Going on pilgrimage
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
In one of my seminars this semester - "Theology of the Alexandrian School" - I have been privileged to read some of the outstanding early thinkers of the Eastern Church: Clement, Origen, Athanasius, and Cyril. And tomorrow, that seminar culminates in a trip to Egypt, where my classmates and I will spend several days visiting ancient monasteries and churches in both the Coptic and Orthodox traditions.
Yep, I'll be spending Thanksgiving in Cairo. And while you are eating turkey, I'll be eating ... well, I don't know exactly what I'll be eating. But I bet it will be awesome.
My professor in this course is Dr. J. Warren Smith, and he has been encouraging us to think of the trip as a pilgramage rather than just a study tour. He is asking us to ground the experience in worship and prayer, and we'll be joining together each morning to sing, read Scripture, and hear the wisdom of the Desert Fathers. It is a pilgramage in the sense that it is a journey to visit sites that have been important parts of the Christian story since the very early period of the church's history. The physical aspect of the journey is mirrored by a spiritual aspect of journeying back to our common Christian roots.
So I want to take the pilgrammage aspect of this trip really seriously. This doctoral study I am engaged in now is tied up with my sense of calling and vocation. I believe God has called me back into academic study, so that I can help the church reclaim the richness of its tradition for our common practice of faith. This type of experience is just what I have been hoping to include as a part of my spiritual formation while I am in the Th.D. program. So I'm not just going on a fun trip. I'm going on a pilgramage.
I would appreciate your prayers for me and the others in the seminar - and the families we are leaving behind - while we are away. I will keep a journal while I am gone, and I hope to reflect on what I experience both in this blog and in my UM Reporter column. I am excited to see what is in store for us...
Yep, I'll be spending Thanksgiving in Cairo. And while you are eating turkey, I'll be eating ... well, I don't know exactly what I'll be eating. But I bet it will be awesome.
My professor in this course is Dr. J. Warren Smith, and he has been encouraging us to think of the trip as a pilgramage rather than just a study tour. He is asking us to ground the experience in worship and prayer, and we'll be joining together each morning to sing, read Scripture, and hear the wisdom of the Desert Fathers. It is a pilgramage in the sense that it is a journey to visit sites that have been important parts of the Christian story since the very early period of the church's history. The physical aspect of the journey is mirrored by a spiritual aspect of journeying back to our common Christian roots.
So I want to take the pilgrammage aspect of this trip really seriously. This doctoral study I am engaged in now is tied up with my sense of calling and vocation. I believe God has called me back into academic study, so that I can help the church reclaim the richness of its tradition for our common practice of faith. This type of experience is just what I have been hoping to include as a part of my spiritual formation while I am in the Th.D. program. So I'm not just going on a fun trip. I'm going on a pilgramage.
I would appreciate your prayers for me and the others in the seminar - and the families we are leaving behind - while we are away. I will keep a journal while I am gone, and I hope to reflect on what I experience both in this blog and in my UM Reporter column. I am excited to see what is in store for us...
Labels: Duke Divinity School, Egypt Journal
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 11:51 PM
6 Comments:
enjoy the pilgrimage, may you be richly blessed
that sounds exciting. i can't wait to hear about your experience. Happy and safe pilgrimage.
Have a save journey. Watch out for raining frogs, bloody rivers, parting seas and such.
Peace and traveling mercies on the journey!
Hope you remembered to pack you're Indiana Jones Hat. May God bless you, Andrew, and the entire entourage on this journey. Wow what an adventure!
Enjoy the pilgrimage! Dr. Smith was one of our favorite professors at Duke. Hope your Th.D. experience is going well. I'd love to talk about it if you get a chance.
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