We began the first day of the new year in the place where it all began. Bethlehem. To a manger where a child was born. A child who was Christ The Lord.
Church of the Nativity is considered to be the oldest continuously operating Christian church in the world. It was built originally in 339 AD on top of the cave housing the stable and manger where Joseph and Mary stayed. Most of the churches from this time were destroyed by invading armies, but when the Persians invaded in 614, they did not destroy the structure. According to legend, when their commander saw the painting inside the church of the Three Wise Men he thought they were Persian, and commanded that the building be spared.
Stairs inside the simple basilica take you down to the cave where Jesus was born. A star on the floor marks the spot. A nook displays a manger where it is believed they laid him after birth. To touch these stones was like touching the presence of God. The Nativity church shares land with the Church of St. Catherine, which houses sacred places below it's floors as well.
Below St. Catherine's is the tomb of St. Jerome, who translated the Bible from Greek to Latin. Also housed there is the Chapel of the Innocents where the tomb of infants slain by Herod the Great was discovered. (Matt. 2:16) This tomb is feet away from where Christ was born, just on the other side of the wall. Moisture still comes up from the rocks of the tomb and since it has been covered with glass it looks like tears still poor from that earth.
Just down the hill from the place when Jesus was born is where the shepherds who were in the fields were greater by angels proclaiming His birth.
Wi'am Palestinian Conflict Resolution Center where they work to teach conflict resolution and spread principles of a civil society throughout Palestine. We sat in the shadow of the wall in a place where children come to play, to learn how to talk about their fears and to help spread peace. We heard just a bit about what they do at this center and how they work to made resolution from a social aspect. We asked questions, because many of us do not have a good, present-day grasp of this very complicated issue. When one of the directors was asked who the Palestinians are, he answered, "We are people who seek peace." Then another from our group said, "So, I'm a Palestinian." Here is a link to the center we were at, if you would like more information. www.alaslah.org
After lunch we journeyed to the Mount of Olives. Where Jesus sat, overlooked the city and wept (Luke 19:28-44). We then had a devotional before heading down the hill to the garden. We took a moment to pray and reflect on our connection to this place. 
The Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus prayed to His father and then was betrayed by Judas and turned over for trial. (Matthew 26:36-56) In the garden, though it has surely changed with time, sit several trees which would have been in the garden while Christ was. One is over 3,000 years old and still bears fruit. Seeking solace in this place is difficult. Large crowds like those of our own are streaming through one after the other. But solace is why Jesus came here. He knelt down on this very soil, prayed to God and rose up with the weight of the world on his back. For more photos from today, please click here.
(Disclaimer: This was a very emotional day for me personally. To visit the place where my savior was born and then to quickly go to a place talking about the immeasurable hurt of a people seeking recognition, is to simply be swept up in the same type of emotional turmoil and fear around during the time of Christ. And then, caught in the dichotomy of the moment, we were swept off to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane, to the final desperate hours before the passion.
It's a world of strife and heart ache and yet a world filled with redemptive joy.
A world filled with sin and conflict, grace and salvation.
Please, pray for peace.
- Kat)
