Trip to Jerusalem

I have made it to Beit Jala, close to the little down of Bethlehem. ELCA missionaries and friends, Martin and Suzanne Shoffner, are putting me up in their home.

I am in the region to accompany the bishops of the ELCA who are visiting the Holy Land for the next ten days. Their visit is not so much a pilgrimage, but a way to embody the partnership we have with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL). Given the crisis in Gaza, this is only one example of how our partnership with the local church is of paramount importance.

Regarding these regional, geopolitical problems, I met a young sergeant in the US Marines as I traveled today. He was quite confident in his training. He talked about how the Israelis have received from the US government 18 of the newest fighter planes the US military has developed. Their air superiority will, as he said, mean they will dominate in Gaza.

I told him my reasons for coming to the Holy Land, saying that I represent the interests of the church. I said that I am more of a peace-maker than I am a war-maker. I wondered what his impressions were of Israeli society. Can a socity so gear for war ever become a society geared for peace? He responded by saying that, due to the complexities of this region's troubles, Israelis will never make peace.

I am confident that during the rest of my trip, I will hear examples of what it takes to make peace rather than only examples of what it takes to make a good war.