slow down and worship

Day 5
5.17.08
Today was my favorite day yet. It was a day off, a slow down day, and it proved to be exactly what I needed. I wasn't planning on it, but went to church this morning (Saturday) at a Messianic service. It was at a small chapel which sat about 80, but it was packed when we got there. I stood in the foyer, where I could still see. They sang a bunch of songs in Hebrew, and I could follow along and sing as well. I had an elderly gentleman singing over my shoulder the whole time. He had a beautiful voice, and listening to him I was able to correct my mispronunciations. There were moments where I just let him sing and allowed myself to be captivated. The songs were so deeply theological and really brought the full story of salvation history together. The songs spoke of the King who sits on David's throne, and Yeshua the Messiah as the one who truly saves. I was brought to tears standing there.
Later, we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and went to the Pool of Bethesda. At the pool, we found another church that was solely "for the purpose of praying and singing hymns." Our group went inside and we began to sing together in a cathedral that makes even mediocre singing sound amazing. It was a powerful moment for me as well. There were people coming in to see what the singing was about, but I didn't notice that we had a little crowd until we were leaving. It was a beautiful, holy moment.
Tonight, a bunch of us continued our singing in the student lounge. It was a great worshipful day. The Sabbath. In Jerusalem.