Today we left Jerusalem to travel through the Judean Desert to Masada. We saw Bedouin herding sheep and goats as we travelled through the desert. Their lifestyle, which dates back to the Patriarchs, is danger of dying out as they become assimilated into the money economy. We passed Jericho, Qumran and Ein Gedi on our way to Masada. After making our way by cable car to the height of Masada we heard the stories of Herod's palace and the siege and martyrdom of the Maccabean rebels against Rome.
We shared our cable car up with a Christian group who sang all the way to the top of Masada. As it was Sunday, we held a Eucharist at one of the covered areas on the site. Rev Simon Hill led our service and I spoke about the incarnation as this linked to our visit the previous day to Bethlehem.
We then relaxed with lunch at the Hod haMidbar Hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea followed by a swim in the Dead Sea itself. Then it was back on the coach for the drive through the West Bank up the Jordan Valley to Nazareth. Along the way we passed the likely site of Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan, close by what is now the Allenby Bridge, and the Deir Hijla Monastry, one of what were once many locations used by desert hermits.
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Taize - Bless The Lord.
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