The early morning walk along the Mediterranean Sea and the mosaics in the floor of the 5th century synagogue were stunning. But the image that stands out in my mind after our first full day in Israel is the “tel.” Tel means mound and we visited Tel Megiddo where 25 different cities have been built, each one mounded on top of the other for thousands of years. The 16th layer includes Solomon’s gate, found in the stories of our scripture. Archeologists have now sliced through the earth to reveal the layers of the city that look now like a really tall Italian Cream Cake made of stone.
Standing in the ruins of those 25 tels was a stark reminder to me that we build upon the shoulders of those who came before us. In excavating my own history, I proudly recall my great grandfather Harrison who studied music at Oxford and then moved to Waxahachie, Texas to marry a girl he had fallen in love with while visiting the US. But also buried in my mound is my grandfather, a sheriff and city councilman who spoke unkindly about people of color.
Here at the church we have begun to slice through the layers of our first 100 years. Initially only men ran the church. Only men served on the board. But long before our sister congregations challenged the status quo, we began ordaining women as elders who could pray at the table and serve as spiritual leaders. But buried in our past we also find the neighborhood covenants that prevented those different from us – by race or faith – from moving in to our homes association.
Our tour guide explained that the city “Tel Aviv” comes from two words. Tel, refers to the old history, the old mound. And Aviv, which means springtime. I love this idea of claiming the old while bursting forth with the new. The story of our faith is built upon the mound of Abraham, Sarah, Jesus, Paul, Mother Teresa, George Hamilton Combs. And the God who gave us birth and breath longs to create something new for our world today.
When someone comes along in 100 or 1000 years, and they slice through the layer that you and I built, what will they find?
Grace and peace,
Carla
