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| The City of Jerusalem Photo: thedesertreview.com |
A GOOD
LAND
“For the Lord your God is bringing
you into a good land.” Deuteronomy
8:7-9
Israel Pilgrimage—2006
My
children, siblings
and
friends are quick to say:
What’s so good about
it?
Suicide bombers
blow themselves up
in the marketplace
and take as many with
them
as possible
Palestinians and
Israelis
throw rocks at one
another
Bombs fly from
Lebanon
Enemies surround
and yearn to shove
Israel
into the
Mediterranean Sea
Who needs the Middle
East?
And
yet
this
is the land
where
the virgin gave birth to Jesus
where
Lazarus emerged
alive! from the tomb
where
Peter walked on water
and
lepers were healed
where
my Savior
was
crucified, rose
and
promises to return
where
the roots
of
the olive tree
that
I’m grafted into
reach
down deep
into
good soil
It’s
a good land—
nourishing
me with milk
of
the living Word
and
sweet honey hope
that
thrives
in
the center of my being
How
can I not love it?
Maude
Carolan Pych
Jonathan Cahn, pastor/rabbi of Beth Israel Worship Center, Wayne, NJ, is preparing to lead a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, this month. I will not be going this time. I've been blessed to make three pilgrimages to Israel and have written a chapbook of poetry about my experiences. The above poem appears in that chapbook, titled "A Pilgrim's Quest". Scroll to the end of this blog for ordering information.
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