The Sea of Galilee...
It's not just a pretty name in a Good Book, it's a real place. A beautiful freshwater lake in northern Israel, abundant with fish and wildlife, surrounded by hills and scenic vistas. It's the 2nd lowest lake in the world in altitude, 2nd only to the Dead Sea.
The Sea of Galilee is where Jesus Christ spent much of his ministry. He recruited four of his Disciples on the shoreline (Peter, Andrew, James, and John). His first documented sermon was on the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking this sea. This beautiful Sea is where Jesus walked on water and where he calmed the storm.
This is also where he told his Disciples to cast their nets just one more time, even though they spent an entire night fishing, catching nothing. They did what he told them, either out of faith or out of skeptical curiosity, and they found themselves with so much fish that they nearly sank their boat pulling it in.
Speaking of fish, this is also where he fed 5,000 people who had gathered to hear him speak. He only had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and yet everyone ate all they wanted. (This is the only miracle that is told in ALL FOUR of the Gospels, btw.)
Yes, the Sea of Galilee... we've read about it so many times that it almost seems like a dream, like a mythical body of water we only hear about in legends.
But it's real.
It's gorgeous.
And we're going to see it with our very own eyes, touch it with our own hands, and sail on it to watch the sun set.