Bethlehem Embattled

Separation Wall at Bethany

As we approach the Christmas season, a moment to reflect on the modern-day sadness of Bethlehem which is surrounded by this very forbidding wall, with the coming and going of Palestinians to the rest of Israel rigorously controlled at military checkpoints. These two pictures show the wall at Bethany where its starkness and the hostility it breeds are shown vividly.

Bethlehem Embattled

Bethlehem,

You gave birth to earth’s true hope;

Yet now you are enclosed

By hostile wall and strangling gates,

And quotas, fierce imposed.

May Angel hosts, not barred by walls,

Proclaim their song anew,

‘Let love and concord flood the earth,

through the peace of our Lord, a Palestine Jew'.

Other poems with a similar theme can be found at Path to Jerusalem and Reflection On The Golan heights

HOLYLAND PILGRIMAGE: Path to Jerusalem

As can be seen from the various postings from our pilgrimage stops between 15th May and 26th May, we went from Jerusalem to Galilee - but many groups do it the other way round which resonates more with the pattern of Jesus' ministry. Either way, the journey between the two does not take long these days and it was with a start that I recognised why the roads are so good and reflect that in the following poem:

Path to Jerusalem 2013

Let us go up from Cana to Salem,

three hours will see us there.

Not the ten days ‘twould take an itinerant healer

stopping at night at … well, who knows where?

But a gentle rumble on first-class roads

that convey us pilgrims at ease:

they can’t have been built for the tourists’ convenience.

No!

They’re war-footing structures

that carve through the hills

of the land of the Prince of Peace.

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You can find another HolyLand reflection in verse at Reflection from the Golan Heights

HOLYLAND PILGRIMAGE: Reflection from the Golan Heights

Photo: Looking across to Mt Hermon amidst military 'left overs' on the Golan Heights 

(On Mount Bental)

Transfiguration.

Mystery and Militancy; Wonder and Warfare

We gathered to commemorate

the mystery on distant Hermon (capped in snow);

when Jesus met with Lawgiver and Prophet

of three strong faiths, with mingled scripture-flows.

Too much for Peter, yearning to domesticate

that wondrous moment, earth and heaven meet

when God the Father makes Christ’s Sonship manifest

as Moses and Elijah, their Messiah greet.

We share our prayers and Gospel, there to celebrate

our love for that transfigured man;

whilst all around us, twisted metal, desolate,

post internecine struggle for this land.

There is more detail of this occasion at the post for Day 7 of our recent Holy Land Pilgrimage

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HOLYLAND PILGRIMAGE: Day 9 Leaving Galilee, Carmel and Elijah, Joppa

We leave Tiberias climbing sharply and getting views of Galilee alternately on each side of the coach. The now familiar prayer for the area and for the day occupying much of our ascent. Everyone is pleased that Ali is again driving us.

We soon descend into the Plain of Jezreel known as the bread-basket of the region. We pass a turn for the Bedouin Soldier Memorial, a reminder that Bedouins will fight with Israeli forces. The Carmel Hills are soon visible and Ali points out the hilltop monastery we are headed for. But before that, a drive through Haifa which slowly, slowly, winds through Downtown where much reconstruction is taking place. Then a turn uphill takes us to a hilltop viewpoint that overlooks the second most sacred Bahai shrine, gold domed and surrounded by beautifully laid out gardens.

Property, much of it new, seems to be creeping its way up Mount Carmel but eventually gives way to something like heathland as we approach the Muhraqa Carmelite Monastery that is located onthe site of Elijah's victory over the prophets of Baal. We hear the story as we approach and pray to resist the idols in our own lives. Stunning views from the balcony of the Monastery but there are loud unidentifiable explosions in the distance which remind us once again of the fragility of peace in the Holy Land today (might have been quarrying or military exercises but impossible to know: however none of our guides seemed alarmed and they have been consistently careful for our safety.) 

On the way down our attention is drawn to Druze communities before we mingle with the traffic of Tel Aviv with its modern and fast-developing seafront with Jaffa (Joppa) at its far end. Joppa was historically the port of the area out of which has grown the more important and more secular town of Tel Aviv. (Jerusalem prays and Tel Aviv plays). But we are bound for Joppa from where Peter was called to Caesarea and our last lunch together as we then head to the airport.

