Staycation with Jesus-Destination Israel

1 TAKE THE TOUR OF A LIFETIME WITH JESUS Marketing Brochure • Arrive in Israel in AD 30-33. Settle into an inn next to the Mediterranean Sea. Free time to walk the beach or shop. Dinner of locally caught fresh fish or charcoal grilled lamb. • Escape rooms in Galilee – Enjoy the thrill of solving the puzzles and escaping life’s problems. o Sail on Lake Galilee from Capernaum. o Visit cemetery in Gadara. o Visit Jairus’s home for a resurrection of his daughter by Jesus. o Visit the Garden of Eden. • Mountain Climbing – From Nazareth hike to where Deborah and Barak defeated Sisera and the Canaanites. Climb Mount Tabor and view the valley of Megiddo (Armageddon) from the summit. Sleep at the top of the mountain under the stars before returning to Nazareth. • Holy roller coaster ride. Experience ups and downs in Jesus’ last days of earthly ministry. • Courtroom drama in Jerusalem. Find out who is guilty. • Mystery Dinner Theatre – A real Who-Dun-It after a traditional meal served middle eastern style in Jerusalem. • Prayer-walk with Jesus and the disciples from the upper room to the Garden of Gethsemane. • Share amazing stories, photos, and souvenirs with family and friends when you return home. PREPARATION 1. Be practical about the baggage you take with you. 2. Leave behind unhealthy relationship problems, control issues, addictions. Bring your imagination, you won’t need your cell phone or laptop. 3. Leave your worries and burdens (pets, children, responsibilities) at home. 4. Bring your Bible, practical walking shoes, and walking stick. FOOD AND LODGING Food and lodging are included in our tour. Enjoy tasty meals prepared from local products including fish from Lake Galilee, grape juice from local vineyards, bread baked from wheat and barley grown in the wide valley of Megiddo. Consume beef, chicken, and lamb from hillside pastures. The fruits and vegetables are grown in fertile soil, which is irrigated from the Jordan River. Be prepared to sleep in difficult conditions. At times we will be outside under the same stars that guided Abraham from Ur to the promised land. Other accommodations will be in hotels or homes of friends of Jesus. Since Jesus was able to feed five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread, we can be assured he can arrange for us to be fed. He planned ahead for his disciples to meet in the upper room on Passover; He is capable of arranging meals for us. READY TO LOAD We have our luggage at our feet and are anxiously anticipating our turn to load. The bus pulls up, and the bus driver steps off. We automatically move aside to let him through so he can load our bags. If we are not paying attention, one of our fellow passengers may nudge us so we can get out of the way. What would we think if the driver pushed us aside and said, “Move over! Get out of my way!?” Our driver, Jesus, is never rude, but patiently waits for us to get out of his way and let him work. Matthew 3:3 “This is he (John) who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, Make straight paths for him.'” Imagine a crowd moving aside to clear a path for Jesus. The bus driver can load our bags so much better if we get out of his way. He knows how to pack our luggage efficiently and quickly. Is it time to shove ourselves aside and let Jesus do His work? We often think of this verse as a vertical movement, like a bulldozer scraping off the top of a hill and filling in the valley, but there are times we could make the path straight by moving things from the center to the side horizontally. It could also apply to standing in an orderly line. We can make things so much easier for ourselves and others by making the path straight. QUESTIONS: 1. Think of ways we obstruct God's work. 2. Can you give an example of someone who put obstacles in the way of God's plans? 3. Think of incidents when we are not paying attention and our leader needs to repeat instructions or work to get us to focus on the task at hand. 4. If a dignitary came to town, what would we think of people who put barriers in the road to obstruct his movement? Compare how we would treat an important person we like with one we do not respect. How do we treat God? 5. How can we learn and teach respect for Jesus?