Thursday, 26th September 2019
Today’s journal entry comes from the seat of flight EK904 from Amman to Dubai, as we begin our journey home. We left the Movenpick Hotel in Petra early to make our way up to Amman. Along the way, we stopped at Mount Nebo to visit the ‘Memorial of Moses’. From this vantage point, we looked over the Jordan Valley and could see what Moses did from the very spot that God gave Moses a glimpse of the land he would never enter. It was a surreal moment taking in the significance of such a view. It was so much more than just pretty scenery but a vision of a promise for the people of Israel.
“Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land – from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, “I will give it to your descendants.” I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it”” (Deuteronomy 34:1-4).
What may have been a disappointment to Moses may also have been a vision of fulfilment, having completed the task God assigned to him at the burning bush. We don’t read of disappointment or resentment but of anointing and handing of the mantle of leadership to Joshua to lead the Israelites Moses had rescued from slavery into the promised land.
“Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses.” (Deuteronomy 34:9)
The ‘Memorial Church of Moses’, along with some impacting statues, stand as a tribute to the man who earned the epitaph,
“Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face…” (Deuteronomy 34:10). The remains of the 6th century church and stunning mosaics housed in this memorial church have stood as a lasting testimony to Moses’ life and leadership on top of Mount Nebo.
From the mountaintop we descended back down into the valley to the city of Madaba to visit ‘St. George’s Mosaic Map Church’. This remarkable mosaic map of the Holy Land and surrounding regions is another example of the amazing craftsmanship of the 6th century that has been passed down through the generations to today in Jordan. The detail of this map, showing key places of biblical significance, is something to be admired and preserved for future generations.
After visiting the ‘Church of the Mosaic Map’ we all gathered at the 'Haret Jdoudna Restaurant' for our final meal together as a group of pilgrims. Over the past two weeks, we have shared a life changing pilgrimage that has taken us on a journey through the pages of Scripture to the sites where it actually happened. We have shared moments of awe and wonder, laughed and cried together, and have experienced divine encounters along the way. At the beginning of this pilgrimage, many of us were strangers, but along the way, a bond of friendship that has roots sown in a mutual experience has been formed. As we each return to our respective appointments, we will take a piece of each other’s lives with us as fellow pilgrims of the Holy Land. It has been a real joy to share this journey with Officers from around Australia that already share a common calling and covenant. It has also been a delight getting to know Officers from the former Australia Eastern Territory and travel together under the banner of the new Australia National Territory.
As we approached Amman airport in Jordan, one of our fellow pilgrims presented us each with a small crocheted cross that she had handmade during our trip as a thoughtful token of our journey in the footsteps of Jesus over the past two weeks. Therefore, I have chosen to embed this lovely gift into the pages of this journal as a permanent imprint of what this trip was all about. It’s all about Jesus!! The historic Greco-Roman culture set the environment for the birth of Jesus and the present Israel Palestinian conflict may well set the scene for the return of Jesus. In the centre of this complex political and religious region, by God’s divine providence, Jesus still remains at the heart of the Holy Land. The ‘Wailing Wall’ and the ‘Golden Dome’ pale into insignificance before the path of the cross! Even the ornate beauty of the ‘Holy Sepulchre’ falls short of the majesty of the One it represents. Walking in the ‘Footsteps of Jesus’ throughout the Holy Land was ultimately a journey towards the cross, as this was Christ’s mission for the salvation of humankind. All His teaching, miracles and encounters along the way was to fulfil His Father’s will (John 6:38).
“Oh, the wonderful cross, oh the wonderful cross
Bid me come and die and find that I may truly live.
Oh, the wonderful cross, oh the wonderful cross
All who gather here by grace, draw near and bless Your name.
Love so amazing, so divine demands my soul, my life, my all.
It’s the beauty and the shame, it’s the glory and the name
Wonderful cross.”
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