When You Wish Upon A Star

“When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires 

Will come to you

If your heart is in your dream

No request is too extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do”

Dreaming for something to happen seems to be the activity of little girls or Tinker Bell’s Disney magic.   A trip to the Holy Land, however, is a wish that I made upon a star a long time ago.  My mother hoped to go and never made it.  She encouraged me to take a trip someday.  Ten years ago, I began to wonder if Trinity, the church I currently serve as pastor,  could make a trip happen.  In 2015, Kirk and I explored the possibility by attending Jerusalem University College for two weeks.  And this week, dreams are coming true.  Not just mine, hopefully, but also some of the dreams of my 34 traveling companions.  What an exciting time!

After leaving Iowa in the early morning hours on Tuesday,  a full day of travel,  another weary day of sightseeing on little sleep in a new time zone, and a third day of amazing experiences - I now take my rest in a kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.  It is  reality.  It is a dream.  

It is also my hope and dream that this is more than a trip.  I pray that it will also be an unforgettable Lenten pilgrimage.  I prepared a devotional book to encourage reflections on this topic.   This quote from Henri Nouwen in some way summarizes my thoughts as we have begun our journey.

“When I trust deeply that today God is truly with me and holds me safe in a divine embrace, guiding every one of my steps I can let go of my anxious need to know how tomorrow will look, or what will happen next month or next year.  I can be fully where I am and pay attention to the many signs of God’s love within me and around me."

Tonight, after touring a kibbutz and eating a delicious fresh fish dinner served by the families who live here, several of us  gathered on the sandy shore of Galilee and looked into the dark night sky at the stars.  Where Jesus taught his disciples, we talked, laughed, told stories and shared about ourselves.  And under the stars, I understood.  Sometimes dreams become experiences.  Experiences became memories.  And memories become dreams again... And in it all, there are many signs of God's love within me and around me.