Day 2 - Nazareth

Had a great breakfast and worship time this morning (I definitely lack rhythm compared to my group).

Got on the bus at 9am.

We went to the Church of the Annunciation, which commemorates where tradition says that Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be having Jesus. There have been five churches on the site (destroyed and rebuilt thorugh the tumultous history) and it is built on an excavated site of a house in the first century (supposedly Mary's parents' home). Very cool to see the first century excavation.

Then across the way to Church of St. Joseph (commemorating the location of Jesus growing up in Nazareth after the return from Egypt). Awesome excavations under it as well, including carpenter's shop.

From there, we went to "Nazareth Village" a re-creation of what life was like in Nazareth in Jesus' day including a stone house, winepress, shepherding (with live sheep), watchtower, synagogue (with teaching on Jesus reading from Isaiah 61 in the synagogue at Nazareth and being rejected (Luke 4)

Then finally, a first century Nazareth lunch with pita bread to be dipped in hyssop, olives grown on the property, lentil soup, and chicken cooked the OLD fashioned way.

Last stop of the day was Mount Carmel where Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal to a contest to decide who the true God was (1 Kings 18:20ff). After they lost and were slaughtered, Elijah prayed for rain (which he'd prayed to stop years earlier) looked toward the Mediterranean Sea and saw a cloud as big a man's hand and soon rain came.

Now back at the hotel, about to read for a while.

Tomorrow, on to Galilee...