August 3, 2015. Today we visited Cana, where, according to John’s Gospel, Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water into wine for a wedding celebration. Married couples from our group took the opportunity to renew their wedding vows in a very moving ceremony in one of the chapels of the Franciscan Wedding Church at Cana.

Later we drove through Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood home, to visit nearby Mount Precipice. For lunch we spent the afternoon hearing the beautiful story of Tulip Winery. The Israeli winery employs special needs adults who make their home in the village of Kfar Tikvah where the winery is located. We met some of these wonderful people whose lives have been transformed through the healing of having a job they love, where they are appreciated and valued.

First, some images from The Franciscan Wedding Church in Cana…

Next we made our way to Nazareth where we visited the peak of Mt. Precipice. It is believed by many to be the site of the Rejection of Jesus described in Luke 4:29-30. The people of Nazareth, not accepting Jesus as Messiah tried to push him from the mountain, but “he passed through the midst of them and went away.” The views were quite stunning. We could see Mt. Tabor (Mount of Transfiguration) in the distance.

By then, after walking in record-breaking heat, we were ready for lunch and a wine tasting at Tulip Winery. We were blessed by our host Lital who you could tell was very passionate about the cause behind Tulip, which employs 35 special needs adults who live in the village where the winery is located, a former kibbutz. The village’s name means “Village of Hope.” We were also able to meet the winery’s founder, Roy Itzchaki.

Finally we wound up back at our hotel in Tiberias on Galilee, where we ventured out for a night stroll in the market. Even at the late hour it was still hot and we were exhausted, and the whole day was a blur…