20140224 Monday

Ein Gev, Holiday Resort, Israel

1745

 

The day's trips are done and Judy and I are sitting on the back porch watching Kinneret with waves a bit over one foot tall lapping on the shore. She is more active tonight than the last couple of evenings, the forecast for tomorrow might bring us more clouds and possibly rain. We have experienced wonderful, warm - but not too hot - weather: the hottest was 26 degrees C. The wind has usually been slight. At 1715 the sun is now setting behind the hill on which Tiberious sits. Judy just rushed to the shore to take photos for the end of the day. Dinner is at 1830 so I have a few minutes to try to keep this log current.

Back to Sunday morning.

The wake up call was 0600; however, I was awake by 0400 and laid in bed trying not to wake Judy. At around 0500 I realized that Judy was doing the same for me. We gave up. I got ready and then worked on this log while Judy got ready. Breakfast was at 0700. The food has been very good with a nice variety each meal. For me though the breads have been a nice surprise and a consistent highlight.

We boarded the bus at 0730 and drove to Mt Tabor which is one of the traditional sites of the transfiguration.

The road to the top is too steep with multiple switchbacks so we had to leave the bus at the bottom and all got into smaller 10-person taxi vans for the ride to the top. The Franciscans have purchased the land and have built a church and monastery to commemorate the event. Judy and I were trying to come up with an appropriate term for what many of the Christian churches have done in building these commemorations: we came up with "exploit;" however, I have pondered how I really feel and I have come to a more charitable conclusion. Yes, there is some degree of exploitation but I am very grateful for their efforts to preserve the history and make it available for me to visit.

We do not know where the transfiguration took place. We know from the scriptures that it was at a nearby mountain. Tabor is one such place, the highest in the area. Mt. Hermon is another candidate but that is much further to the North.

Well, in either place the lesson learned is the same: The steep and long bus ride up the mountain-top / temple gave me time to think and to appreciate that temple worship is often preceded by real work and that work is necessary to change our lives to be worthy to participate in temple ordinances and enter into sacred covenants.

 

Christ took Peter, James and John up this long steep mountain-top. Only then - at the top of the mountain - in the only approved temple - could Moses and Elijah return and perform their sacred work. Now I've often wondered why Moses and Elijah had to return to provide their keys to Him who gave them the keys in the first place. Did He, while as a mortal, somehow temporarily gave them up? This does not ring true to me yet I consider it a possibility. More likely though as I read the available text and ponder the temple experience that I think it was that it was at this time, in this mountain-top temple, that Peter, James and John received their endowment. One day we will learn more. For now I am content to recognize that we too must often take the long steep climb to prepare ourselves for the temple.

 

 

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