I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing

Here is an early Sunday morning look at the Old City of Al-Quds (Jerusalem).  Having arrived for service at the Redeemer Lutheran Church with an hour to spare, my friend Luke and I set out on an exploratory photoshoot.  

I took these pictures within the Christian and Muslim quarters of the city--you can only imagine the sounds and smells that accompany these images, as well as the thoughts that pop up.  You will see delicious freshly baked goods for sale, small street shops opening, the empty courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a woman on her way to pray, hidden entrances and doorways to homes, beautiful graffiti, clothes hung on the line to dry, the Dome of the Rock, and Jewish homes within the Muslim quarter.  A whole lot of beauty amidst of a whole lot of pain, surrounded by a whole lot of faith.

Let us pray for the peace of Jerusalem.