Jerusalem has been our home base for the past six days. This amazing, ancietn/modern city, is dominated by reminders of its 3,000 year history at every turn. Walking the narrow streets of the old city, as Sharon and Carolyn are doing, is a reminder that we have been blessed to be here as we began our final day in this unusual city.
Jerusalem is a city that Abraham saw by faith and that David built with passion. Jerusalem is a city that God has put His name on and that Jesus wept over. Jerusalem is a city that has the world's attention and that will be a flashpoint for a future world war. Jerusalem is a city that has had a tumultuous past but a will have a future glory. Jerusalem, a special place indeed.
Our morning began at the 'Pool of Bethesda' where Jesus healed a lame man. John 5 tells the story of this miracle. On location is St. Annes Chapel where we took some time to sing songs of worship to our great God. A special treat was the beautiful singing of Psalm 126 in Hebrew by our guide Gilla, which showcased the uniqueness of this acoustical environment and the beauty of the Hebrew language in which the Psalm was written. 
Afterwards we headed to the location of the fortress Antonio where Jesus would have stood trial before Pontius Pilate. It was really intense to be in the exact area where Jesus would have been flogged and beaten as He bore the stripes on His back that were prophesied in Isaiah 53. Jesus would have walked, bleeding and suffering on the very stones that we were standing on. 
This brought us to our final stop for the day, the garden tomb. Although we do not know for sure if this was the exact tomb where Jesus had been placed, it is a good indication of what it would have looked like. The proof of the empty tomb is the fullness of Christ's resurrection life in our hearts. We celebrated this fact with communion together in front of an empty tomb!
Our host at the garden tomb told us that he had 36,000 people from 40 different nations visit in the month of March. This unique place has the sounds of thousands of redeemed voices singing the songs of praise to God...a foretaste of heaven."As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins... Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus...8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:1-9
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