A Holy Place

Today I visited a holy place--a place that is set apart because of what happened there 2,000 years ago. The place I visited with a group of Cedarville College students this afternoon was the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem. According to early church tradition (a tradition that has the support of historical evidence) this was the place where Jesus died, was buried, rose from the grave and appeared to Mary Magdalene. This is place where salvation history reached its' apex.

The people visiting the church were all on some kind of spiritual journey. Some were lined up to visit what some believe to be the tomb of Jesus. Others were prostrated before a stone slab perported to be the place where Jesus' body was anointed before burial. Another line had formed on the stairway leading to the summit of the Rock of Calvary. Deep in the bowels of the church is a chapel dedicated to the woman responsible for building the church--Helena, the emperor Constantine's mother. There in the shadows I couldn't help but notice two women in a close embrace, kissing. I turned away, wondering what that was about!

Some of my students were turned off by the candles, incense and the sober, beared priests. The Church of the Resurrection doesn't exactly "ring the bells" for most evangelical Christians. But inspite of the culture that is so foreign to my religious tradition, I couldn't help being moved by the fact that followers of Christ have prayed and worshiped there for the last 1,700 years! If this place wasn't sanctified by the biblical events that occurred there, it is certainly sanctified by the worship and prayer which has taken place there.

While I'm not really moved by candles and incense, I am moved by the fact that brothers and sisters in Christ have gathered there for centuries. This placd is sanctified by its history.