Rev. David Cartwright traveled to Israel with a group led by Bishop Lyght in January.  He writes about the tension between sacred and secular in this reflection on his journey:

It’s difficult to reflect on a single site in the Holy Land, the number of ‘holy’ things one sees is almost overwhelming. I’d like to share instead two stories about people and places that were unexpected holy sites for me.

During the long flight from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv I sat next to a young woman who appeared to be of middle-eastern descent. As we talked, I learned she was an Israeli Jew on the way home from a business trip in the United States.  Once she learned I was on a pilgrimage and a first-time visitor to Israel, she graciously offered insights and answered my questions about the culture and land of Israel, issues with Palestinians, etc. 

I was surprised to hear her answer to my question about how her faith was part of her daily life. She said that other than raising her children to know the moral laws of the Jewish tradition, she and her family were not particularly religious people. She even said she wondered from time to time if there really is a God. To say that I was surprised would be a major understatement.

Late that day, we finally arrived in Jerusalem and checked into a hotel near the part of town called the Old City. We had a nice room on one of the upper levels of the hotel. It was evening time, just about sundown, when a sound from outside caught my attention. I stepped onto the balcony and realized I was hearing the evening prayer call from the Mosque across the street. At the same time, I noticed a number of Hasidic Jews walking toward the Old City, on their way to the Western Wall to pray. It was a moving sight. 

I was struck with the tension, not between old and new, but between religious and secular. Here I stood, in perhaps the most holy city in the world, witnessing the sights and sounds of faithful practice that date back centuries. Yet I could not forget the conversation from the airplane. I’m still processing the thoughts that rushed through my mind in those moments. Of all the holy places we visited, I am sure that I will always remember that balcony.

Rev. David Cartwright is the pastor of Cross Roads United Methodist Church in Huntington, W.Va.