Photos: 1. view of Temple Mount, descending from the Mt. of Olives on the Palm Sunday walk 2. inside the tomb of Christ; the stone one which his body was supposedly laid 3. tomb from the outside 4. people praying in the chapel of Calvary, on top of "the skull" 5. people kneeling before the stone where Jesus was supposedly prepared for burial

On Wednesday, I went for just a short time of prayer and to watch other pilgrims at the Holy Sepulcher Church for about an hour.  It was surprisingly empty there, and I was able to visit the tomb of Christ with just 12 people in front of me.  The basilica was also quiet and amazingly reverent (sometimes it can be a zoo in there!) and it was powerful watching people pray and express their devotion to Christ on the top of Calvary, at the stone where Jesus' body was supposedly washed, by the tomb, etc.  I know many of these pilgrims are not "evangelical" in our understanding of what it means to be a believer, but their sincere adoration was clearly evident--and only God knows their true hearts!  I find it extremely powerful to be in the midst of believers of every background, ethnic group, denomination, etc. and it sure is easy to surround myself in this way here in Jerusalem. Later that night I went to a Passover seder meal and celebration with a group of my co-workers from Bridges.