Holy Land Israel Tour for 2012

Greetings:

Below is our final itinerary and pricing for the trip to Israel - Holy Land trip.  We will have two informational meetings at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 1930 Winchester Avenue Ashland, Kentucky on Wednesday, September 28 following Vespers (6:45 pm) and Sunday, October 2 following morning worship.  We will meet in the Church Library.  Even if you are not sure you will be traveling we invite you to come and learn more about the land and our heritage of faith.  If you are not able to be at the informational meetings but would like more information and a travel brochure, please email or call me.

To learn more you can also "friend" Educational Opportunities on Facebook or go to http://revike.blogspot.com/ to view an educational video on Israel - Holy Land.

Israel Holy Land Tour 2012

Rev. Ike Nicholson # 49203
April 20 – 29, 2012
Cincinnati

20 April (F) – Depart from USA
Your spiritual pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight
flight.

21 April (S) – Arrive in USA
You will be welcomed to the Holy Land by our airport representative and  transferred to your hotel (Royal Plaza in Tiberius http://royalplaza.co.il/index.php/english). Enjoy dinner before you rest.

22 April (U) - The Galilee
Cross the waters of the Sea of Galilee aboard a Kinnereth Sailing Company boat. Along the way, participate in a special on board worship service. Travel to Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee. Visit the synagogue which stands on the site where Jesus taught. Recall his teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom (Matt.4:13, 23). At Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar, you’ll learn about the “Ancient Boat”, a rare example of the kind of boat in which Jesus would have sailed. Travel to the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached to the people (Matt. 5-7). At Tabgha, the traditional location for the calling of the disciples and the feeding of the 5000, you’ll visit the Church of the Fish and the Loaves (Luke 9:10-17). You’ll also visit the Chapel of the Primacy where three times Peter professed his devotion to the risen Christ (John 21). At the  River Jordan you can remember your baptism in the Yardenit Baptismal Site (for those of you who went to Jordan, this is the alternative baptismal site offered by some scholars...we'll talk about why).

23 April (M) - Beit Shean, Nazareth, Megiddo and Caesarea. Visit the ruins of Beit Shean which was continuously inhabited for 5000 years and was one of the Roman cities Jesus passed on his way from Galilee to Jerusalem. We’ll visit Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matthew 2: 23). Travel the ancient caravan route to Tel Megiddo where 20 different cities lie superimposed upon each other. Visit the Roman Aqueduct and Theatre at Caesarea, a center of the early Christians. Here, Cornelius became the first Gentile convert to the new religion (Acts 10) and Paul was imprisoned before being taken to Rome for Trial.

24 April (T) - Jericho, Qumran, and Bethlehem
Travel to Jericho and visit the ruins of the ancient city, which was conquered by Joshua (Josh. 6: 1, 2, 20). From Jericho, you can see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4: 1-11). Even today, the road from Jericho to Jerusalem twists for miles as it climbs from below sea level into the Judean Mountains. Jesus traveled the nearby Roman road, the setting of His parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 30-36). Travel to Qumran, site of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery, to discuss the mysterious community of Essenes who once lived on the shores of the Dead Sea. (Depending on our Jericho timeline, we may be able to swim in the Dead Sea this day too.) 

In Bethlehem, you’ll visit the cave revered as the place where Jesus was born (Matt. 1: 18 - 25; Luke 2: 1- 7). The church, which was constructed on the site, is the world’s oldest functioning church. Nearby you’ll view Shepherds’ Field where the Good News was first heard.
(We will end the day back in Jerusalem at the Olive Tree Hotel http://www.olivetreehotel.com/)

25 April (W) - Jerusalem
Visit the Haas Promenade and enjoy a panoramic view from the south of Jerusalem, the Old City walls and the hill called Mount Moriah where Abraham was commanded by God to offer Isaac as a burnt offering (Gen. 22:2, 4). View the Kidron Valley and the Valley of Gehenna. Stand atop the Mount of Olives as Jesus did and enjoy a remarkable view of the “Golden City” of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1: 9 - 12). Visit the Chapel of the Ascension. Pray in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus prayed (Matt. 26: 36 - 44). Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas where Jesus was imprisoned for a night (Matt. 26: 57 - 65). Stand in the Upper Room, revered as the place of the Last Supper (Mark 14: 12 - 26). View the site of King David’s Tomb.

26 April (H) - Jerusalem and the Old City
Visit the Southern Wall Excavations of the ancient Temple, including the Teaching Steps and the Western Wall. Walk the Cardo, the ancient main street of the Old City. Once lined with shops it is now partially restored. View the Pool of Bethesda (John 5: 1-31) where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle, and sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne. Visit Herod’s Antonia Fortress where Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23: 1-11). Walk the Via Dolorosa, “the Way of the Cross,” and stand in reverence at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

27 April (F) - Leisure Day with Optional Masada and Dead Sea Tour Explore on-your-own or visit Masada (additional charge of about $70), Herod’s mountaintop fortress which became the last stronghold of the Jewish Rebellion against the Romans. Ride the cable car to the top to explore. Peer down upon the remains of the Roman camps and siege ramp below. Time permitting; you’ll stop briefly at the Shores of the Dead Sea for a quick dip in the salt and mineral laden waters. (This will be the second opportunity to swim in the Dead Sea.)

