St. Andrew United Methodist Church

You will be welcomed at the Tel Aviv airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel to enjoy dinner before retiring for the night.

Begin your tour in the Holy Land with a visit to the Church of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha, the traditional site of the feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9:10). See the Chapel of the Primacy, where Peter professed his devotion three times to the risen Christ (John 21). Visit the Franciscan Wedding Chapel in Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle, before continuing on to Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matthew 2:23). Visit Sepphoris, the cosmopolitan Roman capital of Galilee until Herod Antipas built Tiberias. It is heralded as the traditional birthplace of Mary.

In Magdala, once home to Mary Magdalene, visit a recently discovered first-century synagogue. Worship as you sail across the Sea of Galilee. Visit Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee, and visit the synagogue built on the site where Jesus taught (Matt. 4:13, 23). Walk the streets of Chorazim, listed as a “city of woe” by Jesus (Matthew 11). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matt. 5-7). At Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, see the 2,000-year-old “ancient boat,” a rare example of the kind of boat in which Jesus might have sailed. Recall Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist at the Jordan River.

Travel to the Jezreel Valley and look out over Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) to view one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel. Visit Caesarea, a center of the early Christians, where an angel visited Cornelius, the first Gentile believer (Acts 10), and where Paul was imprisoned for two years before appealing to Caesar. In Bethlehem, visit the cave revered as Jesus’ birthplace and see the Church of the Nativity constructed over the site (Matt. 1: 18 -25). Gaze out over Shepherds’ Field before you continue to Jerusalem for overnight.

Ascend by cable car to Masada, Herod’s legendary mountaintop fortress, which became the last desperate stronghold of the Jewish Zealots against the Romans. You can still look down on the remains of the Roman camps and the siege ramp below. End your day with a dip in the salt and mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. Continue to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. As you stop in Jericho to view the ruins of the city conquered by Joshua (Josh. 6: 1, 2, 20), in the distance, you can also see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4:1 -11).

Begin your day with a group picture taken from the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1: 9 -12). Pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and envision the scenes of the night before Jesus’ crucifixion (Matt. 26: 36 – 44). Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was questioned the night of His betrayal (Matt. 26: 57). Meditate on the events of the Last Supper as you visit the traditional location of the Upper Room (Mark 14: 12). Explore the poignant exhibits of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial. Optional Sound and Light Show.

Conditions permitting, cross the Temple Mount, now home to the Dome of the Rock. Walk the Cardo, the ancient main street of the Old City. Explore ancient Jerusalem at the Teaching Steps and the Western Wall. View the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle (John 5: 1-31). Sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne and experience its rich acoustics. Visit Herod’s Antonia Fortress, where Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23:1) and follow in Christ’s steps on the Via Dolorosa (“the Way of the Cross”). At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, take time to reflect on His sacrificial love.

Return to Denver. Optional Greece extension February 16-22 with additional $1798/person.