The Gift of Tears

“As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it…” (Luke 19: 41)

Jesus has risen indeed! Now what do we do? Let the tears flow…..

The Church of the Tears is a chapel, also known as Dominus Flevit, above the Garden of Gethsemane on the western slope of the Mount of Olives. Constructed in 1954, the church is in the shape of a tear drop to symbolize the Lord's tears. Large water jugs stand tall at the top of the four corners of the church to signify catching the tears that God still weeps for Jerusalem today.

This little Franciscan chapel is believed to mark the place where Jesus mourned over Jerusalem. Inside the view of Jerusalem looking through the main clear glass and wrought iron window is breathtaking! Outside there is a tree of thorns in remembrance of the crown made for Christ in his crucifixion.

The shortest verse in the Bible is, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35) But sometimes I feel silly when I tear up at commercials that show a child growing up, an abused animal in a shelter, or a lonely depressed person dealing with heartache. Yet, that is how God created us – to feel for others and empathize with the sorrows of our brothers and sisters. It is a gift to shed tears. By weeping Jesus Christ demonstrates how to deeply care for others.

Theologian and physicist, Rene Descartes, believed that the more loving people are, the more prone to tears. In his book, The Passions of the Soul, first published in 1649, he believes crying is a healthy way to release tension as well. I agree with Descartes. When someone apologizes for weeping, I typically reply that there is no shame in tears because they help to prevent ulcers!

Live as Jesus lived - with love and compassion for all. Do not become numb to the sad news of catastrophes around the world. Keep your faith and trust in God while sorting through the ways you can be the hands and feet of Christ to help ease the pain in your part of our troubled world. Pray for the world and let your tears flow for the victims of oppression and injustice. When the weeping stops we have lost hope and empathy for God’s creation.

For more detail on the Church of the Tears see: http://www.sacreddestinations.com/israel/jerusalem-dominus-flevit-church.htm

A few photos from our blessed Holy Land trip

Gorgeous mother, baby, and grandma after baptism in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Western Prayer Wall on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

View of Tel Aviv from Joffa

antique lamp above a restaurant door

Ancient ruins of Capernaum, the "town of Jesus"

On the shore of the beautiful Sea of Galilee

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church......" (Matthew 16:18)

St. Peter's Primacy church on the Sea of Galilee

Beginning Lent in the Holy Land Without Fear

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters ... they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God" (Isaiah 43:1-3).

My mother and I are about to embark on a trip to the Holy Land with her Presbyterian Church group from Mission, Texas. Most people are thrilled to know an 89 year old would make such a pilgrimage. But recently when I told someone about our trip she said, “You can’t pay me enough to go to that dangerous place!”

Yes, there is the possibility of encountering danger when going into an area of turmoil and unpredictable strife. But there is also danger every time we get behind the wheel of a car or when we stay in front of the TV not getting any exercise. God calls us to be sensible and yet boundless in our efforts to serve and love others.

“Christian living demands that we keep our feet on the ground; it also asks us to take a leap of faith. A Christian who stays put is no better than a statue.” (Eugene Petersen, “A Long Obedience In the Same Direction,” 171).

My favorite part of our Presbyterian Book of Order explains that we are: “Called to Risk and Trust” (G-3.0400). “The Church is called to undertake this mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.”

It seems this Lenten Season is a perfect time for my mother and I to take a leap of faith and trust that we will be in God’s safe hands whether we encounter trouble or not. It will be such a blessing to see where Christ walked and ponder all he did in just three short years of ministry for the love of each one of us.

I hate to imagine how troubled I would be with all there is to fear on this earth if I did not have faith in the love of God to keep my soul secure in peace. Still in times of doubt and weakness, fears do creep in. When they do, it is good to read how others deal with their fears with faith in God. Akanu Ibaim of Nigeria wrote this wonderful prayer entitled:

Deliver Us From Fear of the Unknown
O Lord, we seek thee to deliver us from the fear of the unknown future; from fear of failure; from fear of poverty; from fear of bereavement; from fear of loneliness; from fear of sickness and pain; from fear of age; and from fear of death. Help us, O God, by thy grace to love. Fill our hearts with cheerful courage and loving trust in thee, through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.


A Blessing for Equilibrium

Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,

May the music of laughter break through your soul.

As the wind wants to make everything dance,

May your gravity be lightened by grace.

Like the freedom of the monastery bell,

May clarity of mind make your eyes smile.

As water takes whatever shape it is in,

So free may you be about who you become.

As silence smiles on the other side of what’s said,

May a sense of irony give you perspective.

As time remains free of all that it frames,

May fear or worry never put you in chains.

May your prayer of listening deepen enough,

To hear in the distance the laughter of God.

~ John O'Donohue ~
(Benedictus - A Book of Blessings)