28 April (S) - Jerusalem
Travel to Ein Karem, known as the birthplace of John the Baptist and the place where the Virgin Mary visited Elisabeth (Luke 1: 26-40). Time permitting, you will visit Yad Vashem. Visit and worship at the Garden Tomb, possible site of the garden of Joseph of Arimathea and experience the reality of the Resurrection. Your afternoon is free for exploring.

29 April (U) – Return to USA
Return home with memories of the people and places of the Holy Land.


Gateway:  Cincinnati, New York City
Dates:  April 20 - 29, 2012

Israel Hotels:  3 Nights - Galilee:  Royal Plaza or similar
           4 Nights – Jerusalem: Olive Tree or similar
Please be advised that all hotels are subject to availability and itinerary
days & overnights are subject to change.

Trip and PRICE Includes:  Taxes and Fees / Tips for hotel staff / Hotels / Buffet
Breakfast and Dinner Daily / Guides / Buses / Drivers / Entrance Fees

Not Included:  Love Offering for Driver and Guide (total $75 for the week) / Lunches (Avg. $15 per person) / Optional Tour of Masada ($70)

COST: $3,394.00 from Cincinnati per person

A $300.00 deposit is required at the time of registration.  No registration will be processed without a deposit. Passports must be valid for 6 months after the return date (October 29, 2012).

A  further  deposit  of  $1,500.00  is due at 105 days prior to departure (January 6, 2012).

Full  and  Final  Payment  must  be  made  no  later  than 60 days prior to departure (February 20, 2012).

Journey to the Holy Land with First Christian Church

Life got you down?

We live in a world of results.  It is a pragmatic world.  Our conclusions of what works and what does not work is based on both our assumptions of the problem and our desired resolution.  Most of you are aware of my ongoing battle with the lawnmower this summer.  It breaks down weekly.  On one occasion, it just wouldn’t start.  I remembered a small engine mechanic telling me that a lawnmower engine needs three things: gasoline, air and a spark. I literally tore the whole engine apart.  I cleaned the carburetor, replaced the plug and even checked the case for compression.  The gas tank was full and still the mower would not work.  Whenever I used starting fluid directly into the carburetor, it would fire right up and then quit.  What was the problem?  I had spark, the air filters were clean and the gas tank was full. 

Now, I know this is a “guy example” but I am sure all of us can understand the connection.  Sometimes in life we assume we have everything in place.  All the parts we need to be successful are available.  Why won’t the desired results happen? We live in a pragmatic world.  We assume we know the desired results. Obviously the job promotion or the potential romantic interest will make life more enjoyable.  Ok God, here is what will make me happy so let me get the promotion or have a date with this particular guy or gal. We pray and we pray and nothing happens.  The promotion goes to someone else, the love interest picks the other girl and we begin to doubt the effectiveness of our prayers, of prayers in general or even begin to doubt that God really loves us.  If God did love us, wouldn’t we have gotten what we desired? In my own experiences, sometimes realizations came quickly and other times, it takes years.  Our path in life changes and goes in another direction.  We assume we have been abandoned by God.  As the days go by and as the years pass I discover that God is indeed with me and this is especially true during troubled times.  A new opportunity, maturation or some other effect of my troubled circumstances turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.

I realize that even though I had all that I needed in place, my desire for things to transpire the way I wanted them to transpire had seemingly made me ineffective and broken.  I cut myself off from the source of strength and forgot the teaching of the Church that God is always at work within my life for the good of his Kingdom.  My oversight or my confusion prevented the flow of God’s grace into my life.  I discovered that over time, I had slowly bought into the world’s idea that immediate results are the sign of success.  That enculturation constricted the flow of God’s wisdom.  Thankfully, God is sovereign.  Regardless of my confusion or sense of helplessness, God was still at work even when I had given up.

As for the lawn mower, I talked to several of the men at FCC. Because of their experience and knowledge they told me that the gasoline we use these days has a tendency to literally melt gas lines to the point that they close up and although the tank is full, none of it gets to the engine.  I changed the gas line, turned the key and the lawnmower fired right up.  Ironically, all the work I had done because I tried to go it alone prevented me from doing the real work of mowing grass.

Everything seems to be in place but yet things still don’t seem to work? Consult your brothers and sisters in Christ.  Their experience might help.  Trust them, believe in them and don’t give up.  Most important, make sure your lines through which grace comes isn’t closed or gummed up.  Open yourself to God in prayer and get to the work that makes a difference, the work that really needs to be done.

