Doug and I have enjoyed leading several pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Quick reminder: a trip is different than a pilgrimage! A pilgrimage is when a person goes to a place with more than an itinerary, but with an expectant heart, trusting that God will have something to say to their souls.

One evening, right after dinner, I told our group in Tiberias that I was walking down to the Sea of Galilee to watch the sunrise tomorrow. They were all invited. We would meet at 4:45am in the hotel lobby to be sure we could secure a “good spot” to see the sun come up.

Two women joined me, and we headed down the hill in the dark to the Sea of Galilee. The day before I was blessed to preach in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, a place where the words of Jesus calmed the sea and guided Peter to walk on the water (when he kept his eyes on Jesus). This is also the place where Jesus called his first four disciples: Peter, James, John, and Andrew. The invitation that Jesus extended to them changed their lives. They were ordinary men who Jesus invited to change the world with the radical love and grace of God. They literally dropped their nets to follow Jesus. Mary Magdalene, who lived on the coast of the Sea of Galilee in Magdala, also met Jesus. She joined the disciples, and we find documentation of her investment financially and in many other ways to support the mission of Christ in the gospels and in the Book of Acts.

As the sun rose in the east, I thought about the land of Moab as I faced east. Ruth,
a native of Moab, Moab, became the great-grandmother of King David. Jesus was from the line of David.

The sunrise over the Sea of Galilee was spectacular. One of the women with us was a photographer. She gave me a picture frame that revealed the journey of the sun that morning, with three beautiful shots of the Galilean sunrise. It was a morning that I will never forget.

This Sunday, Rev. Alex Shanks, executive assistant to Bishop Tom Berlin, will preach at Christ Church United Methodist. His sermon will focus on the call of the first disciples found in Luke 5:1-11. Jesus is still calling people today: ordinary children, youth, women, and men to change the world with God’s amazing love. Come this Sunday to check out the great, new adventure that awaits you!

Peace,

Pastor Cathy Johns