Exploration

I’ve been blessed to grow up with many advantages – especially a heart for and means to travel. But in ways I feel like its made me more aware of why I hate being American and traveling with other Americans. I realize every culture has its flaws but we seem to portray this idea that everyone should get out of our way and we are free to do as we please. The crowning example of that came when we went to the Queen Victoria Market, which is sort of like place where we go to get candy at in Russia meets the Univarma. Only cleaner. Anyway, we were walking around this huge out door market and we were walking right in the middle of the isle taking our merry time. By we I really mean the girls I was traveling with. That’s so American to me and shows our need to be in control in a way. That probably doesn’t make any sense, but such are the vocalizations of my perceptions. I also feel like there has been way to much of an emphasis on shopping. I love to shop, but I’m a quick shopper. There isn’t really any browsing. I’m in out and moving on. But it seems like there is such an emphasis on this trip to buy. It’s the first week. Not even. I feel like such a shallow tourist and that’s not what this trip is about at all.
All of that being said, I had the most amazing day on Sunday. A small group of us went to the Anglican church, St. Paul’s. We left around 9am. Ten hours later, Shane, Bekah, and I came back from the city. The church service was amazing. In ways I miss high church liturgy. It captures this completely different cooperate nature behind the Church. And it also makes you be fully present before God with all of the movement and attraction to all of your senses – from the boy’s choir singing, to the incense, and movements throughout the entire church. It focuses on the reverence we should have for God which is missing in the “Jesus is my homeboy” culture.
Following the service we caught a tram to St. Kilda’s, a more artsy feeling part of Victoria. We had lunch at this amazing crepe stand and then walked by pastry shop after pastry shop. Each dessert stood before you begging to be consumed but at the same time looking like a piece of art wanting to be admired.
When we came back into the heart of Melbourne after lunch we attempted to find a more contemporary church service to attend in the afternoon, with no success. We were traveling in a group of five, and two girls broke off because they were getting tired, while Shane, Bekah and I set off to look at some of the churches and venture into a Botanical Garden. At each church there was a monument representing a station of the cross. At some point I would love to go visit all of the stations in order. It amazes me how few people attend the churches here in comparison to the number of churches. When we went to church today there were maybe 100 people inside of this massive sanctuary, which is a relatively large attendance for a church here.
The garden was phenomenal – it was spread out with so much to see. Shane and Bekah climbed trees, we went into a conservatory, amazing. When we left the garden after about 45 minutes to an hour we decided to just look around the city. I can’t even begin to describe everything we saw. It was nice to just go out and walk without any place to go or an agenda beyond exploration. It was a reminder to me that life has so much to teach you, if you’ll only let it carry you.

Prayer Requests:
- Classes start on Tuesday
- Shane and I start our IS on Wed – we both need prayer for the amount of work that is involved
- Finding a church home to serve at

Side Thought:
Some denominations don’t depict Judas as being present at the table for the last supper. What are the theological implications of his absence?