The Holy sites

We went to a bunch of holy sites
The dome of the rock, Muslim site.
 The Western wall
The southern wall, very possible site of Acts 2 baptisms, in the pools that could be used for ritual cleansing before entering the Temple. This is a picture of the blocked off gate, today it would take you under the dome of the rock.
Upper room site, conveniently located directly above...

 The tomb of King David
 Church of the holy sepulchre, containing the final stations of the Cross, jointly run by several church denominations.
 People kneeling to see where Jesus died.
 Building inside the church covering the tomb of Jesus
Look at this painting! Why is it almost completely black? It surely wasn't painted that way, right?

The Christian sites were reminders both of the long history of faith and people caring about Jesus deeply, but also of the ways people can get distracted from our relationship with God. Our faith does rest on the work of Jesus, but it doesn't rest on these locations.

Jesus died and rose again, and he certainly did that somewhere nearby, but seeing the rock where someone built a church isn't at all important compared to answering the question of who is Jesus to you. You can love these sites and love the traditions around them and the forms of worship, but if Jesus isn't your Lord, none of it matters in the end.

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