Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

Almighty and Eternal God,
How Excellent is Your Name Over All The Earth!
You Alone Are Worthy of Praise,
For Your Alone Are Holy,
You Alone Are God,
You Alone Are The Most High!
Omnipotent,
Omniscient,
and Omnipresent,
You See The End From The Beginning
And The Beginning From The End.
We Thank You For Your Precious and Holy Word,
Which Gives Us daily
Insight Into Your Eternal Mind,
Your Righteousness,
and Your Love For Us.

We Pray For the Leaders of Our Own Beloved USA
May They Receive Wisdom from You
to do the Right Thing.

We Pray For The Swift and Sure Coming of Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Establish His Kingdom,
and Make All Things Right.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem

I grew up in a very mixed ethnic neighborhood that was predominantly Greek, Syrian, and Lebanese. There was also a large Jewish community in the adjoining neighborhood. As a teenager and art student, I loved to explore the various houses of worship, and marvel at the beautiful artistic buildings where people went to worship God. In all of them, Catholic, Orthodox, Mainline Protestant, and Jewish, there was a type of fence that separated the Congregation from the platform upon which the Altar or Pulpit, or Bemah (Jewish word for "high place") sat. The most dramatic, to my eyes at least, was the "Iconostasis" in the Greek, Russian, and Arabic Churches, which were entire walls of glittering icons, where only the priests (and deacons?) were allowed to enter.

The resemblance to the Ancient Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant, and Temple were inescapable. As a matter of fact, the Catholic Term for the box in which the Consecrated Bread is kept is CALLED a "Tabernacle", and the large wall-safe that holds the Precious Torah Scrolls in a Jewish Temple is called an "Ark". Both of these often are covered by a curtain which needs to be pulled aside in order to access the contents. And, even in the non-liturgical independent Protestant denominations, there is most likely a little fence surrounding the platform from which the Bible is read.

These architectural traditions have a common source, and make sense, after having studied The History of The Temple from the Desert to Jerusalem. But NONE of these artistic traditions seem to take into consideration this incident in Today's reading, which also occurs in the Gospel of Mark. Indeed, it has also been ignored by Hollywood, as the only Bible Epic that depicts this event, as far as I know, was Mel Gibson's "The Passion". (feel free to correct me if I am wrong about that, movie buffs!)

The huge, heavy, thick veil that separated the people from the Presence of God was torn, from the Top down to the Bottom. What this tells me is that God is the One Who reaches DOWN to us, not the other way around.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

God Bless America!

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

This Symbol Represents Christians in The Middle East, who desperately need our Prayers.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS