D-V's Desk

  “Snakes!   Why does it always have to be snakes?”             These words, of course, come from that daring adventurer, Dr. Indiana Jones.   Going through a booby-trapped cavern– no problem!   Taking a leap of faith across a giant chasm- piece of cake!   Nothing can stop Indy . . . except for snakes!   Indy speaks for many of us.   An estimated 36% of Americans are afraid of snakes.   I know I am!   Noah could have left them off the Ark.             So it is no wonder that a plague of poisonous snakes causes panic in the wilderness.   A pit of snakes causes sheer terror in the Israelites’ camp.   To put this scene in context a little bit, Israel is on their way to the Promised Land.   Moses has led them out of Egypt to freedom.   Then the whining begins: are we there yet?             No, that is not really what they say.   God’s people start to complain.   Where is the food?   What about water, we need water?   With miles and miles of wilderness ahead, things take on a differ

I had the pleasure of going to the Holy Land twelve years ago.   I was with, you may remember, some pastors and their church members from Kansas City.   We saw many sights during our 10 day trip.   In Jerusalem we saw the Temple Mount and the Garden of Gethsemane.   We also journeyed with Jesus as we walked the Via Delorosa, or the Way of the Cross. Just before we followed Jesus from His trial to the Crucifixion, our Guide gave us some important information.   Chaim warned us that pick pockets target tourists on the Via Delorosa.   He advised us to keep our bags in front of us, with our arms holding them close to our bodies.   Men were encouraged to move their wallets to front pockets.   I was taken aback by Chaim’s instructions.   The Via is supposed to be a sacred place, a holy place.   The presence of thieves in a place that should be about remembering Jesus’ love for us sickened and saddened me.   My heart just broke at the situation.   In thinking about our readings this morni