Praying
"You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 10:19, NRSV).
I was walking by the television this morning while the morning news was on, when a familiar sight caught my eye. It was Egypt, Tahrir Square in Cairo, a place we had been this past summer. It's also the place where the so-called "Arab Spring" erupted nearly two years ago, and even when we were there this summer, there were still tents set up, still lots of people inhabiting the square. But not as many as there were this morning.
Once again, Egypt (and Cairo in particular) is in an uproar. Once again, people are calling for, demanding a change. The president they elected (though one can question and dispute the true democratic nature of the election itself) is not doing a good enough job (after less than a year on the job, by the way), and they want him out. So they riot. They break curfew. They burn things (with the Egyptian Museum close by containing all of their ancient artifacts). And people are harmed and killed as a result.
It broke my heart to see that happening again, so soon after the last time. In our "western" way of thinking, it's hard to understand the riots that break out and grow to such large numbers so quickly. We call for change through legislation and the courts. They bypass such procedures and take to the streets. But what breaks my heart, more than that, is remembering the folks we met there and wondering if they are all right.
And, on an even deeper level than that, I wonder about our Christian brothers and sisters there in that land where Christianity has been since the first century and was the majority faith until the 6th or 7th centuries. Coptic Christians (as they are called) trace their roots back to St. Mark, author of the Gospel, who (according to tradition) brought Christianity to this land. Today, however, Christians are in the minority, comprising only about 10% of the population. And they are a persecuted minority. There is often not a lot of opportunity for Christians and they are often prevented from taking care of their churches. Many expected that under the current president, they would leave Egypt in droves. But those who remain—what happens to them now?
Egypt is sacred space, even for Christians. Moses led the Hebrew people out of slavery from Egypt, and near his death, he told them to never forget that story. Never forget that they had been strangers in Egypt, and out of that remembrance, he called them to take care of the strangers in their midst. Jesus, too, was a stranger in Egypt, having been taken there when Herod threatened his life. He might have spent as much as two years in Egypt (and there are several sites claiming to be places where the Holy Family stopped to rest or live for a time). Egypt is sacred space, and today it is turbulent space.
With all of this swirling in my heart and mind today, I'm praying again for Egypt. I'm remembering H and Mohammed (our guides while we were there). I'm praying for calmer nerves, for reason to prevail, and for the Gospel to once again have an opportunity to be preached in that land. I invite you to join me as we pray for the people of Egypt.
I was walking by the television this morning while the morning news was on, when a familiar sight caught my eye. It was Egypt, Tahrir Square in Cairo, a place we had been this past summer. It's also the place where the so-called "Arab Spring" erupted nearly two years ago, and even when we were there this summer, there were still tents set up, still lots of people inhabiting the square. But not as many as there were this morning.
Once again, Egypt (and Cairo in particular) is in an uproar. Once again, people are calling for, demanding a change. The president they elected (though one can question and dispute the true democratic nature of the election itself) is not doing a good enough job (after less than a year on the job, by the way), and they want him out. So they riot. They break curfew. They burn things (with the Egyptian Museum close by containing all of their ancient artifacts). And people are harmed and killed as a result.
It broke my heart to see that happening again, so soon after the last time. In our "western" way of thinking, it's hard to understand the riots that break out and grow to such large numbers so quickly. We call for change through legislation and the courts. They bypass such procedures and take to the streets. But what breaks my heart, more than that, is remembering the folks we met there and wondering if they are all right.
And, on an even deeper level than that, I wonder about our Christian brothers and sisters there in that land where Christianity has been since the first century and was the majority faith until the 6th or 7th centuries. Coptic Christians (as they are called) trace their roots back to St. Mark, author of the Gospel, who (according to tradition) brought Christianity to this land. Today, however, Christians are in the minority, comprising only about 10% of the population. And they are a persecuted minority. There is often not a lot of opportunity for Christians and they are often prevented from taking care of their churches. Many expected that under the current president, they would leave Egypt in droves. But those who remain—what happens to them now?
Egypt is sacred space, even for Christians. Moses led the Hebrew people out of slavery from Egypt, and near his death, he told them to never forget that story. Never forget that they had been strangers in Egypt, and out of that remembrance, he called them to take care of the strangers in their midst. Jesus, too, was a stranger in Egypt, having been taken there when Herod threatened his life. He might have spent as much as two years in Egypt (and there are several sites claiming to be places where the Holy Family stopped to rest or live for a time). Egypt is sacred space, and today it is turbulent space.
With all of this swirling in my heart and mind today, I'm praying again for Egypt. I'm remembering H and Mohammed (our guides while we were there). I'm praying for calmer nerves, for reason to prevail, and for the Gospel to once again have an opportunity to be preached in that land. I invite you to join me as we pray for the people of Egypt.
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