From the Sea to the Desert Part II

After rejuvenating in the Dead Sea we tried our luck at the River Jordan.  Chances were that we wouldn't get to see it because they close it around 3pm and it was 3pm when we left the Dead Sea.  But as He would have it, the gatehouse was open and we proceeded to the Israeli/Jordanian border to John the Baptist's "office"!
As we walked towards the river we learned the recent history of the river access.  The Jordan is quite narrow at present.  Flowing from the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea, in a country where water is as precious as gold, any water that ultimately ends up in the Dead Sea is considered wasted water, as it is no longer usable.  Thus the flow has been severely restricted.  As a result the water is calm and quite silty from the near constant stirring of the sediment from an unending stream of baptisms.

Yet, while it does not appear to be a powerful river but looks more like a Florida bayou, the place holds a weight and power that is palpable.  We happened to catch a lull in the traffic and so we had had an access point pretty much to ourselves.  The water is cool and refreshing on our feet and for some a dash on the head.  Fr. Andrew lead us in prayer and scripture.  Hearing the story of Jesus' baptism we were reminded that this is the place where the ministry that would change the world began.  Fr. dug into the words of the scripture and described how the heaven's were torn open as Jesus emerged anew from the Jordan and transitioned into the Man many will come to know as the Christ.  Transition became a theme of this place for us as Fr. explained.  Not only is this a place where Jesus' life transitioned into what would become His ministry but it's also the place where a millenia before Jesus the Israelites arrived at the banks of a raging torrent after wandering in the desert for 40 years as slaves.  Slaves on one side, in crossing through these baptismal waters they began new lives - lives of freedom.
On a personal level, the scripture of His baptism really spoke to me.  "And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'” Luke 3:21-23  

Here I am, with my father, in the place of Jesus' baptism and the beginning of His ministry.  I am here because of my father for many different reasons; from obvious biological reasons to more inspired reasons, such as his desire to take me on this journey.  While he may be pleased in me, I am truly blessed to have such an amazing role model, mentor and friend that so many people look to for guidance.  And I am his son!  And because he is my father, I have always known that He is my Father.  There are many defining moments I've had with my namesake that I will always recall with fondness and clarity, but this experience is high on the list.
Moving on to slightly lighter topics (: :), we, like Jesus, immediately went from the Jordan to the desert.  As we arrived on the Mt of Temptation and were immediately seized by small Israeli children.  No, they were not freakishly strong and we did not do anything illegal we might be seized for, they were just really insistent salesmen.  Ironically, as we are a group of men, they really only had women's accessories to sell.  So as we made our way to the altar at the top of the Mt, one little guy in a Canadian tuxedo latched on to my arm and
began adorning me with bracelets.  Clearly I gave the chap some sheckels and when we began setting up the components of a Eucharist, he got the idea and moved back to the side.

The Eucharist on top of the mountain where Jesus spent 40 days being fulfilled only by the Spirit and being tempted to turn rock to bread was moving.  Interestingly there were a few distracting temptations for us as well.  It is a well travelled place and thus there is a lot of foot traffic.  Foot traffic equals the aforementioned salesmen and their, what I hope, parents, so there were tables with lots of merch set up.  Mighty winds also buffeted us and did it's darndest to carry off Fr. Eric's words before they could reach our ears.  Grace prevailed though and there were moments of calm so we could listen to the thoughts about Jesus finding His identity in the wild places.  Some of you may know, I am a fan of wild places and so this spoke to me.  The Body of Christ was broken for us and made it's way to our hands and mouths even though the gusts and gales that besought us.  To say that the day was a wild day would be an understatement.
We arrived back at St George's to rest and recuperate and get ready.  We still have over a week left!