lack of enthusiasm for what God is doing all about us.

What significance do these experiences have here in our Appalachian ministry? I think the answers are obvious. The Sea of Galilee, at least from my perspective, reminds me of the need to keep a fresh, simple approach in drawing people to Jesus. I can’t present them with some complicated and impossible path to understanding, such as the Pharisees presented. I need to be salt and light, not a blend of spices and many hues of illumination. I must also be wary of wall-building. One of the high profile, more prosperous churches in our community, also has the grandest wall surrounding them. People are invited into the compound, but they never venture outside of it to embrace others who are different from them. Lastly, I must never lose the awe of being in God’s presence. Actually, if you are truly focused on what the Lord is doing in your life, I don’t think it is really possible to lose that awe. When I shift my attention from the work of God to my own existence, then I become complacent.

As our ministry gears up for a very busy summer mission schedule, please continue to pray for us. The needs in this community are great. Pray that the missionaries who come will be salt and light in an area that needs Christian savoring and illumination. To God be the Glory! Thanks for your ongoing support of what He is doing through us.

Celebrating the Christ of Christmas, every day… Jim and Rita Cmolik