Ephesus: A History of Shifting Religious Empires

            On Thursday, May 29^th, we visited the ancient city of Ephesus. Unlike cites such as Assos or Pergamum, the remains of Ephesus are large enough to evoke the scale of the city during the Greco-Roman period. Instead of a small cluster of excavated temples, Ephesus features two full Agoras, Greek and Roman period housing, aqueducts, and a variety of temple remains. The unique sense of completeness to the site has made it a popular tourist attraction. In fact, though we were supposed to go to Ephesus early in the week, our tour guide decided to wait until Thursday because we spotted multiple cruise ships making dock on our intended day. Even though Ephesus is easily the largest excavation cite we have seen to date, it is estimated that only 10 to 15 percent of the city has been excavated; the rest waits under the dirt and rocks for archeologists (with the proper funding of course) to uncover them.

            Many of the examples of Greco-Roman architecture to be found in Ephesus can also be viewed at other cites. The difference is in the scale and uniqueness of Ephesus’ remains. The crowning jewel of ancient Ephesus was its temple to the Greek goddess Artemis, who was a goddess of fertility, especially in the context of farming. Ephesus’ title of Artemis’ neokoros (temple keeper) made it particularly wealthy. Every spring pilgrims from throughout the Greco-Roman world would visit the city for the annual Artemisia festival, where they could make highly effective sacrifices to the goddess. The effectiveness of sacrifices made to Artemis made at the Ephesian temple is partially attributed to its large size and grandeur; it is four times the size of the legendary Pantheon found in Athens. This difference was so noticeable to the ancients that the Artemis temple in Ephesus was, in a sense, differentiated from all other Artemis temples, and the goddess of the city was not merely Artemis, but “The Great Artemis of the Ephesians.” This made the city of Ephesus’ function in the ancient world roughly the equivalent of modern day Saudi Arabia; its primary means of wealth were related to religious pilgrimages and functions.

All that remains of the Artemis Temple proper. The initial archeological team who excavated the site re-erected one of the columns from the temple.

AJ, your blog poster of the day, getting acquainted with the local residents of St. John's basilica

            The splendor and glory of the Artemis Temple in Ephesus was great enough to make it known as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Unfortunately, the temple of Artemis was destroyed by Gothic raiders around the year 262 AD. Shortly after this event, Christianity would become the official religion of the Roman Empire, and as a result there was no incentive to rebuild this structure, and it continued to be nothing more than ruins. Instead, many of its stones were put to use in a new building: a great basilica dedicated to the Apostle John, Jesus’ beloved disciple. The Bible and Church Tradition both speak to St. John’s intimate connection with the city of Ephesus. Sometime after St. Paul’s founding of the Ephesian church and three year stay in the city (see Acts 20:31), St. John moved into Ephesus, bringing with him Mary, the mother of Jesus. His long residence in Ephesus makes it the most likely city of origin for 1, 2 and 3 John, as well as the Gospel of John. Apart from brief exile to Patmos (around the year 95 AD), John spent the remainder of his life in this city, dying a natural death at around the age of 105.

Dr. Yeatts teaching on Revelation, with the tomb of the Apostle John in the background

            At first a small church was built around the tomb of St. John on Ayasoluk Hill. But after the legalization of Christianity in the early 4^th century, a larger church building was erected over the original site, including a large wooden ceiling. The completed iteration of the church was finished in 548 AD under the patronage of Justinian I. However, later earthquakes seriously 

damaged the church beyond repair. This should have been an expected event, as earthquakes are quite common in the area, and the old Temple of Artemis whose stones were used to finish the basilica was damaged multiple times by earthquakes. Once the Seljuk Turks gained control of this region from the Byzantine Empire, the church fell into permanent disrepair. Just as the church used material from the old pagan temple, the Turks used material from the church to build a mosque on the site. However, this mosque was also severely damaged by an earthquake, so a new mosque was built at a safer nearby site, and dedicated to the Prophet Isa.

