I had the privilege of leading a group from our church to Israel in January. It was not my first trip there and yet it never ceases to amaze me. Walking where Jesus walked, praying where He prayed and seeing the landscape He saw are amazing experiences. The entire Holy Land experience is powerful in its ability to add another dimension to your faith. It truly does make the Bible come alive in so many ways. But there is a danger involved. The danger is in thinking that God is somehow more present in Jerusalem than in Denver, and nothing could be further from the truth.

This danger revealed itself to me while we were visiting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Archeologists believe they know the exact location of the Holy of Holies. In fact, the Muslims, not knowing what it was, built a gazebo of sorts over it in the 12th century. They call it the Dome of the Spirit. Just outside the Temple Mount, directly adjacent to this dome, in a tunnel far beneath the surface, you can find devout Jews praying 24 hours a day. They believe God still resides there, as in Old Testament times.

As New Covenant (Testament) Christians, we know that when Jesus died on the cross the veil which hid the Holy of Holies in the temple was torn in two. Because of Jesus we no longer need a mere human priest to go to God for us. Jesus is our High Priest. He has shed His blood as a peace offering for us. Now God is in each one of us who knows Him, residing within us through His Spirit. Thank God for Jesus, who made it possible for each of us to be in personal relationship with God wherever we are, in Jerusalem, or in Denver.

See you this coming Lord’s day,
Pastor Calvin