Galilee

We began early again this morning as we headed inland from our port at Haifa (a rather new port city, especially compared to Ashdod) to the Sea of Galilee. Time didn’t permit a lot of exploration today, so we drove by some things I would like to have stopped at, but nevertheless we saw much in our final day in Israel.

We began with a boat ride on the Sea at Nof Ginnosaur, where I got to share some devotions and we were invited to reflect in silence. The water was very peaceful; I think most of us could have sat on the water all day. But then it was off on our trip around the lake.

We began at the Mount of the Beatitudes, where our bus captain shared in the readings from Matthew 5-7 and led us in prayer. The grounds are beautiful as usual, and after a brief walk we were off to Tabgha.

Tabgha has two highlights. The first is the traditional place of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes, called Mensi Christi (“Table of the Lord”). The second place celebrates the primacy of Peter, and is the traditional spot where Jesus met the disciples after his resurrection and restored Peter. We walked to the water over a rocky beach and put our hands in.

Our next stop was Capernaum, the town of Jesus, the place from where he did most of his ministry. There has been a lot of work done at Capernaum, making a broad plaza and continuing to uncover more of the city. The synagogue is still amazing to see, but one of my hopes was finally realized as I got to go into the church that stands above the ruins of the house of Peter. The floor is glass so that you can see into the ruins from above. Every other time I’ve been here, the church has been inaccessible, so I was very excited to be able to go in this year.

After Capernaum—lunch at Ein Gev, where we got to talk to the tour guide from our last trip, Mike. He remembered Rachel, of course, and gave her a big hug. We got to chat for a few moments before heading into lunch. Some were adventurous and ordered the St. Peter’s Fish with the head on, but I have had that experience before, so I had spaghetti.

Our final stop for the day was at Yardenit, a traditional site for baptismal renewal and remembrance. It’s not the site where Jesus would have been baptized or even where John the Baptist did his work, but it is a pretty site and a nice setting for the celebration of God’s claim on us. Several of us stood in the water while the little fish nibbled at our toes. There were six in our group who were immersed in order to renew their baptismal vows.

Then we took one last look at Israel as we drove back to Haifa and our ship. As dinner began, we headed out toward Cyprus…our final stop on the cruise and our next-to-last excursion for the trip.