A view from inside the Grotto of St. Paul

            One of the highlights of our trip to Ephesus was caused by our tour company’s connections with archeologists working at Ephesus. As a result of this, we were allowed exclusive access to areas barred from the general public. One of these sites sat on the mountainside of Coressus overlooking the city, requiring a mile long hike to reach. It is commonly called St. Paul’s Grotto, and it is a cave about 3 meters tall and 12 meters deep filled with early Christian artwork. Among these pieces is a pictorial representation of Paul, alongside Thecla. This drawing is regarded as the oldest depiction of Paul in the world. Between the somewhat hidden location, spiritual richness and exclusivity of the site, this cave was a favorite of the day for many of us, a gem among gems that shone a brighter hue. Even more so than our previously visited sites, Ephesus has helped resurrect what life in the 1^st and 2^nd centuries would have looked like to the earliest disciples of Christ.

Sources Cited:
            Wilson, Mark. Biblical Turkey: A Guide to the Jewish and Christian Sites of Asia Minor. Ege Yayinlari, Istanbul 2012.

A letter to the church at Philadelphia

Our visit in Philadelphia showed us only the ruins of a Byzantine Cathedral. Although it dates from much later than the early church that John was writing to, it was interesting to see a small piece of the ancient city. This is the devotional Dr. John Yeatts shared at the site.

The remains of a Byzantine cathedral built on the ancient city of Philadelphia.

The Witnessing Church VI: The Open Door of Opportunity

Revelation 3:7-13 

“Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.”

            Rhoda Lee, a new convert to Christianity, became committed to foreign missions under the preaching of the World Gospel Union.  As a result, she prepared a paper on the subject, which she read on the final day of the 1894 General Conference of our denomination, the Brethren in Christ Church.  The paper included this sentence: “O may I dare to hope that a missionary fund may be started and a systematic method of foreign work be organized, and that each of us will practice economy and self-denial to swell the fund?” 

            The Conference took no action, tabling the matter indefinitely, but later the same day, Jacob Stauffer placed five dollars for foreign missions on the table in the front of the conference.  Lee then passed a hat, and Jacob Eisenhower, the uncle of the future President of the United States, put another five dollars into the hat.  The result was an offering of thirty-five dollars and the following action: “On motion it was decided to organize a Foreign Mission Fund and appoint a treasurer.” 

            Rhoda Lee continued to call for commitment to mission in articles in the church paper.  As a result, a foreign missions board was appointed and an appeal for workers issued.  Another woman, Frances Davidson, asked for release from her college teaching position to be available for missions.  Finally, in 1897, a team of five missionaries arrived in Capetown, South Africa, and in 1898 the first converts of Brethren in Christ missions were baptized in what is now Zimbabwe. 

            This story illustrates Christ’s call to the church in Philadelphia.  That church had little power, but a great opportunity for mission to the people of Asia Minor.  Rhoda Lee was a person with little power in a tiny denomination in the days when women’s voices usually went unheard.  Yet, what she did stands as a memorial to her faithfulness.

            The city of Philadelphia was founded for a specific purpose: to serve as a missionary center for the spread of Greek culture.  Located at the junction of roads to Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia, and at the borders of these provinces, Philadelphia was called the “gateway to the East.”  Therefore, it was an ideal location for its task. 

Now a new missionary task lay before this little church: to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.  This would not be easy.  Like many of the other cities in Asia Minor, Philadelphia was a center for the worship of the Roman emperor.  In 17 B.C., an earthquake completely destroyed Philadelphia, and almost its entire population perished.  Emperor Tiberius helped to rebuild the city.  The people were so grateful that they renamed the city Neocaesaria, in honor of Caesar.  Later, it was renamed Flavia in honor of another emperor.  It is understandable that Philadelphia would be intensely committed to the worship of Caesar. 

The missionary activities in Philadelphia were also inhibited by opposition from the worshippers of the cult of Dionysius and the Jews.  The task was even more difficult because the church in Philadelphia was quite small.  Nevertheless, the Philadelphian Christians were faithful.  Of all the churches that John writes, Philadelphia receives the most praise, and it is the only church that receives no criticism.  The church in Philadelphia was weak but faithful.