This 9 day pilgrimage account has perhaps Been more of a travelogue -but even achieving that has been demanding when working with the difficulty of right compensation of every note. Over the next few days/ weeks, I will endeavour to amplify these notes with the Bible readings we have listened to at each stop: all the readings were supported by appropriate and frequently poignant prayers. With guides well attuned to the political situation in Israel, I guess it can hardly be otherwise.

Many thanks to McCabe Pilgrimages, The Revd Mauren Allchin, our principal guide and Bishop Stephen of Ely for a thoroughly memorable twelve days in all and to also Saeed, our remarkably well-informed and Biblically literate Palestinian Christian co-leader. There was a final marvel of this trip. The evening of a bank holiday Sunday is a remarkable time to fly into Heathrow; it was amost completely deserted. Ben, our fellow-pilgrim who has a Nigerian passport and therefore expected that we would have to wait for him before the bus could leave, amost literally strolled through passport control, as did the rest of us. Indeed, no queue at all, straight to the passport officer's booth and through. Amazing!

Hopefully, some further poetry will flow out from this time in the Land of Our Lord as the memories arise when looking at photos, of which those on this blog are but a tiny fraction.

You may also like to read A Further Day in Tiberias
A poetic postscript At Galilee
Day 7 including reflection on Transfiguration and the Golan Heights
OR
Return to main Pilgrimage Index for further reflections and index of poems arising from the pilgrimage

HOLYLAND PILGRIMAGE – A further day in Tiberias

Taking a walk along the Promenade below the town (Tiberias) and found an information board telling that the promenade had been constructed after a major wave from the Lake in 1935 destroyed a considerable part of the old town with, I think,12 lives lost. With the lake as tranquil as it has been since we have been here, that barely seems credible, but adds a sense of the fearfulness within the story of the storm on the Lake.

An amazing interlude at lunch time as we explore Scots Hotel which had been recommended to us by the very pleasant German Jew we had met on our first outing into town ( he offered to take our photo and we then got chatting until his wife phoned to ask him where he was!). We had a more than adequate lunch at a cost only marginally above what we had paid in the street cafe yesterday but Pam spotted that the cost of using the Internet was $18 for 24 hours. That would have proved a very expensive few days as between us we’ve been facebooking and blogging several times a day!

The very pleasant bartender from Knutsford in Cheshire UK told us that the restaurant staff around the town typically earn only £4 per day; so, unsurprisingly in a region where nothing is cheap, they need two jobs to survive. He was thankful to have a job which allowed him not to have to do this. Whether this has anything to do with the Church of Scotland's ownership, one would have no idea - but hope that it might.

Back at our own hotel (Ron Beach), Pam thoroughly enjoyed another opportunity to swim in Galilee while I and other less adventurous pilgrims merely splashed around in the hotel pool which is a mere 5 metres away from the sea wall of.Galilee.

Later, we gather for our final Communion as a group; a  poignant reminder of the real purpose of being in Israel – to become just a little more familiar with the places in which Jesus carried out his world-changing ministry. If it were not for this ministry, we, as a group, would have had no common ground that would draw us together as a family fellowship. Dear Lord and Father of Mankind was sung once again. I suspect none of us will be able to sing it in future without a memory of this moment or one of the others we experienced around the Lake’s shores. Tomorrow we travel home, hopefully changed by this rich experience which is only possible because of the remarkable travel facilities available to so many of us, these days and for which, at this moment it is appropriate to give thanks.
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HOLYLAND PILGRIMAGE Postscript 2 - A poem - Beside Galilee

(I apologise for the odd placing of punctuation marks in this short poem. It was written whilst in Israel and the right alignment produced these odd effects which I have not been able to correct so far. I will continue to cry - but please read on with this oddity in mind: thank you)
Beside Galilee.
In silence, we sat by Galilee

Hazy moon

And stars obscured by warm clouds

Preventing us from seeing

Beyond earth's hilly horizon

Across the lake

Strange to think that

Two millennia since

The maker of everything 

Beneath and beyond those diaphanous clouds

Sailed upon these warm waters

With his friends

And in a storm

 Inconceivable at this moment of calm

prepared them 

For the most momentous challenge

Twelve individuals were ever asked to take

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HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE - Post Script 1

