One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

Jordan River baptismal site - Qasr al Yahud

I'm sitting in the hotel bar (don't tell Cathy!) drinking a Coca-Cola, and even though the view from here is not as stunning as the Sea of Galilee, I am content and fulfilled at the end of this wonderful day.

We began the day early, heading through the Jaffa Gate into the Old City of Jerusalem before many of the shops opened. We had the place nearly to ourselves as we made our way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Our guide and I had decided to do the "stations of the cross" backwards, due to the walking abilities of some in our group. "Backwards" means "downhill" rather than the traditional uphill. It's easier to walk. So we started at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and visited the traditional sites of Calvary (virtually no one was in line when we got there to touch the stone of the "mountain" that is now under the altar) and the Empty Tomb (there was a beautiful service going on when we arrived, complete with a group of monks or priests singing in harmony). Both of these sites are contained within this mammoth church. It's always a high point to visit this church, and know that Jesus died and rose again in this place—that he is not there, he is risen!

From there, we "backtracked" the Via Dolorosa, visiting each station of the cross until we came to the Antonia Fortress, or what is left of it. Herod had this fortress built in honor of Marc Antony, and when Jesus was arrested, this was Pilate's headquarters. We remembered the scourging Jesus went through and we walked on first century Roman road stones. All the while, the song "Via Dolorosa" was echoing in my heart.

Our final stop for today in the Old City was at the Church of St. Anne, located beside the Pool of Bethesda (John 5). The church is named for Anne, the mother of Mary (the mother of Jesus), and has absolutely some of the most beautiful acoustics in the world. We stood under the dome and sang "Sanctuary" as well as "Alleluia," and we listened to the song echo through the building. This is a place that calms my soul and fills my heart with peace. The pool itself is a fascinating archaeological site, though parts that Rachel and I were able to walk through five years ago are now closed off. (Probably too many crazy tourists walking down there!)

After exiting through the Lion's Gate, we drove through the Kidron Valley and down toward Jericho, where many of us engaged in "retail therapy." Many more got a chance to ride a camel, and then we enjoyed a fabulous meal at the Temptation Restaurant. I have eaten here every time I have come to this land, and the food was never better than it was today. (Even Christopher found food he liked...and went back for more!)

After lunch, we got a bird's eye view of Jericho from the top of the restaurant. We could view Temptation Mountain, the ancient city ruins and the Dead Sea from this high vantage point. Then we went up to the ruins, which made for a very hot walk. Heat index of 102 in Jericho today—still 20 degrees cooler than when I was here in August 2000, though!

One more stop awaited us in the desert today: Qasr al Yahud, the traditional baptismal site of Jesus by John the Baptist. This site has not been open for very long; I've only been able to come here twice. But it is undeniably a lot closer to where Jesus' baptism would have taken place. Pastor Rick and I were privileged to bear witness to and share in the renewal of baptismal vows for several in our group. While we were doing that, right across the river, there were others doing the same thing in Jordan. The river itself serves as the boundary line between these two nations (in fact, there are soldiers on either side who, we are told, will shoot anyone who tries to cross the river), and yet we were joined together across the man-made border by one Lord, one faith, and one baptism (see Ephesians 4:5). Many in our group had been looking forward to this moment for months, and I'm so glad to have been a part of it, and even more touched to realize that even though there may be differences between us, even between those in our group, we truly do share one faith, represented and confirmed in our one baptism. Truly, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus (see Romans 8:38-39).

Once those who had been immersed were again standing on the shore, we sang "Down to the River to Pray," changed our clothes into something dry and came back for a rest at the hotel. We have a late night ahead of us: the Jerusalem Sound & Light Show doesn't start until 10:30 p.m.! Thankfully, we have a later start tomorrow morning.

It's hard to believe our time in Jerusalem is drawing to a close. Two more days, and then some of us will be on to Jordan and others will be headed back home. But what we have experienced here—especially today—will stay with us forever.

To those who traveled with me, I ask: do you understand now why I say I always leave a part of my heart here?