            None of the names for Christ use in this letter are from the vision in chapter 1.  Yet, they paint a powerful picture of Christ.  “Holy one” means that Christ is different and separate from all else.  This is also the word used for “saint.”  Hence, the faithful saints are called to different and separate from the world.  In the context of Revelation, “true one” is probably to be understood in the sense of “faithful.”  Those who follow Christ are called to be faithful witnesses to the message of Christ.  The “key of David” communicates that it is the followers of Christ and not the ethnic Jews who hold the real key to the dynasty of King David.  For that reason, the Jews of Philadelphia are not really Jews at all but must come and bow down before the faithful witnesses who are loved by Christ.  

Perhaps the name of Christ most relevant for the church in Philadelphia is: “who opens and no one shuts, who shuts and no one opens.”  Because Christ has opened the door to spread the Gospel it will be closed only by Christ.  All that is needed is for the faithful witnesses in Philadelphia to seize the opportunity.   Yet Christ recognizes that the church in Philadelphia has only a little strength.  Apparently the church was small, poor, and without influence.  Yet, witnesses there had remained faithful to the word of God and not denied the name of Christ. 

            Nevertheless, the task was not easy for the Christians in Philadelphia.  If they patiently continue their witness, God promises to keep them from their hour of trial that will test the whole earth.  Some think that this hour of trial refers to the great tribulation that is associated with the end of the world.  In the context here, a letter to a specific first-century church, it is better to understand the reference to be to the local and immediate danger that faced the church in Philadelphia from the emperor worshippers and the Jews.  If the witnesses in Philadelphia hold fast and let no one seize their crown – if they are faithful witnesses to the very end, Christ will make them pillars in God’s temple.  The image speaks of humans comprising a living temple of God. That means that Christian witnesses are a necessary part of the kingdom of God.  The Christian who conquers is assured a place in God’s eternal kingdom. 

            Christ also promises to give the conqueror three names – the name of God; the name of the New Jerusalem, the city of God; and Christ’s own name.  To have the name of God indicates that they are the possession of God.  To bear the name of the city of God means that the one who witnesses to the end is a citizen of the New Jerusalem.  To bear the name of Christ indicates that the faithful witness of Christ is shared by the saints who witness as Christ did.  

            Abraham Lincoln’s life was a good example of his words: “I do the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing it.”  Lincoln had enough defeats in life to discourage any man.  He was defeated in a race for a seat in the state legislature, a race for the speaker of that legislature, a race for a seat on the electoral college, a congressional election, two senatorial elections, and a vice-presidential election.  Although he was elected to Congress, he was defeated again four years later.  In addition to these political setbacks, he failed in business three times, his sweetheart died, and he had a nervous breakdown.  After surviving all of these defeats and setbacks, Lincoln was elected President of the United States.  Lincoln saw many doors of opportunity shut in his face.  Yet, he endured these setbacks and was successful in the end.

            Doors of opportunity to be faithful witnesses for Christ lie before us as well.  It is not easy to seize these opportunity.  Sometimes we feel as weak as the church in Philadelphia.  Christ promises that if we overcome this opposition and seize our opportunity to be faithful to Christ, we will be rewarded in the kingdom of God.      

Sing: Come Labor on

Come, labor on! Who dares stand idle, on the harvest plain While all around him waves the golden grain?
And to each servant does the Master say, “Go work today.”

Come, labor on! Claim the high calling angels cannot share— To young and old the Gospel gladness bear;
Redeem the time; its hours too swiftly fly. The night draws nigh.

Come, labor on! The enemy is watching night and day, To sow the tares, to snatch the seed away;
While we in sleep our duty have forgot, He slumbered not.

Come, labor on! Away with gloomy doubts and faithless fear! No arm so weak but may do service here:
By feeblest agents may our God fulfill His righteous will.

Come, labor on! No time for rest, till glows the western sky, Till the long shadows o’er our pathway lie,
And a glad sound comes with the setting sun, “Well done, well done!”

