Today was the day or our departure (“Day 1”) on the Greek Island Travel Devotional Tour.
Our flight and God’s design
We flew Lufthansa Airlines. They are, of course, a German airline, and not to paint with too broad a brush, but the Germans know how to run things efficiently. Now, I recognize the danger in stereotyping as a general rule, but it is sometimes useful.
Stereotyping recognizes the pattern of form and freedom God has imbedded into His creation. The Venetians, as we shall see, have one of the most unique histories of any European city, and it’s affected how Venetians think and live, even today. They are different in many ways from the Greeks in Athens, the Croats in Split, and even the Germans of Lufthansa Airlines. But for all their differences there is form/unity in that they are all created in the image of God.
Now, for all the diversity of God’s creation, they carry divers viruses and diseases, which is why I carry a reliable N95 mask on most lengthy flights. Some have called me a germaphobe, but what they don’t often call me is sick. So, notwithstanding the disapproving glances of The Wife, I let the N95 do its job protecting me from the re-breathed, second-hand air that fills a the cabin of a plane after a nine-hour overseas flight.
There were no surprises on the initial leg of our flight, which is what one generally hopes for in air transportation. However, I should mention that when our German flight attendant gave instructions to the passengers in German, we thought we recognized the word, “Auschwitz.” I couldn’t figure out how this could possible figure into a conversation between a flight attendant and passengers unless the plane was being diverted to Poland.
Thankfully, we didn’t land in Poland–no offense to the Polish–and instead landed safely in Frankfurt, Germany at gate Z56. We quickly learned our connecting flight to Venice was at gate A1. Normally, “A1” is a good designation, whether its for a steak sauce or a credit rating, but when you are standing in gate Z56 in one of the busiest airports in the world and you have to walk to gate A1, it’s not so coveted. Fortunately, we had ample time for our connection, and after spending some time in the Lufthansa Lounge, we caught our flight to Venice, which was mostly a blur because I was mostly asleep.
Getting to Venice from “Venice”
Venice is an island–actually a series of Islands–in a lagoon, and the Venice Marco Polo Airport is not in Venice but on the mainland. So, to get to Venice from the airport we took a water taxi. Our water taxi driver (or is he a “captain”?) told us he couldn’t take us directly to our hotel because it was not located on one of the canals, but he said it was “only a 5-minute walk.” I place his statement in quotation marks because it was a direct quote. Maybe he didn’t notice our four pieces of luggage?
After he dropped us off, we carried the luggage up and down the steps of two bridges, over a canal, and through a labyrinth of turns through narrow alleys. Even with Google Maps it was 20 minutes until we arrived sweaty and exhausted at our hotel. Marco Polo would have been proud. Still I couldn’t imagine George Clooney or Brad Pitt doing this in Venice. They must have people. I don’t have people. At least not those kind of people.
A life lesson from Venice’s founding
At least the hard part was over. And with all the walking, waiting in lines, connecting, and dragging luggage around, we arrived in Venice at considerably less cost and trouble than its first settlers. They came from mainland Italy in the 5th century A.D. to escape first the Goths and then Attila, whose Huns had invaded Northern Italy.
When the settlers arrived they founded a church–San Giacomo di Rialto–on a small island (Rialto), that would become the commercial heart of Venice. San Giacomo di Rialto was consecrated on March 25, 421 A.D., a date that has become synonymous with the birth of Venice. The church is still there and is one of the sights we plan to see.
I think about the Christians who had to flee the invading Huns for these islands in the lagoon. Just a century before, Constantine had converted to Christianity, and the Roman Empire followed thereafter. Now Christians were having to flee their homes in their Christian country because a horde of invading pagans.
I’m guessing most Christians thought what was happening was terrible and inexplicable, possibly even the end of the world. It was terrible in the moment, but their trouble led to the founding of what has become undisputedly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Where people once fled out of necessity they now flee to for its beauty.
So much of what happens in our lives we complain about because we don’t understand the end of it. The Lord, however, sees the end from the beginning, and He asks us to trust Him. It reminds me of Jesus’ words to His disciples the night before He was crucified:
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.”
John 13:7.
In walking with Jesus, some things we understand only in retrospect, and sometimes never in our lifetime. What we can understand though is that we are part of a kingdom that will outlast all of us, and which is ruled by a King who does understand all things. That should be enough for us.
More tomorrow. GS