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE - Post Script 1

One of the beauties of this trip is that the organiser had planned an optional stay in Tiberias for four days when the pilgrimage had ended. Thus we are enjoying time to unwind and process something of our experiences. Swimming in Galilee directly from the hotel has added to the pleasure for some. The less bold, like me, have remained in the hotel pool and enjoyed the sun on our bodies in a way our friends and relations in the UK are certainly not. We would certainly recommend anyone planning a Holy Land trip to see if this option is available and if so, to take advantage of it if at all possible

This morning, Sue, from Bassingbourne had organised the possibility of taking a couple of  small boats out for an hour. Although these had small outboards noise was not intrusive and it was possible to imagine what a peaceful setting this must have been in the time of Jesus. Although a lot of the foreshore is inevitably built up at Tiberias, the hills soar above it and there is a timelessness to it even though the peace  is from time to time shattered by a motorboat. Or jet-ski. The lake has a lot of small fishes by the shore and the occasional loud splash while we were out  evidenced considerably  bigger fish.

The hour was followed by iced coffee when my attempts to explain what a Grade 1 Listed Building is to a young waitress caused immense hilarity. (It is an ancient building in the UK which may not be altered either inside or out without approval of English Heritage and other conservationist organisations)

(Not sure where those or these brackets will end up. Right compensation applied by Blogger to text here is creating some problems so I am trying hard to resist the use of exclamation marks)

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HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE- Day 8: Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaeum, Lakeside Communion, Boat across the Lake

Wednesday - Day 8: Mount of the Beatitudes,  Capernaeum, Communion beside Galilee,  Boat across the Lake

A glorious start to the day with stunning views across Galilee as we head for the North-western shore, known as The Believers' Seashore with Chorazin, Magdala and Capernaeum all nestled on the shore though we will only visit the last of these. But we are first headed to The Mount of the Beatitudes -a very beautiful site overlooking the Lake. The church has been deliberately designed to encourage visitors to spend time in the gardens - recognising the importance of the outdoors in Jesus' ministry

     

There is something in this experience which prompts me to pose a question to Bishop Stephen and Maureen: whether they think that regular pilgrimages for Readers/ LLMs and their spouses, led by a series of Bishops, might be beneficial. Both warm to the idea immediately on the basis that it is bound to have a beneficial effect on some after-pilgrimage preaching/teaching and would also be a considerable affirmation of Reader/LLM ministry. It felt as if an inspiration in that beautiful place might be leading to something creative. I am minded to think of the idea being linked with my Prayer for Creativity which will be found in the A-Z index in the right hand column.

In Magdala, currently being excavated and therefore not accessible to us, are two new initiatives;a Visitors' Centre and inspirationally, a multi-faith Women's Centre.

It is this area of the Believers'Shore that Jesus chose to be the principal base for his ministry. We go to see the excavations at Capernaeum, a place of much activity for Jesus. Here he healed the centurion's slave, Peter's mother-in-Law and the disabled man let in through the roof to gain access to Him. Peter  also chose to live with his Mother-in-Law at Caepernaeum, perhaps rather than pay taxes to fish and sell his fish that he would have to pay if he had remained in his home in Bethsaida. We celebrate the gift of in-Laws in prayer. We sat gratefully in the shade in the Synagogue that dates from Byzantine times, possibly as an early day visitor centre. The site is entirely open to the elements now but the Galeria for women and children is evidenced by a high course of differential stone to the rest of the walling .

A house footing in Capernaum with interlocked rooms, probably a family residence

 The ruins are impressive and would have borne more investigation but we must move on to the

 lakeside chapel of Mensa Christi where the rock on which Jesus is said to have prepared breakfast for his disciples after the Resurrection stands at the front of the sanctuary. Outside a peaceful small cove where the shoreline is several feet higher than usual after the heavy but welcome winter rains.

After the most frenetic lunch of the whole pilgrimage, we go to Taghba,  another of the lakeside communities where we make our way to an exquisitely quiet lakeside area with its own little lagoon for our last day Celebration of Communion. A large rock forms the altar piece. We are joined by cormorant, kingfishers and herons as Maureen celebrates for us as we all look out directly on to the Lake. The Peace is a joyous exchange tinged with a little sadness that some are leaving us tomorrow. we are, during the celebration to be silent and enjoy the peacefulness of the place. at that moment, there was, for me a realisation that Jesus would have been accompanied by birds and perhaps other creatures whenever he sought quietness in the hills.