Come, labor on! The toil is pleasant, the reward is sure; Blessèd are those who to the end endure;
How full their joy, how deep their rest shall be, O Lord, with Thee!

Jane L. Borthwick

Pray:  O Christ, who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens.  Although at times we feel that we have little strength, may we witness to your word and not deny your name.  Keep us in our hour of trial so that we will conquer the forces of Satan.  Make us pillars in the temple of God so that we will never go out from it.  Write your name on our foreheads for it sthrough that name that we pray.  Amen.

A River of Experience

Thursday, May 29, 2014 

Michelle Curtis

Traveling through Turkey is like being carried along in the swift current of a rushing river. Every bend in the river brings one new, exhilarating experience after another, and each time I think “Ok, I’m figuring this place out,” we come around another bend to something new that overwhelms me with wonder all over again. (This is in large part on account of our excellent tour guide who is incredibly knowledgeable and brings the sites to life with the information he shares about them while also balancing this with free time for hands on learning (or climbing) and lots of pictures.)

On Tuesday we visited the small, beautiful village of Şirince (which means “town of the cute people”). Turning the corner onto another cobblestone street, an ice cream vendor surprised us by clanging the bells above his stand to provoke screams. He could then sing out, “I scream, they scream, we all scream for ice cream.” Not only did he get us laughing, but he also introduced us to ice cream cut from a solid block that somehow hung in the sun without melting.

That white block he is holding is the ice cream

 Yet in the midst of this playful current, there are always pools of emotions and questions that swirl inside me. In this tiny touristy town, is it an excellent thing to put money into the local economy and support the arts here (in forms varying from handmade silk scarves to glass-blowing done on site to fresh squeezed pomegranate juice)? Or am I just a materialistic Westerner consuming pieces of Turkish culture and souvenirs? I concluded probably some of both. I also wonder: what kind of relationship can I—a wealthy western tourist—have with the Turkish people I meet? The barriers of language and wealth feel large, but I hope that in some small ways I can remove a few stones from those dividing walls to at least get my head over the barrier and say “Merhaba”—“hello”—to the person on the other side. Many of the vendors learn a little English so they can sell their goods to me, and I will confess that after simple greetings, the next Turkish phrase I wanted to learn was “How much (does this cost)?” But at the same time, I have also overcome my fear of saying things terribly wrong, and I finally feel comfortable saying “teşekkürlar”—“thanks.” Maybe I will still be a wealthy tourist, but I hope that I can also brighten the day of a few venders when I smile as I pass and speak a few words in their language.  

Yet, the current flows on as time flies by and before I could finish with all those swirling questions the next curve in the river of our day brought cooking lessons in a quaint family restaurant. We got to help chop vegetables for three dishes that the mother skillfully cooked all at once while her daughter explained what we were doing in English. Later the father showed us the wood oven where he cooked one of the dishes we made. What a pleasure to wade into another stream of Turkish culture and again learn with eyes, ears, and hands. Though it certainly had the fast pace of a restaurant, the kitchen also felt comfortable and homey as we gathered around the large marble table in the center to chop, grate, and mix. I am thoroughly enjoying Turkish food here, but the cooking lesson was somewhat of a whirlwind without nearly enough time to soak in everything we were experiencing. So, I was delighted when the daughter told us she wrote a cookbook (with lots of pictures from the family restaurant), and several of us are bringing the book home to (attempt to) share our wonderful experiences of Turkish food with you!

Chopping parsley

There's lunch, cooking in the wood oven. They make the fire at 8am, and it burns all day long. Even with our cookbooks, we won't be able to replicate this at home.

 After cooking we feasted on the extensive buffet the restaurant provided for us in which the three dishes we helped make felt like merely a drop in the bucket. It was delicious!

