DAY 2
Saturday  at 7:30 am we started our tour after a prayer and proceeded to St. George Cathedral in Jerusalem where Achen conducted a Holy Communion Service. We were blessed to be able to receive the Holy Sacraments at the Lords Table. A Holy Qurbana in the Holy Land!

[Slide show - Cathedral]
 
We then proceeded to Bethlehem, which is now under Palestine control. We saw tall concrete walls made by Israelis to separate Palestine from their land. We passed by a Palestinian refuge camp on the way to the Bethlehem town, 8 kms south of Jerusalem on a hill 800 meters above sea level. This is where Jesus was born to the Virgin Mary. The Church there is called “Church of Nativity” which is built on the manger (more accurately a grotto or small cave/opening on the hillside). This is a big church and we are allowed to visit the place where Jesus born by going through an entrance under the Altar. We spent almost one hour viewing the various sacred areas of the church and its paintings and decorations. The Church itself is managed by the Arab and Armenian Orthodox Churches. Bethlehem was where Rachel died and was buried close to Ephrata. (Genesis 35:16-18). Here Ruth met Boaz and married him. David was anointed to be king in Bethlehem. Hence the name: “The city of David”. Mary and Joseph came here for the census from Nazareth of Galilee. While they were here, Mary gave birth to Jesus (Luke 2:1-20). In 325AD Helena, Constantine’s mother visited the holy land and built three basilicas -- The first one in Calvary, second in Bethlehem, third on the top of the Mount of Olives.  The tombs of innocent infants who were killed by the royal decree of King Herod can also be seen here.

[Slide show - Bethlehem]


From Bethlehem, we proceeded to Jerusalem, to visit Mount Zion and the Dormition Abbey (built by Benedictine fathers in 1910) where Jesus’ mother, Virgin Mary died. On the way to Mount Zion, we saw a convent where the nuns are known to never go outside their compound. We were able to visit the Upper Room where Jesus had his last supper with his disciples. It is the place where the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost. The Tomb of David is also seen nearby and we visited the site.  Our next stop was St. Peters Church in Gallicantu built by Assumption Fathers in 1931. This is the place St.Peter denied Jesus three times before the crowing of the cock in fulfillment of Christ’s word.

[Slide show - Dormition Abbey, Upper Room, St. Peters church in Gallicantu]

Later that afternoon, we visited the Garden Tomb. This site, -- north of the Damascus gate--  is believed by many (especially protestant groups) to be the place of crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. In 1883 the British general Charles Gordon noted the rocky hill, which resembled a human skull and suggested that this is true Calvary. During excavations, an ancient garden was found to the west of the hill. In this garden, there is a tomb which was once sealed with a stone that could be rolled away.  In 1892 a British group purchased the tomb and its surrounding areas and has cared for it since then by a resident warden. It is commonly known as Gordon’s Calvary. The place leaves a remarkable impact on the visitor. We can feel the enormity of the sacrifice and the love of a Savior who laid down his life for us.

[Slide show - Place of skull (Thalayodidam), Garden Tomb]

Later we drove past the Bank of Israel and the Knesset (Israel’s parliament building). The Knesset is composed of 120 members elected by a general vote of all the citizens over the age of 18. Nearby is the Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls). It is a small museum in an onion shaped building. It is designed to resemble the lid of the jars in which the Dead Sea scrolls where found. Later we drove down Prophet Street and saw the Hebrew university before we returned to our hotel.