Journey into Egypt
Have just returned from a nine day trip into Egypt with CMS. We were out there filming a documentary about Christian and Muslim relations within an Islamic state. Will blog about the experience of interviewing several key Muslim thinkers later as I need to relfect a bit more on what they said.
The highlight of the trip was a trip to Mt Sinai. Clambering out of bed at 2am in the morning in order to get to the top in time to film sunset was a rather tiring affair. But the journey to the top was one that I found very moving. I felt a real sense of journeying when I was climbing in the dark. It was amazing to walk in the same footsteps as Moses (I know that this may not be the actual Mt Sinai, but to me this was not the issue, rather it was one of journeying in the same or similar place), and it gave me a real sense of continuity in my own faith. Watching the sun rise on the top (which is pictured) was also spectacular, 2500-3000 years ago the Israelites would have seen that same sunrise, they would have sat under the same sky, and seen the same stars under Mt Sinai. Growing up in evangelicalism with its rejection of historical tradition had left a real hole in faith, I think this hole was partially filled in this journey up this mountain.
We also took communion on the top, which was also very moving, breaking bread and sharing in Jesus’ journey in a place where many. The style of communion was very much Greek Orthodox, which was fitting as in the valley below us was St Katherines, a Greek Orthodox monastery which has been around since the 4th century, and also houses the second largest collection of biblical manuscripts in the world.
Suffice to say that if you are ever in Egypt it is well worth visiting Sinai, for me it was a profoundly moving experience.
