Athens

Day 11- Athens

We arrived early Monday morning at the Port of Pireaus in Athens, the foundation of Democracy. After disembarking, we were met by our Tour Guide, Aliki (Alice) and we drove through downtown Athens to the original Acropolis in Greece. We visited the Parthenon (temple for the goddess Athena, patron deity of Athens), the Erectheum, the Areopagus (Mars Hill), where the Apostle Paul stood and preached the Truth of the Gospel to a Gentile intelligentsia. We walked up the ancient (and original) steps by which Paul ascended to the top of the Areopagus to speak to the philosophers; and what a view!!!! I said some prayers for my family and the people of St. Mary’s by the Sea (my extended family). Paul was a courageous man, and my prayer is that we all may be inspired, just like Paul, to be witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ wherever the opportunity arises.

On Mars Hill- If I could preach like Paul

A view from Mars Hill

Views of Athens- Modern Olympic Stadium

Athens- Syntagma- House of Parliament

Athens- Constitution Square

Athens- National Library

Academy of Athens

A day of travel

Day 13- Meteora

Today, we left the Attica district of Greece, and embarked on a rather long drive through Thermopylae (where we stopped to visit the site of the famous Spartan battle of 300 against Xerxes and his Persian army.  We then headed to the northwest town of Meteora.  While this is not one of the stops of Paul on his journeys, it brings us close to Thessalonica, which is where Paul went after he left Athens.   What made the long drive to Meteora worth the effort is the spectacular views from the Monasteries which are perched precariously on summits of rock pinnacles of many strange shapes!  We visited some 14^th century monasteries which sprung into being when monks fled to higher grounds and sought refuge in cliffside caves.  One can only imagine what it took to get the building supplies up these cliffs (some of them more than 800 feet high), to create monastic communities, but there are six remaining monasteries left (out of the twenty four at their peak) still in operation.  Again, I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Ancient Corinth

Day 12------ Ancient Corinth

We left Athens this morning to visit the Ancient city of Corinth.  But first, we stopped at the Corinth Canal, which joins the Aegean Sea to the Adriatic Sea.  What an amazing accomplishment!!!  In Ancient Corinth we were blessed with good weather.  Despite the heat, we had the opportunity to visit this ancient city which inspired the Apostle Paul’s famous letters [1^st and 2^nd Corinthians].  There is much to be learned from the Archeological Museum.  What were the issues Paul was facing as he attempted to bring the Good News of Jesus to the people of Corinth who seemed to be pre-occupied with other worldly concerns and desires?  Paul was a genius!!! He clearly observed the people of Corinth and learned what their preoccupations were, and then chose his words carefully as he wrote those letters, using images, concepts and metaphors that they were familiar with.  For instance, their pre-occupation with athleticism and competition may have prompted Paul to write 1 Corinthians 9: 23-27.  [I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.  Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.  Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable garland, but we an imperishable one.  So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.]You got to love this guy!!!!.  We visited the Agora (marketplace) of ancient Corinth, the Bema (throne of judgment) where Paul may have been brought before the ruling authorities for judgment, and the fountain of Peirene (an ancient fountain built over a natural spring and still running today)

Day 10- Santorini- Greek Isle

Day 10- Isle of Santorini

Santorini is perhaps the most beautiful island of Greece when it comes to breathtaking and picturesque views from the hilltops.  After a three-minute cable car ride scaling the mountainside, we arrived in a beautiful marketplace filled with all kinds of shops.  After worshiping in a Greek Orthodox church, I walked through the town, window shopping, took a few pictures to savor the memories, then returned to the cruise ship to prepare for the final leg of our trip to Athens.

Pictures to follow later !!!!

Isle of Patmos- Cave of the Revelation

Day 9- Isle of Patmos

We arrive in Greece by Louise Cruises, a very pleasant trip.  The ride up the hills to the cave where St. John the Divine received the Revelation from the risen Christ is a sight to behold!  The Greek Orthodox Church has built a small church around the cave, and the monks who live here have formed a community of faith that observes the daily offices as well as the Eucharist. [Unfortunately, tasking of pictures was not allowed].

To stand at the mouth of the cave and imagine what John heard or saw sends chills down the spine.  I was overcome with amazement at the view of the harbor, some 800 feet or so below the cave. Next, we visited the Seminary of St. John the Divine, a Greek Orthodox seminary.  Here too, one can imagine the prayers offered in this sacred space over hundreds of years.  The side chapel is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the frescos and iconography is simply spectacular!  The seminary is located in a castle, which is even higher than the location of the cave of revelation. [Again, no pictures allowed]  Patmos is a beautiful island!

