Once there was a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jerico... It might just be one of Jesus' parables but in the Judaen desert not far from Jerusalem there is a small dirt road that follows the wadi (water) to Jericho. Beside it is the St George Monastery and above it all we sat and meditated on the story of the 'Good Samaritan'. It was still, peaceful and very hot and when everybody was quiet the only sound were the birds calling across the valley. Maybe because we don't have a true desert in NZ I really like being in that environment, very primal and stark.
After the desert we drove down to one of the lowest places on earth - the river Jordan. And here we dipped our toes in this holy river and reaffirmed our baptismal vows on the site where many thousands have been baptised over the years, and perhaps not this exact spot but where Jesus was baptised by John.
And yes once upon a time there was a lot more water than this but much of it has been siphoned off for irrigation. Like many parts of the world, even in this land of 'milk and honey', we aren't particularly good stewards of what God has given us to look after!
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