And you can't even see all of it

Each day the rushing water of our trip moves through new experiences that continually amaze me. I am thankful for the time we had this day to interact with the Turkish vendors and explore the cute village of Şirince. And I am delighted to have had the opportunity to learn about the delicious Turkish food I am enjoying in a hands on way. From food to exploring to learning more than I feel I should ever be allowed to learn in a few weeks, I am absolutely loving the adventure and cannot wait to see what lies around the river bend tomorrow!

Philadelphia

The city, Philadelphia, (now called Alasehir) is located southeast of the biblical site, Sardis (Wilson, 2012). The city was founded by a Pergamene king named Attalus II (159-138 BC). The Romans had attempted to pit Attalus II and his brother Eumenes II, but he remained loyal to his brother, earning the nickname “Philadelphius” and thus the city name, “city of brotherly love”. Philadelphia’s location is one of a strategic nature, situated along the Roman road leading from Troas, Pergamum, Sardis toward Tarsus and the East (Wilson, 2012). It was also considered the “open door” to Phrygia. This crossroads allowed for easier access to trade routes and access to both coastlines and the East. 

                  Philadelphia’s surrounding area was a particularly fertile agricultural center (Fant & Reddish, 2003). Grapes abound in the area, but so do earthquakes. In 17 AD, Philadelphia was almost destroyed by a massive earthquake and its aftershocks. This faulty earth, protected by the Roman empire, was able to rebuild itself using Roman funding, and in gratitude, became a Neocesearea. A Neocesarea meant that the city was granted permission to build a temple to an Emperor and were then granted certain favorable conditions such as minimal tax collection. Their temple dedicated to Tiberius, was the foreground of an eventually prosperous city.

Very little remains of the ancient city of Philadelphia, only a few supporting columns from a Christian church built well after biblical times.

Because of the late establishment of the city, their lack of tradition led to more religious freedoms. There is much evidence of the rampant polytheism of the Hellenistic Roman Empire and other religious traditions such as Judaism and other monotheistic religions (Wilson, 2012). This freedom led to the growth of the Christian church in the first century and thus the reference to the church in Philadelphia in the book of Revelation.

A marble slab with an inscription found at the ancient site of Philadelphia.

A sarcophogas found at the site. After the city was destroyed, this area was probably used as a cemetery.

                  In Revelation 3:7-13, John addresses one of the seven churches of Revelation: Philadelphia. It was one of the two churches that received praise at this time, instead of tough love.  In this passage, Christ asserts that Philadelphia, being the crossroads that it was, will continue to be a gatekeeping city of people who seemingly have little power, but a mighty presence in the sight of the Lord. Christ also asserts that the people of Philadelphia are patient and enduring in their sufferings on the Lord’s behalf, and that their faithfulness has continued to be steadfast. Philadelphia, being in an unstable territory due to earthquakes, also was affirmed that they will be pillars in the temple of God, an unwavering position for the wearied city (Fant & Reddish, 2003). This good news truly was a gospel of truth for a city with a history of instability. 

Our John, Dr. Yeatts, talking to us about Philadelphia.

- Julia Dematatis

A letter to the church at Sardis

The site visit to Sardis was quite impressive, and we enjoyed hearing Dr. John Yeatts talk to us while in the synagogue!  

The students listening to Dr. Yeatts

Dr. Yeatts in the synagogue, you can see the apse at the front of the building.

The Witnessing Church V: Christians in Name Only

Revelation 3:1-6

“I know your works; you have a name for being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up.”

            Looking through a telescope on a clear night can reveal the impressive golden rings of Saturn.  Among the planets of our solar system, Saturn is second in size only to Jupiter, but in beauty, Saturn plays second fiddle to no other planet.  The sparkling rings of Saturn glitter and gleam with the brilliance of what seem to be millions of candles. 

            Saturn’s rings are wide, very thin, and far apart.  The first ring hangs about six thousand miles above the planet’s equator and extends some eleven thousand miles up.  The next ring reaches up another eighteen thousand miles.  Above it is empty space, two thousand miles wide.  Then comes the outer ring that rises another eleven thousand miles above the planet.  The total picture makes up a planet of indescribable beauty. 