Churches of the Revelation

Day 6-8

Before Ephesus, we visited Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia. These churches were mainly "house Churches", and so needless to say, there were no physical buildings to see in some of these places; just markers to indicate that a community of faithful Christians existed among the vast majority of idol worshipers and adherents to the Imperial Cult (Emperor Worship). It couldn’t have been easy being a Christian in those days and in those parts of the world. Yet the early Christians were admonished to hold fast to their faith. It is hard to imagine living the Christian life with so many HUGE temples and theaters dedicated to gods and human emperors! The fact that these temples which were clearly built to last forever are now in ruins (several earthquakes in many generations) show the impermanence of life and of human effort. The church of Sardis was berated for projecting a facade of being alive when in actuality, they were dead! (Rev. 3:1) Their wealth and affluence made them very conceited and self-possessed! [I don't think the modern Church has people like that :)]

Completed the Seven Churches of Revelation

The past three days have been both physically challenging but spiritually rewarding.  Today, of course was extraordinary, because we visited the last of the seven churches of the book of Revelation; Ephesus.  We clocked 14,000 steps, according to one of the pilgrims.  This is about seven miles of walking!  And we still didn't have enough time to see all that we needed to see in Ephesus.  Paul was know to have a place (home) in Ephesus, and he remained there at one time for three years, working as a tent maker to earn a living.  I have a lot to say about the past three days, but my brain is simply exhausted! and I will need time to put my notes together in an orderly form in order to blog.  So in the mean time, here are some photos to give you a sense of this pilgrimage so far!  Enjoy these until my next post! [We are leaving Turkey tomorrow for Greece, and I will have some time on the ship to put my thoughts and experiences into words [yes, we are cruising to the Greek Islands :)]
Enjoy!!!!!!

Let the pictures speak for themselves

Thanks to Jack,
my "tech mentor", I may have figured out how to post pictures, so here we go!

Day five- Troas, Troy, Pergamum, and Smyrna

Day 5- Another grueling day in the footsteps of St. Paul.  Scriptures tell us that St. Paul visited Troas, and preached so long that young Eutychus fell asleep and fell three storeys!!!  His dead body was later resurrected by Paul.... Hmmmm, I wonder how many of us are putting our youth to sleep in the church? [I'm just saying....]
  Well, driving through Troas, we arrived at Troy, and i stood on Mount Mount Olympus- home of the gods! (Actually, it is now a simple hill located at an archeological dig).  I "rode" the Trojan horse!  (actually, stood in the horse just as the Roman soldiers are purported to have done in deceiving the people of Troy and invading their city).  From there, we visited Pergamum (the third of the seven churches in the book of Revelation (ch. 2).  This was the place of persecution for early Christians, and the location of the altar of Zeus.  This is supposed to be the abode of Satan himself!  We then traveled to Izmir (Smyrna) the second of the seven churches of Revelation.  Visited the Church of St. Polycarp (RC), bishop of Smyrna, and martyr.  Then to the site of an archeological dig of an ancient Agora (a place of gathering).  It was to Smyrna that Christ claimed to be the Alpha and the Omega, came to life again, urging the faithful who were enduring persecution to remain faithful to the very end, and they will be rewarded with the crown of life.  (Rev. 2:11)  I wonder how those Christians who were being burned at the stake felt when they heard those words of assurance, and how we might here them today in times of strife and deep division in the very body of Christ, the Church?
Anyway, we retired to our hotel for what I hope will be a good night's rest!

Two days of hard work

Sunday was a very busy day.  Our tour guide's intention was to get us extremely exhausted, so that we could sleep well at night.  We spent some more time in Constantinopole. We visited the Blue Mosque in the morning, and the Hagai Sophia (Holy Wisdom of God) in the afternoon.  Both of these structures are impressively HUGE!  I was filled with a sense of awe and wonder at the magnificence of God and the beauty of God's holiness.  One cannot help feeling the presence of God in these sacred spaces.  I learned that the Hagai Sophia was converted into a mosque at one point, and then later into a museum.  We visited the Topkapi Palace, housing many priceless treasures of the Ottoman empire.  That too, was a feast for the eyes!  Then we visited Archeological Museum, where we saw treasures including what is purported to be the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great, mosaic remnants from the time of King Nebuchadnezzar, the tablets of the Treaty of Kadesh between Ramses II and the Hittites during the 13th century BCE.
One of the pilgrims in my group said her pedometer clocked 10,000 steps, which she said was equivalent to four miles!  I guess our tour guide accomplished his goal, and my aching joints are evidence of that :)

Today, Monday, we visited the fifteenth century Grand Bazaar, which is the oldest "Mall" in the world.  Our guide said there were four thousand shops in this mall.  We then left Istanbul (Constantinople) via ferry, traveling west across the "trace" (European portion of Turkey), through the sea of Marmara, to the town of Canakale, on the Dardanelles.
Its time to rest my body (and my mind!!!)

The journey begins!

I have always been fascinated by the Apostle Paul and his conversion experience.  But more importantly, I am amazed at how Paul was able to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to what was then, primarily a "pagan" territory.  Today, I have arrived in Turkey, and I will attempt to follow in the footsteps of Paul, with the hope of getting a deeper understanding of his missionary work.  But right now, I am exhausted from traveling for 12 hours!  So far, I am impressed with with I have seen in Istanbul.....more later!

Am all packed; ready for an adventure of a lifetime!

Preparing for a journey

Getting ready for a three month sabbatical.  Thank you Lilly Endowment!  I am filled with excitement.  Can't wait!