Then a brief visit to the church in whose grounds we have been celebrating before heading off for a boat ride on Galilee itself. After the quiet and the peace, which also is part of the boat experience, everyone is ready for a little relaxing fun - but not before the captain (I think) of the boat gave an excellent demonstration of net casting in the manner that would have been exercised in Jesus' time. Then the fun - culminating in singing and dancing to Hava Ngila.

Not much time left for those who have come only for the pilgrimage, but most of us have the pleasure of a further four days in this extraordinary place. Who knows what further blessings are to come.
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HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE - Day 7: Golan Heights, Mount Hermon, Caesarea Philippi and a celebration of creation

  Tuesday  Day 6 - 21/5- with apologies for the somewhat curious punctuation left behind from writing this while in Israel and which so far I haven't been able to alter

We set out from Galilee, 213 metres below sea level and head for the Golan Heights. First we see that Galilee is very full which is evidenced by trees on the shore being submerged up to their foliage - and from a distance they look to be sizeable trees. Saeed regards this as good news as Galilee is effectively the major reservoir for much of the country. We are climbing for a long time and notice that although uncultivated land is green scrubland, there is a considerable amount of horticulture for a long way up into the hills. The distant views are spectacular in all directions and every now and then we are accompanied by flocks of 20/30 egrets or small herons, none of them affected by the border issues that we will note as the day wears on.

Our destination is Mount Bental, well to the North of the country in the Golan Heights where we look in one direction to the Syrian border and in another across to Mount Hermon. Here, amidst a collection of sculptures fabricated from weapons that a have been destroyed, we reflect on the  Transfiguration, The Bishop speaks of Peter's need to domesticate the moment of glory in the presence of the principal characters of salvation history by building booths! The booths on 'our' viewpoint were to mark a war and the bullet holes, twisted metal and silhouettes of armed men take one again to the likelihood of Jesus continuing to weep over his land.

It 's a downhill run to Caesarea Phillipi and we are reminded by troops and military personnel on some sort of exercise that we are in a country that is still on a war footing (Later in the day we hear that Syria claims to have destroyed a military vehicle that strayed across the border near where we were but Israel tells a far more anodyne story of a car being fired on with no-one hurt). On arrival at Caesarea Philippi, I get embroiled in a conversation with some Israeli youths about football as soon as they heard we were from England. I managed to shift the conversation to where each if us came from: they would have liked us to come from Manchester, Liverpool, Tottenham or Chelsea but Cambridge was a mystery to them. They could not believe I didn't know the names of any footballers at all, at which point I was of no further interest to them.

Our purpose in Caesarea Philipi was two-fold. First we reflected on Peter's great recognition of who Jesus truly was and then renewed our Baptismal vows, being signed and Anointed with water from a tributary of the Jordan which flowed out from the rock face in several different places to merge into a delightful foliage-flanked river running beside a host of columns and artefacts from the ancient township where Pan was worshipped a long time before the encounter between Peter and Jesus. The modern name of Banias reflects the Palestinian difficulty in pronouncing a 'P'

As we make our way to lunch in a hotel Which has grown out of an early Kibbutz, our attentIon is drawn to an isolated village in the hills which has the unenviable situation of lying on the spot where Israel, Lebanon and Syria meet - and no-one will take responsibility for providing it with any services. In a very poignant way it is a reminder of just how unimportant individuals become when States are at enmity.

Also in the distant hills is the remnant of the Nimrud Crusader Castle. The history was lengthy but in essence boiled down to abandonment because the fortification was too far from supply lines.

Last visit of the day was to the Huleh Nature Reserve. First we had a 3D film showing the importance of this reclaimed wetland to a deal of wildlife but especially to birds migrating both south and north in spring and autumn. The seats in the theatre moved, throbbed, blew mist and air and even sprayed water to add to the 3D effect. The emulation of a rat running up the leg was unnerving. We then walked the swamp walk seeing swamp turtles, large catfish and an aquatic creature that might have been an otter or a beaver but turned out to be a coypu, as far as I could ascertain from the warden. Introduced for their fur (a project unlikely to succeed in a very hot country) they had become a nuisance by damaging watercourses and eating important plant roots. 

There were enough birds to interest the ornithologists among us but obviously nothing like the migration populations which must be wonderful to witness. The idea of putting this visit into the

itinerary was to celebrate the wonders of creation.