            The truth is that the rings are only dead fragments of ice, mixed with dust.  Some of the fragments are only specks; some are the size of pebbles or even boulders.  They orbit like squadrons of little satellites around the planet’s wide equator.  Yet, they only reflect the dazzling beams of the sun; they have no shine of their own.  They are dead fragments.

            In that way, the church at Sardis was much like the planet Saturn and its members were like the dead but sparkling particles surrounding Saturn.  The Christians at Sardis glittered with the pretension of serving God, but with no reality in their worship or witness.  They had a name for being alive.  In the ancient world, the name denoted character.  Christ, however, is using name ironically.  The Sardians were Christian in name only.  They were like a corpse in a funeral home – beautiful, but dead.  They had a reputation for life and vitality, but they were without strength and near death.  Sardis is the only church about which Christ has nothing good to say.

            Part of the problem was that they were not troubled with persecution from without or heresy from within.  Heresy or persecution would at least have been an indication of life.  Both Smyrna, the persecuted church, and Thyatira, the church that tolerated heresy, were better off than Sardis.  The church in North America experienced almost no persecution in twentieth century when the church worldwide suffered more martyrdoms than any previous century.  At the same time the church in North America has been labeled as dead compared to the church in those parts of the world that have experience the most travail.  At least persecution and heresy make it evident that churches are alive.  Sardis had no conflict.  Persecutors and unbelievers  probably did not even know that the church was there.

            The name given to Christ in the letter to Sardis is appropriate to this church: “him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.”  The seven spirits are the complete spirit, the Holy Spirit.  What a dead church needs is the Holy Spirit of God to give life.  The seven stars are the guardian angels of the seven churches.  What the dead church at Sardis needs is the empowering of the Holy Spirit and the care of the heavenly angels. 

            In addition to pointing out the church’s weakness, Christ suggests a remedy for spiritual lethargy: “Wake up and strengthen what remains.”  This was a particularly appropriate admonition to a church in the city of Sardis.  Seven hundred years before Revelation was written, Sardis was one of the greatest cities in the world.  Located on a hill fifteen hundred feet up, it was impossible to attack.  Therefore, the city prospered.  Gold and silver were first made into coins in Sardis.  Its greatest leader, Croesus, became so prosperous that people to the present time speak of being “as rich as Croesus.” 

            Over the years, the greatness of Sardis diminished.  The people thought that their position made them safe, but twice enemies climbed up by night through a fault in the rocks to attack and overthrow Sardis.  At one point, Sardis seemed to vanish from history.  Yet, by the time Revelation was written, Sardis was wealthy and known for luxurious and degenerate living.

            So the admonition, “Wake up,” is appropriate for Sardis, a town that was destroyed because it had not been watchful.  Although the image of a thief in the night is used elsewhere to speak of the second coming of Christ, here Christ employs it to describe his coming to Sardis in judgment.  The image of a thief stresses the uncertainty of the time of the thief’s arrival.  That image is appropriate for a city that was overcome at night by invaders. 

            Nevertheless, the situation at Sardis is not hopeless.  Although they are “on the point of death” and in danger of losing what life they have, there is a spark of vitality in this dead church.  Although their works are not perfect, full, or complete, life can be rekindled through remembering, repenting, and obeying.  In Revelation, this is the way to reestablish a faithful witness that has been lost.

Indeed, Christ knows a few Christians have remained alive.  Sardis actually seems to be worse off than the other churches where only a few have fallen away.  Here only a few remain faithful.  Nevertheless, the spiritually dead need not remain eternally dead.  Indeed, some faithful Christians have not soiled their character or reputation and therefore their witness.  They are worthy to walk with Christ in white because they have born faithful witness.  White was the color that the conquering hero wore in celebration of victory.  Indeed, if the witnesses are faithful to the end, Christ will give them a white robe.  Moreover, there names will remain in the Lamb’s book of life, register of the citizens of heaven.  The faithful witnesses will be rewarded with eternal life when they come before the judgment of God.  This reminds us that, although it is our responsibility to conquer evil and keep ourselves pure and sinless, only Christ the Lamb can give us white robes.  Our purity ultimately comes not from what we have done but what Christ did for us on the cross.  Our task is to be faithful to the end so that our names are still in the book of life and so that Christ will confess our names before God and the angels.  Christ says that if we faithfully witness in persecution, he will witness to our faithfulness before God and the angels.  In short, Christ will be faithful to the one who is faithful to him.  Thus, the spiritually dead can be made eternally alive.

