Rector’s Corner

Early September, 2006

  

This is the first installment of what I plan to make as a regular contribution to our web site.  It is something I have done for years while Dean of the Cathedral in Memphis and people seem to like and read it regularly.

 The concept is a simple one.  In this space I will write about whatever is on my mind but would not likely speak about in the pulpit.  I will talk about local, state, national and world affairs.  I will talk about the larger church.  I will talk about theology, Jesus, sports, well you get the idea.  Whatever comes to mind I will share in this spot.

 Well, here goes:

 As you may know the Middle-East is one of my special concerns.  You may know too that I am a member of the North American Regional Council for St. George’s College, Jerusalem.  With this connection, and with my interest in the region, I watched with great sadness the recent conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).  I thought the Israeli response was too much for what began the conflict.  This does not mean, certainly, that I condone the Hezbollah bombing of Haifa, Nazareth and other northern Israel cities.

 I was in Haifa this past May and I must say that it is, was I suppose, a beautiful city.  It reminds me something of San Francisco.  I also was in Nazareth in May and was devastated to know that two children were killed in the bombing of that city.  There is a particular spot, a balcony actually, at St. Margaret’s Hostel in Nazareth where I like to be in the early morning, praying as I overlook the old city where Jesus grew up.  I can imagine him playing as a boy on the mountain side upon which St. Margaret’s sits.  I can now imagine two children being killed on that mountain side.  It is hard to take.  What do you think Jesus thinks about all of this?

During the conflict I wrote to Dr. Kamal Farah who lives in Amman, Jordan and has family in Lebanon.  Kamal is one of the instructors (in the tourist business they call what he does “guide”, but believe me a PHD in New Testament is not a guide), at St. George’s and is also a head of school in Jordan.  He told me of the plight of the many, many refugees coming to Jordan from Lebanon.  They now return to destroyed homes.  Thankfully, all of Kamal’s family lived through the fighting.  But he told me that St. George’s had to cancel some of their pilgrim “courses” because of the bombing in The Galilee.  That really makes me sad.  I now am in contact with St. George’s via email seeing how things are going with them.

 Oh by the way, it is my intent to take a group from Hot Springs to the Holy Land in September 07.  We will use the services of St. George’s.  Let’s pray that all remains calm between now and then.  Let’s pray that no more lives are lost in that part of the world.