 ,You will find a short poem 

about our experience on Mount Bental in the Golan Heights at Transfiguration 

 Military  'leftovers' turned to sculptures

Renewing Baptism vows at Caeseraea Philippi

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HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE - DAY 6: Jerusalem, Emmaus and Nazareth

Monday 20/5 Day 6

Having not been able to get near the Sepulchre when we visited on Thursday, we went accompanied by Jerome Francis, a priest from Cape Town through the old town at a quarter to five and waited with a German couple to be let into the shrine.

 Orthodox Mass was in course, which at least this morning incorporated three women whom I took to symbolise the women's early morning discovery of the empty tomb. The Orthodox were rapidly replaced by the Franciscans so there was no possibility of getting into the Sepulchre - but we had been able to have a close look at the stone on which Jesus is said to have been laid when he was cut down from the cross, the wall picture above it and the last two stations of the cross

After an early breakfast with the added complexity of having luggage ready for hotel transfer we headed to one of three putative sites for Emmaus - at Abu Ghosh which derives its claim by being sixteen stadia from Jerusalem. It was the crusader view that this was the place and the site is cared for by Benedictines. Peter Meadows sung a beatiful Nunc Dimittis while we were in the church. it was followed by one of those almost tangible silences.  the abbey site is, without doubt, the most peaceful place we have visited and Pam and several others were overwhelmed by the familiar garden flowers in the borders. I was among a number who would willingly have stayed there longer

However, Abu Ghosh has another 'attraction' ! the Elvis cafe: from the sublime to the ultra tacky in one swoop. We left with Elvis singing How Great Thou art over the coach audio system - courtesy of my iPad. A manic concession to the average age of the party and A place that had amused Bishop Stephen on an earlier pilgrimage.

Caesarea Maritima was built by Herod in Ad 22 in honour of Caesar.  Pontius Pilate lived here when not in Jerusalem where he only tended to go on high risk occasions like the main Jewish festivals. The story of Cornelius and Peter is set here and Paul was sentenced to go to Rome from the City. An AV presentation showed the fluctuating fortunes of the City which was not only sacked at various times but also seriously damaged by earthquake. The Roman ruins are magnificent with a theatre and amphitheatre only part of a massive national park on the shore of the Mediterranean. The immense scale of the amphitheatre is such that it was possible to imagine that a closely contested chariot race might come thundering towards us at any moment. Saeed was more or less insistent that someone should sing to demonstrate the remarkable acoustics of the Theatre. Peter was favourite, after his rendition of the Nunc Dimittis, but reluctant to sing again. he was , however, willing to join me to sing 'Praise my Soul The King of Heaven'. As I said to him when we finished, one of the few occasions we would be applauded for singing a hymn

The Arena at Caesarea Maritima - we're in the best seats where you can witness the carnage as charioteers vie for and/or misjudge the turn

Foot drying after paddling in the Mediterranean by the magnificent double aquaduct at Caesarea Maritima

The journey to Caesarea and then on to Nazareth was a surprise in terms of the high standard of the roads. I don't know what I expected but the motorway standard for mile after mile after mile makes this sort of extensive pilgrimage possible. During the journey Saeed told us of a terrible forest fire that had raged on one of the hillsides some years back. this was in Israeli territory. help was summoned from all the surrounding countries and American and Russian resources in the area were called on too. The Palestinian authority was not ssked for assistance but gave it voluntarily to the surprise of many. the inter-racial divide is ever present and deeply divisive, so incidents such as this bring an unusual hope with them.

The smoothness of the rides enabled several of us to take a nap, freshening us a little to walk uphill at Nazareth to the 1950s built Basilica of the Annunciation.

Another huge church over a small cave. We entered at a level, clear of almost everything then went down to the cave which is fairly simply set with a small altar behind a metal grille. Far fewer  pilgrims than anywhere in or around Jerusalem. The upper church above the clear floor is decorated with icons gifted from all over the world. Those in the church, which included a rather inaccessible one from the Uk are much larger than a considerable number in the cloisters. I was particularly drawn to an American one which Pam described as 'Mary in Ali-foil'. I thought it illustrated the assumption of Mary but it proved to be based on 'The woman who wears The Sun' from Appoliptica' (which I assumed to be Revelation, though a Bible -browser search shows nothing under that description). The attraction for me was the background of this huge montage which was a large 'cosmic swirl'

.

Outside, another opportunity to admire the bronze doors and the incised lettering of the walls. Noticed an unremarked labyrinth with Mary at the centre.

