Foto Friday - Israel day 7

Day 7...

We began the day at the Garden Tomb, one of the suggested sites for Jesus' crucifixion and burial. This is known as "Skull Hill," of which only the eyes are visible, where Jesus may have been crucified.

The Garden Tomb. Prior to taking this photograph, the entire group from the Florida Annual Conference shared Holy Communion in the adjacent garden.

We left the Garden Tomb and headed over to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, on the eastern slope of Mt Zion just outside the Old City of Jerusalem. This spot is believed to be the location of the High Priest Caiphas' house, where Jesus spent the last night of His life after being arrested.

The property in the foreground is a Greek Orthodox monastery built on the "potter's field" that Judas purchased with the 30 pieces of silver he received for his betrayal of Jesus. It is also believed to be the place where Judas committed suicide.

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu.

The Sacred Pit where Jesus spent the last night of His life. He was lowered into the pit through the opening on the right. While standing in the pit, we listened to Psalm 88. It was a powerful moment, providing vivid imagery of what it must have been like for Jesus as He prayed and waited for the events of Good Friday.

Our next stop was the Upper Room.

After some free time for lunch and shopping in the Jewish quarter, we ended our day with a visit to the Western (Wailing) Wall, the sole remnant of the Holy Temple, for prayer...a fitting conclusion to our pilgrimage.

This is the side for women to pray.

The men's side.

A man in prayer at the wall near what separates the men from the women.

A young boy in prayer. Here you can see written prayers of the faithful left in the crevices of the wall.

A man in prayer before the Torah ark within Wilson's Arch, a covered area to the left of the open plaza. This is one of several photographs I took here, I will likely share more later, but the thought that came to my mind while I was in this place was, "This is what prayer looks like." A holy place, a holy moment.

One of my last photographs from the trip and one of very few that I am in. I had the privilege of spending most of my last day with Dr. Bob Tuttle, a much beloved professor from Asbury who has been to Israel more times than he can count. He rode with me on the bus and walked with me, sharing his own insights as we went. Our time together was a highlight of the trip.

Well, this concludes the daily summaries of my pilgrimage, though I plan to post more Foto Fridays in the weeks to come that will include more photographs from the trip.

Up next, Faces of Israel, Flowers of Israel, and more.