            Alexander the Great once met a lazy, cowardly soldier who was under his command.  He asked the soldier, “What is your name?” 

The soldier answered, “Alexander, sir.” 

Alexander the Great responded: “Change your name or change your ways.”

            If it is our desire to bear the name Christian, we must be faithful witnesses to Christ whose name we bear.  Then we will no longer be Christians in name only.

 

Sing: Take the Name of Jesus With You

Take the name of Jesus with you, Child of sorrow and of woe;

It will joy and comfort give you Take it, then, where'er you go.

 Take the name of Jesus ever, As a shield from ev'ry snare;

If temptations round you gather, Breathe that holy Name in prayer.

O the precious name of Jesus! How it thrills our souls with joy,

When His loving arms receive us And His songs our tongues employ!

At the name of Jesus bowing, Falling prostrate at His feet,

King of kings in heav'n we'll crown Him, When our journey is complete.

Chorus: Precious name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of heav'n;

Precious name, O how sweet! Hope of earth and joy of heav'n.

Lyrics: Lydia Odell Baxter

Pray:  O Christ, who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars, may we not only have a name for being alive.  Help us to awaken and strengthen what remains.  May we remember what we have been, obey your call to witness, and repent of our lethargy.  Through keeping ourselves pure and conquering persecution, may we be worthy for you to confess our names before your Father and his angels.  Amen.

…And They Called it Puppy Love (And Kitty Too!)

    So when we first arrived in Turkey things were a bit stressful for some of us. Long flights and lines at the airport took it out of us and our bus tour through Istanbul seemed like a whirlwind. After a bit of a hike with our luggage, it was a relief to be at our hotel, once we found our rooms, and eat some dinner. After dinner a few of us took a walk with our guide, Cenk, through the streets of Istanbul down to the Bosphorus. It was on that walk that we were first introduced to Turkey’s hidden gems…the stray cats and dogs. On every street we saw at least one, sometimes four or more of them and with each glance I could hear Sarah McLachlan whisper, “In the arms of the angels….” My heart broke for these animals, and Liz and I were awing at every last one of them. We noticed tags on some of the dog’s ears and asked Cenk what they were for. According to him, dogs with tags are given their shots and spayed or neutered. He also pointed out that many of the shop owners and people of the town set out food and water for the animals so they are essentially taken care of. Cenk told us that we would see many more throughout our travels and we were excited. The next morning as we waited to walk to our bus, a few of us noticed a cute dog that looked like a husky in front of the hotel. We watched him from afar and decided to name him Balto. One of the guys in our group built up the courage to pet Balto, and once we saw it was ok, a large of group of us gathered around and that’s when we fell in love. (Queue Sarah…”fly away from here…”) Balto followed us to our bus a few blocks away, and we all waved goodbye as Hiro, our driver, whisked us away to Troas. At each site we have learned so much about the history both biblically and culturally.

Balto of Istanbul, catching some sleep.

Sandy of Thyatira living a hard knock life.

It’s amazing to visit such places and see dogs or cats lounging in the shade of an ancient Doric column. I was honestly surprised to see how friendly and approachable each of the animals is. Upon first sight of a dog someone begins calling it and he or she will trot over, tail wagging just basking in the attention and we are too. Cats are the same way, all they need is a little psss psss psss, and they’re rubbing up on our legs or rolling over for us to scratch their bellies.

Cleopatra of Kusadessi ruling her kingdom

Patches of Izmir waiting for tummy love.

