My name is Harry. I'm a retired pediatrician and a newly commissioned Volunteer for Mission of the Episcopal Church, USA. In two weeks I'll begin a mission in the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which includes Israel, the Occupied Territories of Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
This blog will chronicle the experiences of that mission: the work and play, the places and people, the secular and the holy, and the gifts and graces. It will also, inevitably, chronicle the personal reflections and impressions of this missioner. I hope that will sometimes be informative, but will try to be aware when it gets in the way. Reader comments, heartily welcomed, will help with that.
What does it mean to be a missionary in the year 2007, anyway? Especially in a church that is right now engaged in a mighty struggle to define its own community. Well, I don't know yet what it means. I invite you to follow along and see if we can all figure this out together. But I think it has something to do with the story in Luke 18:35ff. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem for the events that will bring untold suffering to him and change the course of humankind. As he passes through Jericho he encounters a blind beggar. Jesus stops and asks the man, "What do you want me to do for you?" Imagine what Jesus is experiencing in those days, yet he takes the time to stop and encounter another. Jesus doesn't immediately heal what appears to need to be healed, he doesn't tell the man his sins made him blind, he doesn't tell him to do anything at all. He just sits with the man, lets the man speak for himself, and asks how he can help.
What I love about this story is what I think it can teach us about mission if we imagine ourselves both as Jesus and as the beggar. Jesus just being present and issuing love without setting terms, asking back, demanding, squeezing, or possessing. The beggar recognizing what is happening and letting that graciousness heal his blind, hungry neediness.
Can I do that? Can you do that? Can we help teach each other to do that? I think maybe this mission is about that.
So please visit this site frequently and send your comments.
Tfaddalu, fuutu. "Please, come in."
4 comments:
Harry, I love blogs! Glad you're going to use one to let us accompany you on this wonderful journey. I used a blog to record parts of our mutual 2006 trip and to let those at home follow our progress and share in our adventures. Sorry you'll miss Thanksgiving with us, but we'll be thinking about you. I'm looking forward to reading your future entries.
What a wonderful beginning to what promises to be an extraordinary journey. I can think of no one who will do it better.
Harry, I am very happy for you and your mission. It is going to be a great experience for you in the Holy Land, especially in Al Quds, Jerusalem, my home town.
FYI, I have just finished my 1st draft, "A voice for Truth", Memoir from my Childhood in Jerusalem.I plan to have it published early in 2008 to commemorate Palestine 60 years of the Al Nakba-Catastrophe.
With all my best wishes,
Peace,
Jacob
Harry, I'm glad I'll be able to travel with you even if it's not in person. You're in my prayers!
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