Meandering Through Nazareth

Waking up to the songs of birds is leagues above any blaring alarm clocks buzz and that is how my morning began--it was glorious.  There is nothing as refreshing as a rejuvenated spirit.  One that is prepared and ready for a new day (this is a request that I ask each night, and boy am I thankful for the Lord's blessing as I awake bright and eager).  This specific day was like sardines, packed to the brim with adventure.

church of Annunciation

Our day began at the Church of Annunciation.  A church that was built over some excavated remains and supposed cave where Mary was to have heard and accepted the will of the Lord through her.  It was an exquisite building, beautiful in all aspects.
 There were also ruins in this Catholic church of layers upon layers of synagogue basis that continued to be built by civilizations throughout the years.  It gave a sort of rose petal-like layered look which reminded me of the significance of the rosary and its impact through the faith.

Church of Annunciation

Every country was commissioned to provide a piece of art rendering the Virgin Mary and her babe.  They each were so diverse, yet so similar.  It was a simple and somehow still exquisite ministry, and so interesting that one could truly tell almost from just the style and colors they used which country had painted which artwork.  While we were all exploring the upstairs floor of the building, where worship takes place, we got to delight in overhearing another community worshipping in Portuguese.  I realized how meaningful it was to see the church being used as a place of worship and practiced reverence rather than being distortedly transformed into a touristy photo-opt spot.  It reminded us of our purpose that is guiding our journeys and the roots that we are strengthening with each "A site" that we visit.

Down the road from Mary's church was the church of St.
Joseph, a place of worship built simply upon the believed place of Joseph's carpentry shop.  It was much smaller and less ornate than the church of the Annunciation which almost seemed fitting to serve to the dedication of Jesus' earthly father.  a quite, yet compassionate and determined man.  Meek and gentle natured as well as a fervor to love and serve. There was a statue outside the church which was a beautiful representation of him.  Joseph was standing with an expression of quiet understanding and downcast eyes in compassionate subservency.   I could almost picture the moment in which Joseph told Mary that he was not going to disgrace her name or send her away.  (who knew that a sculptures face could portray such feeling).  The incredible composure that this patient trusting man must have had.  It was a lovely sanctuary and so we took a spontaneous moment to stand up and sing the doxology.  imagine: 8 people, voices raised like a choir flowing and blending beautifully, creating a remarkable melodious tune (with some harmonizations, thanks Dan!) the sound engulfed the four walls.

St. Joseph's Church

The international Center of Mary was dedicated and provided by a Catholic french community.  It was unlike anything that I've ever seen or experienced.  There were four rooms that told the story of Jesus from his conception to his assent ion.  Each room was different than a simple screen in a dark room.  The theaters had depth in every sense of the worth.  It had surround sound, lighting, holographic and moveable parts.  It provided scriptures from all parts of the bible as well as an intense grip on my emotions through movie clips.  We were overcome by the selflessness and hospitality of these amazing servants of the Lord.  They have the heart to let us come back during closed hours in order to finish the tour.  To me, it was a beautiful way to observe service to the Lord through humbly and sweetly loving Him, through loving and caring for us, a few strangers.

Next was the city and site where Jesus' first miracle was done.  Although the church didn't seem all that special on the outside as well as little distinction on the inside... it was exciting to see that the church was built around the believed tomb of Joseph.  This very cool place is very near to the area where Jesus turned water into wine, an act of compassion and to bring joy-- which it did!The nun told dan and Jonny that this is a church, not a beach which as a statement is very true and though it seems a bit short and harsh, when examined a little deeper there is a solid truth to it.

the skirts 

One of the coolest paces that words can't possibly describe (along with EVERYTHING else in Israel) Was the Nazareth Village.  It provided a new reality and perspective to what life might have been like in the town of Nazareth during Jesus' time.  We saw men and women dressed in the head-wraps and cloaks of the time period working carpentry tables and sewing tapestrys.  We learned about the process of making olive oil--which is a very important industry used in many biblical traditions especially within Israel.

Steve using the Olive mill

Lastly we got to see a MASSIVE excavated town in Tsippori that is dated from the time of our Lord 2000 years ago.  It is just outside of Nazareth and scholars and theologians are quite certain that Jesus and his father must have come for work in this city and therefore built many of the structures from this town.  It was very cool.  The last part of this stop was walking through the place where water had been kept.  This was amazing technology, for this time in history, that would have taken lot of will power, muscle power, and sheer knowledge to create this amazing reservoir.

Posing in Tsipori (Sepphoris)