I leave Israel and Palestine today. The six weeks have blessed me abundantly.
Below is a blessing I wrote for our groups's closing prayer. (I still have a few places I want to share but this is a time to close my time here formally.)
A Threshold Blessing before you Leave
This blessing is for you as you stand on the threshold – the space between arriving and leaving – a space to honor and hold sacred.
This space is for memory to be visited and anticipation to be tamed, so that you do not leave before it is time to go.
Pause now and let your memories bless you so that you will become a blessing.
Ancient rocks, you visited, spoke of the longing of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rachael, David, Solomon, Mohammad to meet God, to honor and live in God’s name..
May their desire fire your’s to do the same.
Majestic mountain tops, hectares of sand, rivers, Seas, lands and trees, existing for generations before you-
May their glory and expanse urge you to love the earth.
Drivers, guides, staff gave of their skills so you could learn, be amazed, ponder and question.
May you share your skills to help others travel, learn and grow, as they did you.
Cities, towns, villages filled with people who dream and long for a future, people who hope people who know how to live in the presence of each day.
May their courage and hope inspire you to have dreams, to move in hope and to invite others to do the same.
Speakers, panels, leaders shared wisdom, passion and conviction..
May their spirit of dedication ignite your desire to live and to serve each day with conviction.
Borders, green lines, walls separate what once was whole.
May having seen and experienced them send you forth to never exclude, but to make one.
Living stones, people seeking safety, people seeking freedom, people seeking life,people who suffer, people who care.
May their lives bless you and lead you to always question what happens,ask what is needed, consider what you can say and do as you return to your own space and reality.
Participants, sojourners together, on the bus, off the bus, telling stories, praying, laughing, lending an arm in care and help.
May you remember to honor them by blessing others as they blessed you.
You stand on the threshold, blessed abundantly.
As you take leave, walk in the steps of the God who walked this land years and years ago,the God who walked with you these weeks, the God you heard and saw and touched and to whom you prayed.
Now it is time to leave, remembering your blessings Go forth and be a blessing!
Been thinking of you during these last days of your journey. What a beautiful blessing prayer! and how each in your group must be feeling God's presence in a unique way. Thanks for sharing the journey, your observations and reflections. It's been a gift for me.
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