The Basilica is a very prominent building and has, since its construction caused the local Muslim community to want to build a bigger, better Mosque that would overshadow it. These plans were defeated by a threat to close all the Christian pilgrim sites - which would be a crippling blow to the Israeli economy. So, There is no great mosque but several posters around which proclaim Mohammed's superiority over Jesus. Oh dear! Peace and concord between the three Abrahamic faiths would be so much more sense - and a mighty benefit in terms of world peace. Prayers for all those engaged in multi-faith initiatives.

Final visit to the Church of Joseph's house where we reflected on the importance of day- to- day family life.

Crypt not open so a brief pause for prayer for some if us before being whisked to Tiberias and the amazing shore-line Ron Beach hotel on Galilee. A brief dip in the pool before supper. Delightful.
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Holy Land Pilgrimage - Day 5 - PENTECOST IN JERUSALEM

Pentecost in Jerusalem. Where better to celebrate the birthday of the church?

And it was a true Pentecost experience. St George's Anglican Cathedral with a Communion dominantly in Arabic because Christians from all over the Diocese of Jerusalem had been invited to join the celebration. Thus they came in from all around Israel with many having had to get permits to come. Two Palestinian Christian communities had been prevented from being there as 'too many passes had been issued to Christians' recently'. These churches really do need our ongoing prayer support.

But those who were able to come, having had to start early to ensure checkpoint delays did not mean their missing the service, joined with pilgrimage groups from England (us and one from the Diocese of Norwich) and the Diocese of Tokyo. We also knew of Canadians and South Africans present and it was clear that many other countries were represented. As we were all invited to sing the hymns in our own language, there was a real sense of the Pentecost spirit which will stay with most of us for a long time to come.

The sermon, delivered first in Arabic and then in English by the Diocesan Bishop took the theme of the Continuing Pentecost - meaning the call to us Christians to work for justice, peace, truth and righteousness - a theme especially poignant in a church where some have our faith journeys along fairly easy paths in community terms, and others are engaged every moment of every day-in struggle and often in fear.

The readings had also been in both Arabic and English and the movement of the Gospel reading being in one language by the Gospeller who switched places with the Gospel bearer for the second-language reading, felt richly symbolic.

At The communion itself there were some 9 or 10 priests in the sanctuary from at least four nations. There was one delightful unscripted moment when two small altar attendants, one boy and one little girl, fully robed, wove their way through the communicant line and shortly afterwards ducked back into the chancel area. Thankfully, it felt that everyone was thoroughly accepting of this: it would be an awful shame if trouble followed.

We were graciously invited to join in lunch served outside for all the worshippers who chose to stay and that too was a thoroughly cosmopolitan affair.

We elected to rest for a while after lunch and let the day cool a little before we wandered for a while in the old city. Much to see, wonderful aromas and again a plethora of languages being spoken all around the city. Pentecost indeed! But also the stark contrasts; bullet holes (we assumed) in the massive doors of The Damascus Gate.

Several of our party's impressions of the morning were gathered into a rooftop Evening worship.

Come, Holy Spirit: come anew, come and make us people of the Continuing Pentecost. Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
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HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE - Day 4 : Qumran, Dead Sea, Masada and Jericho

HOLY LAND PILGRIMAGE -Day 4

Through the Judean Wilderness. Mile after mile of the stony barren wilderness with occasional sightings of camels, goats, sheep and Bedouin settlements. These latter are a vexation to the Israeli government as they are an uncontrollable element of society, knowing all the hidden ways of the barren hills. Bedouin tents have the appearance of a small shanty- town and it seems a marvel that they can access water in some very uncompromising terrain. Suddenly, all one's preconceptions about desert and wilderness need revision as mile after mile of stark hills with a minimum of vegetation sweep away into the far distance on either side of the coach. The man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho alone in the story might possibly have been regarded as a fool by Jesus's listeners! There is, unsurprisingly, a Good Samaritan Inn.

Food for thought too, prompted by Bishop Stephen that this hostile environment gave rise to the Desert movement in the early years of the church - for it is very easy to understand that this barren place, which would have been familiar to Jesus, offered a way to escape from the excesses of large community living and reflect on the spiritual needs of humanity, oneself and the temptations of the world, unfettered by the pressure of a City or town. Reminded too that this movement likely gave rise to the more robust form of Celtic spirituality; more evidence of the rapid growth of early Christianity.