End of Day Three

Today's morning reports were from the Central Pastoral Office for Hispanic Ministries (www.obrahispana.org), North American Pacific / Asian Disciples (napad.net) and the National Convocation (www.disciples.org/convo).  These three fellowships represent some of the fastest growing and most dynamic segments of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  I think one of the most poignant points of interest for me is the diversity these fellowships bring to the denomination.  Although many might disagree with me, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was born in a 19th century frontier culture.  We were overwhelming a white unity movement that in many ways reflected the predominant values of most 19th century frontier white folks.  Although we are a movement that looks to the first century church as a model for ministry and evangelism, that vision was filtered through a white culture and values.  Generalizations of ethnic groups are not all that helpful, but these fellowships offer a perspective that will drive us to a vision of dynamic change. The prophetic word from our Latino, Pacific Asian and African American fellowships force us to understand our identity in a new context of this post modern, post Christian world.
When our founders offered a word to reconsider what was essential to our Christian expression, things like creeds, hierarchy and simplicity in faith/practice were bothersome to many of their contemporaries within the European denominations of the 19th century.  Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians and Baptists all looked at us with wariness and suspicion as we preached an open table for the Lord's Supper, a radical call to transformation through adult baptism and a truly catholic/ecumenical understanding of the Church of Jesus Christ.  Many of our radical positions of 100 years ago have themselves become entrenched identity markers for who we think we should be in this contemporary culture.  Our ethnic fellowships remind us of our original values.  What would our Church look like with the dynamic worship, insightful theology and a new understanding of prophetic leadership that many of our ethnic fellowships bring to our new fabric?  Internationally, we are seeing profound growth among Christians in the Southern hemisphere, in Africa, South America and Asia.  Has the North American Church become the new European colonial church which we worked so hard to challenge?  If our very identity changed to include new concepts of leadership brought to us by our African American brothers and sisters, how might congregations be transformed to empower ministry in the whole church? If our worship changed to include new concepts of celebration brought to us by our Latino/a brothers and sisters, how might our own worship bring people to encounter God in a new and dynamic way? If our call to personal accountability and spiritual discipline were transformed by the presence of our Pacific / Asian brothers and sisters, how might our own lives be re-focused toward a fuller understanding of mutual accountability?  I am somewhat uncomfortable with the call from some of my contemporaries to be more hospitable to our ethnic brothers and sisters because the very idea conveys that we are in and they are trying to get in.  Hospitality is indeed a Christian discipline, no argument here.  However, the Church doesn't belong to us in the first place.  God has called all of us into the Church through our baptism. Still, I remember the critique of one particular Latino visitor to FCC-Ashland that we must be careful not to entrench our own culture of respectability and characterize it as inherently "Christian." Our speaker this morning reminded us that Christianity is sufficiently fluid to welcome all people and all cultures to the central message that God's love has been revealed through Jesus Christ.  Yet again, I am not sure any of us have the answers, but the challenge to begin the conversation has been set before us.  In Ashland, the fastest growing ethnic group is Latino/a.  How will our congregation be prepared to continue to do ministry in the years to come?
The closing worship service today featured the powerful preaching of Dr. Fred Craddock.  His focus on this year's theme of "Tell It!" reminds us that to tell others of how God has met us through Christ requires courage.  It reminded me that one does not need to articulate a philosophical proof of God or a neatly packaged theology that reasonably presents proofs for belief.  All we have to do is tell people about God. The Holy Spirit does the real work.  One speaker reminded us today that a river never rises above its source.  I hope we will all continue the conversation of how we might celebrate the freshness of a worldwide Christianity.  A willingness to allow Christ to be the source of our river in which we are baptized that will flood the world with God's love. Our "end times" Christian brothers and sisters continue to frighten us with a perspective that a worldwide church is a sign of an anti-Christ mentality.  Nonsense. Christ did not found an ethnic Church.  Christ did not institute a European Church or an American Church or a white Church.  Christ instituted THE Church. It is frightening for some, uncomfortable for others but an exciting prospect for all of us for God has chosen this moment and all of those around us to do this work of unity in the midst of diversity.  Still, difficult questions remain.  What if our openness brings us into fellowship with those who might propose a perspective that tries to silence those of a certain gender? What if our openness bring us into fellowship with those who might propose a position that narrows our theological perspective away from mutual respect to an new creedalism of social views or political opinions?  Ultimately, from a historical perspective, the Church has been here before.  We have lived through times of great growth and faithfulness.  We have also lived through times of Crusades and Inquisitions.  Still, the Church has lived and carried on the work of God's realm.  In the long run, Truth always wins.  The writer of Hebrews reminds us that often those to whom the promise of God has been made never see the fruition of that gift. Yet, those ancient prophets and patriarchs/matriarchs lived by faith that God was at work in the midst of the confusion, debate and arguments.  That faith is still present, still powerful and for those who are confident of the sovereignty of God, it offers us a confidence that no matter what, our call is to faithfulness to the passion and power of the Holy Spirit.  Do not be afraid. Do not try to protect God.  God is perfectly capable of handling whatever might seek to prevent the Gospel of peace, grace and mercy.  God won.  The resurrection proves that. Death, evil, sin, ignorance, hate and greed are already defeated. Thanks be to God.