Lebanon #8: Presence
Presence
Rev. Dr. Lisa Culpepper, for the team
Mt. Horeb Presbyterian Church, Lexington, KY
Our week at Dhour Choueir passed as quickly as a comet bursts in the night sky and equally as amazing! Just five days ago we counted out 200 floral scarves and spiral notebooks, 100 beaded bracelets and bling rings, 200 wooden crosses, 15 colors of paint, a gazillion decorative jewels, 150 pens, and conference schedules, loading them into 90 gift bags. Today we counted the tears as we said good-bye to 90 lovely sisters in Christ.
In between the “hellos” and “good-byes,” we relished the sharing of spoons full of hummus along with fresh cucumbers, tomatoes (the recognizable elements of delicious Lebanese cuisine with names that we cannot pronounce); we resurrected long-remembered youth-group games, sang our hearts out in worship, engaged in a myriad of conversations, daily inspirational Bible study, all accompanied by small cups of thick Arabic coffee.
It comes as no surprise, though, that a week so blessed should end with morning worship and the Lord’s Supper. With the words, “The body of Christ broken for you,” and “The blood of Christ shed for you,” full hearts brimmed to overflowing. As my eyes fell upon the face of each partaking soul, I saw their journeys of much suffering, yet not devoid of deep and abiding joy.
And this joy is always mirrored on the face of the Reverend Najla Kassab who among many other accomplished positions is the director of this conference. After thanking the many hands which made this week come alive, Reverend Najla turned to the 10 of us Outreach Foundation women with a most humbling and undeserved benediction: “You came here by way of much sacrifice, leaving your families to travel and spend time with us here. I want you to know that your presence here has brought us peace, hope, and strength.” “Your presence…” Presence is a notion we all ponder as our journey continues. Whatever we have packed in our bags and left in the laps of others is of small value compared with the joy of being in the presence of our sweet sisters in Christ from Lebanon and Syria and the Christ in them.
Waving good-bye to our conference home, our wheels turned toward Byblos to cash in some sweat equity through touring the ancient city and engaging in some serious local shopping. Byblos, the oldest continuously inhabited city on the planet, was thoroughly excavated for us by the lovely Vivian, our tour guide. Beginning with prehistory, Vivian walked with us down roads long-traveled through the Bronze and Iron Age, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, European crusaders, Ottoman Turks, the French, and now, the Lebanese. As we listened, we reflected upon the related artifacts and the reconstructed tomb housed in the Beirut Museum which we visited a week prior.
Finally, at the end of a full day, we arrived at our home away from home, the Casa d’ Or Hotel in Beirut. Tired, yes, but not without a song in our hearts:
“Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song”
Lord, Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey;
I’ll tell everybody about you wherever I go.
You alone are our life and our peace and our love.
Lord Jesus, you shall be my song as I journey.
As long as I live, Jesus make me your servant,
To carry your cross and to share all your burdens and tears.
For you save me by giving your body and blood.
As long as I live, Jesus make me your servant.
(Glory to God, © 1961 Les Petites Soeurs de Jésus; Translation © 1970 Steven Somerville)