There is no magic nor a special blessing about doing a renewal of commitment to marriage in Cana. Jesus graced a wedding party at Cana and did a great miracle of changing water to wine. However this does not mean your renewed marriage will turn from water to wine. However doing a renewal of commitment can be memorable, special and may mark a milestone for marriages that have gone through some turbulence, or have turned from wine to water. I led the service in the church: a song, a short exhortation, and some statements of renewed commitment, and a prayer of blessing. Then it was photo taking time! (All photos: Euhan)
Giving the exhortation to all the married couples.Group photo of married couples that renewed their marriage commitment.We did it too.
Near the Banias, remnants of the pagan temple of Pan, located near Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, we stood where it is claimed Peter declared, You are the Christ the Son of the living God in one breath, and in another he insisted that Jesus must not take the Calvary road. Lord, help me to see that the cross is not to be shunned but to be accepted with a Not my will, but Yours be done”. This was in December 2013. Wonderful memories.
Worship of Pan at the cavernous openingOne of Singapore’s top 20 wedding photographers from Eirik Photography.Gopher?From other churches but one in Spirit.
The weather got better by the time we reached Capernaum, and our energy inched up despite the overnight flight from Singapore. This hometown of Peter and Andrew, and James and John, was a small fishing village on the northern edge of the Galilee lake. It became the staging area for Jesus’ ministry in that province. Many mighty miracles were done here but people were resistant.
The ruins of CapernaumIt was a pleasure to have young people with usThe young at heart. Some of the ladies.They call Capernaum “the town of Jesus”
I was looking at some old photos of the holy land trip I led in December of 2013. It was unforgettable. It was unexpectedly cold. One of the coldest in the recent history of Israel. It snowed heavily in Jerusalem. And here in Caesarea by the Sea I faced the forebodings of a freeze. I worried that the itinerary would be curtailed.
Snowed over and delayed at Istanbul Artaturk AirportCaesarea by the sea was wild and captivating.It was unusually cold and we were worried certain places in our itinerary may be closed.
Caesarea by the sea: stormy and wildEnjoying our Israeli meals (Photo: Tiffany)
By the end of the holy land experience we were like those who came back after a successful mission trip -thrilled from seeing the living God at work. We saw how God intervened and opened doors as large parts of Israel were affected by an unusual cold snap.
The day we stepped foot on Israel we had wet and stormy weather. The sky frightened us with strong cold winds and drizzle. One moment I was, Oh no, is it going to be like that during the whole trip? Next moment I was praying and believing.
The second night we gathered at a function room. After a fun icebreaker, a few shared how the Lord led them and opened the way for them to visit the holy land. Earlier that afternoon, we ate St Peter’s fish in a restaurant by the lake of Galilee. The fierce winds agitated the waves till all boats were recalled to shore. Our scheduled boat ride was cancelled. So that night I read a pertinent passage about Jesus, the Lord of wind and waves, calming the winds and challenged everyone to pray and trust the Lord to grant us open doors and good weather in the days to come. We had also received news that Jerusalem received a metre of snow and was struggling to cope. Thousands of homes were without power, roads were closed, many motorists were trapped in vehicles, the army had to be called in to help. The Jerusalem mayor called it a snow tsunami. We were told the last time there was so much snow was a hundred years ago. We were in a historic moment but it worried us. That night we prayed with earnest.
Feeding the seagulls at lake of GalileeSecond trip together to Holy Land
The next morning, the lake of Galilee was safe for the boats and that was a testimony to God’s faithfulness and grace. When they played a song of praise on the boat, great joy broke out, and like little children we laughed, fed the seagulls, played and took photos. Later while on the boat, I conducted the “eucharist” which means “thanksgiving”. How appropriate.
Enjoying the Dead Sea (photo: Tiffany)Power returned: cable car to MasadaThe path to Masada
The rest of the trip we had similar encounters of God’s faithfulness and power. Several places were initially closed to us because of the cold weather or power failure. The Dead Sea was closed due to the weather. Masada had a power failure so the cable cars were paralyzed. However the next day, the weather turned sunny and power was restored so we went to both the Dead Sea and the Masada with great joy.
From the Mount of Olives: a snowed over view of old cityRemant snow at Al Aqsa mosqueThe view from the Church of St Peter in Gallicantu2013 In the footsteps of Jesus pilgrimage
It was the same for Jerusalem. With all the TV coverage of closure of roads, very cold temperatures and trapped tourists, we wondered if we could enter Jerusalem for the last leg of our pilgrimage – the via dolorosa. God opened the way.We saw cars and buses from Jerusalem with thick snow on their roofs. This meant the roads have been cleared. We were excited and so thankful when we entered the holy city and stood at the Mount of Olives. The panorama of the old Jerusalem under snow was a special, unique and rare sight. We were privileged and blessed to be there at that moment.
We came to see the holy land but we also saw the living God in action. This was one blessed and awesome pilgrimage.