This desert is also where the Dead Sea scrolls were found at Qumran - a place in the middle of 'Nowhere'. A fascinating visitor centre film introduced us to the Essene community that produced the scrolls and made the pots in which they were left for posterity. Ritual cleansing before scribing on the scrolls feels an unbelievable distance away from our casual turning to our computers, phones and tablets and fingering the keys to produce whatever material we will. And that community could scarcely have envisioned the world in which the scrolls were uncovered between 1947 and the mid fifties. These parchments of Old Testament writings were beautifully executed as can be seen from the facsimile on display. The story of their discovery and the subsequent machinations are far too long to tell here and felt to me to be the subject for a thriller novel (I'm sure there will be at least one in print). There are excellent articles available on the web which I will hope to look at when life returns to normal. It seems incredible that amongst these articles there is access to the full scrolls content - another contrast to reflect upon

At Qumran, we can see the Dead Sea and return to drive along its Western shore. Here, Maureen, our guide tells us of the catastrophic drop in the levels of the Sea - receding at a startling 1 metre a year. Maureen was in the region some years back and was able to point us to places which had been covered by the sea two and a half decades ago. The drop since the early part of the 20th century has been over 25 metres. International intervention is needed but it is not surprising to hear how political actions become diverted, perverted and lost, embedded as they are in a complex region of water scarcity.

One intriguing visit gives way to another as we visit Masada, the hilltop summer palace and later hill-fort of rebel Zealots, then overrun by the Romans. The story of the self sacrifice of the rebels was brought to life by a splendid rendition of The rebel leader's speech to his followers on the eve of the Roman's incursion, read to us by Alan Jesson in the Synagogue -which is just a small area of the vast hilltop complex (but large enough to house our group several times over).

 Whichever regime built and fortified this astonishing complex, I cannot, as so often, but wonder how many slaves died in the construction - unremarked, unremembered. It was almost certainly thousands or tens of thousands as they lifted huge rocks into place with the crudest of construction tools in relentless heat day after day after day. The cable car ride up was exhilarating - and like the Central Line at rush hour on the way down!

Pam, sadly, was too unwell to enjoy this particular sight but thankfully had recovered sufficiently to enjoy floating in the Dead Sea, an experience she had really looked forward to. One has to wonder if this will continue to be possible if the constant lowering of the water level concentrates the salt and other minerals more and more and more.

Penultimate  location of the day was Jericho at the north end of the Dead Sea and a haunt for Jesus and his followers. A sight across a valley to the Monastery of the Temptation hanging on the desert rock face above a now fertile valley. Reading of the Temptation narrative there made it easy to  imagine the two temptations of turning rocks into bread (there are just so many around) and being shown the kingdoms of the region from the top of a mountain. Seeing Temple Mount in Jerusalem earlier also made that temptation vivid. The bus made a short stop by a sycamore tree and we were invited to reflect on the story of Zaccheus.

Few people seemed to have much energy for a stop at a glassware, porcelain and fruit shop where the pressure applied contrasted sharply with the gentle sales techniques of the Nazareth Co-op which, I suspect did far better out if us collectively.

Although previous pilgrimages (at least in 2009)had not been able to visit Wadi Kilt to overlook the desert venue of St George of Choziba's monastery as the road had been closed by Israeli settlers, we were able to pass a blue/ white closure barrier to see the monastery nestled in a surprisingly fertile valley. Here I let myself be persuaded to buy a kufiyah (Bedouin head dress) From a small group of sellers amidst the rocks. Like any well instructed tourist, I went into bargaining mode and ended up paying 10 shekels less than the asking price ( which had first been in dollars - and I was not really believed when I said I had none). My vendor was not delighted and as I left he compared what that would mean to me compared to what it would mean to his family. Reflecting on this on the coach, I felt quite ashamed of my lack of generosity - and I also failed to purchase a bracelet from the little boy in the group which Pam had liked. Not a good experience. However, I do have an excellent prop for next Christmas' round of all age services - and I will be reminded then of my meanness again. No wonder the powerless nations go on being disadvantaged when I can't summon more generosity. Perhaps another moment that Jesus wept!

Ibex, camels, feral cats, sheep and goats dotted around the desert as we returned weary from another very full day - Oh yes, together with another spawning Israeli settlement started with a gathering if mobile homes. Fascinating to be reminded this nationalist movement as a direct response to the Holocaust, signalling a determination that that will never happen to the Israeli nation again at the cost of the Palestinians.

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