Cogges Parish newsletter July/August 2000

From the newsletter ...

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

Easter in Israel

This year, a group of nineteen people, mainly from Cogges, together with some friends and relatives, spent Easter in the Holy Land. It was the holiday of a lifetime. We experienced the amazing beauty of the land - from the picturesque Sea of Galilee in the north to the rugged desert and Dead Sea further south.

We learnt about the lifestyle of people in Bible times, for example sitting in a goat's hair tent. We sampled the local food; for example falafel (made from spicy chick-peas) and shawarma (a sort of doner kebab, but made with turkey). We met the people of the land today, both Jews and Palestinians, and sensed something of the tensions between them, as we passed back and forth through various checkpoints, but also enjoying their very real hospitality.

But perhaps most important of all, we saw the place of Jesus' death and resurrection at the very time when the church was celebrating those saving events. It was a privilege to be in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Easter Day, part of a huge crowd of people, many locals, but many others from all over the world, united by one great joy: Christ is risen!

A visit to Israel is not a magic spell that will put you in touch with Jesus Christ. He is risen, and by his Holy Spirit, he is available to you as Saviour and Friend wherever you are. However, a visit to Israel can serve as a marvellous visual aid, bringing to life the people, the places and the story of the Bible. Those who shared in the Easter holiday this year will, I am sure, agree that reading the Bible will never be quite the same again.

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