Lutheran Church of the Redeemer - Holy Week

Towering above the Old City skyline is the tall, white tower of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. This lovely edifice is a Protestant (Lutheran) church located near Jaffa Gate in the Old City, just a stone's throw from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The construction of the church allowed Protestants to have a presence in an area of the Old City that was dominated by Catholic and Orthodox churches.  

This white square tower is the tallest bell tower inside the old city and rises high 7 floors above the ground. For a small fee, visitors may walk up the 178 steps for a view of the city.  It also houses some large bells that ring at specific times and occasions. 

The Christian Quarter of the Old City is #8 on the map.

The Christian Quarter contains about 40 Christian holy places. Among them is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity's holiest places.

The stone tower is one of  Jerusalem's tallest landmarks.

The closed northern entrance porch is medieval, decorated with the signs of the zodiac and the symbols of the months. We walked up some very steep steps which lead into to a beautiful sanctuary.  There was a religious service taking place so we quietly sat and observed.  Because it is Holy Week, many events are happening in the Christian Quarters of the city.  

Built at the end of the 19th century by Lutheran Germans next to the remains of crusader headquarters, this is the second Protestant Church in the Old City of Jerusalem.  The other Lutheran church is the Augusta Victoria and the Church of the Ascension located just across the road from the Jerusalem Center. 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

‘May they prosper who love you.

Peace be within your walls,

and security within your towers.’

For the sake of my relatives and friends

I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ 

(Psalm 122:6)

The beautiful church was inaugurated by Kaiser Wilhelm II who entered the city mounted on a horse passing through two arches dedicated to him by the Ottoman rule and the local Jewish Community.

The church serves today as the offices of the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land and the academic administrator of higher education of the German Protestant Ministries in the Holy Land.

The Confession booths were ornate and beautifully carved.

Photo:  Pastor Carrie Smith  
The English speaking congregation meets in St. John's Chapel, part of the Redeemer complex.

St. John's Chapel was built in the early 12th century as part of a large pilgrim hostel and convent named St. Mary Latine Minor and was one of many structures erected in Jerusalem by the Crusader Knights of St. John. The chapel and courtyard were restored again in 1995 to reflect their 12th-century character.

 

As previously mentioned in another entry, the three knots on the robes of nuns and priests are outward symbols of an inward commitment: poverty, chastity and obedience.

God sees you just exactly as you are He sees you perfectly and more truly than people can, and He loves you more than you can ever imagine. Unknown

Don’t forget to pray today because God didn’t forget to wake you up this morning. – Unknown

Today, the Church has services in Arabic, English, German and Danish for Lutheran members and visitors. It has a beautiful stained-glass windows, centuries-old mosaics and a very nice pipe organ still used for concerts. Each year, the church hosts a series of organ concerts and Garth and I attended one this past fall by an organist from Poland. 

God did not promise days without pain; laughter without sorrow; sun without rain. But He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears; and light four our way. – Unknown

When you can’t put your prayers into words, God hears your heart. -Unknown

Clay Coleman is my choir president and it's been so fun to get to know him and his family. His sister is married to one of Garth's 2nd cousins (Holyoak) and they came to Israel very recently on a tour.  We've more or less adopted each other and he's an outstanding young man that we've had the privilege to get to know on a personal level.

The closer a person is to God, the closer he is to people.  Pope Benedict XVI

One last look at this beautiful Church.  

Holy Week to be continued . . . .