1/20/14
Although I was in the holy land, my primary reason for being there was not to visit the holy sites. It was to accompany the oppressed people in the region, particularly Palestinians, to be an advocate for peace and justice, to bring awareness to the situation in the holy land and to prepare myself to co-lead a group back to the holy land to do the same, creating a critical mass of peacemakers and justice seekers here in the states. The holy sites were an added bonus and welcomed balance to an otherwise stressful yet enlightening experience. But far too often do we as tourists travel to places, particularly the holy land, just to see the dead stones.
The rock devoted to the birth place of Jesus? Dead stone. The rock Jesus fed the 5 thousand upon? Dead stone. The rock upon which Jesus builds the church of the primacy of Peter? Dead stone. The rocky remains of Golgotha where Jesus was crucified and the stone slate they laid his body on before placing him in the tomb? Dead stones. The Dome of the Rock? Dead stone. All dead stones. While those things were special for me as a person of faith, my most special moments came from the living stones.
Drinking tea in community with refugees and Bedouins. Living stones. Worshiping in many languages, participating in many cultures, and eating native foods. Living stones. Sharing in the healing of critically ill individuals at a hospital that serves those that others will not. Living stones. There was even life in the hopeful art expressed on the stone separation wall. Living stones. Palestinian Christian Elias Chacour asks in his book Blood Brothers, “did you come for the shrines–or do you want to learn about the living stones?” So while it’s okay to go see the dead stones when we travel, also be mindful of the living ones, for they might have a far greater story to tell. A story for you to tell, even. Living stones.
LOOSE CHANGE 