    It’s wonderful to be on this trip with such fun loving people. We all get along so well, but there’s something about snuggling a dog or petting a purring cat that eases any homesickness, loneliness or uncomfortability we might have. When we left Assos, several of us were nervous and stressed about our upcoming three night homestay in Izmir. We stopped at a restaurant for lunch and there happened to be kitties and German Shepherd pups with their parents there. After we had ordered a few of us went over to see the pups and the waiters let us in the cage with the dogs to play. You could see the stress melting off of our faces as we nuzzled those fuzzy little puppies and got kisses all over. For me, it was definitely a therapeutic moment. With every ear scratch, tail wag and purr I fall deeper and deeper in love with the strays of Turkey. They have truly been a blessing to me on this trip.

Daisy, accepting scratches now.

Bandit of Smyrna, wanting to join the fun.

    Throughout our time we have met several new animal friends and have named them all. As we walk around seeing all of the beautiful ruins in what seems to be a dream, these animals help us to stay grounded and maybe even not miss home so much. I, for one, am thankful for the interaction we have with them and even more thankful that I don’t live here because I would surely become a dog and cat lady. I will leave you all with a firm warning…do not take any of us to shelters or places where we might see dogs or cats who need homes unless you want a new furry member of the family! :) P.S…Turkey is beautiful and we’re learning a lot!
- Melanie Schubert

Not So Different After All

During my time in Turkey I have experienced many new and unfamiliar things which have surprised and excited me. Having been to India a couple times before, I was imagining something similar to that environment - loud, hectic, and a little bit crazy (I mean those all as compliments). In reality, its geographical location gives it a unique mix of Asian AND European qualities. Traveling to the old market place and haggling for goods, then going back to our home-stay families and sitting down for a traditional Turkish meal is a good example of the contrast between cultures. Though I have been slightly surprised by the different cultural traditions, I think I have been even more surprised by the many ways in which American and modern Turkish culture are similar.

Sema, Yagmur, and Pelin

For instance, on the first night of my home-stay we got to the house about two hours late, and everyone was exhausted. After we ate a late dinner my host-mom, Sema and host-sister, Yagmur, took out their laptops, turned on the Tv, and sat down on the couch for some quality web-surfing time. Why? Why does this even surprise me? Well, for one thing, it seems that maybe I have been glorifying the people of other cultures as not being media-addicted individuals, although I had no legitimate reason to believe this. I hadn't realized that this new ritual of focused-multimedia-time before bed had spread so far into the world. I guess that, in a way, I'm kind of relieved to know that I have this small, insignificant thing in common with someone who is almost halfway around the world. Profound? No, not really. But it was a good reminder that looking only at the DIFFERENCES between cultures isn't necessarily the best way to form a multicultural perspective.

 The internet is hardly the main connecting point between cultures, though. This past Sunday our group was meant to attend a Turkish church service in Izmir so that we could experience worship with another culture. Unfortunately, it turned out that the worship service was not until 12, and we had arrived for a ten o'clock service. When we realized that we had arrived two and a half hours early for the service, we decided to put together our own time of worship. I helped out with the music while others read scriptures and gave an impromptu sermon. One of the songs we sang, "Our God" by Chris Tomlin, was provided to us by the worship leaders of the church, the lyrics in Turkish, but the chords in the universal language of music. We sang it through once in English, but the Turkish-speaking people present couldn't understand. The worship leaders then proceeded to play the song again, but sang it in Turkish. At the beginning, it seemed that the majority of my group didn't know what to do; was this a performance? I listened at first too, not quite sure if I should be singing along. All of a sudden we all seemed to come to the conclusion that it really didn't matter in which language we were singing - everyone was singing to the exact same God and he could understand all of us. It was a beautiful moment in our busy week of chaotic travel.

As Dr. Yeatts pointed out, the words in the book of Revelation point to the future where ALL worship will be done by ALL nations simultaneously. The passage in question was Revelation 7:9, "After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb" (CEV). If this was just a small glimpse of that, then I know I have a lot more to look forward to.

 God and the internet don't really have a lot in common, but they do both transcend culture and connect otherwise different people together for common interests.

Rachael Haqq