February 3, 2026
Pilgrim Post
Psalm 84:5 “Those who put their strength in you (God) are truly happy; pilgrimage is in their hearts.”
Greetings from the land of Egypt!
For the next couple of weeks I am going to share about our pilgrimage to Egypt. Yes, you read the right: our hope is that this trip is more than a tourist trip. It truly is a chance to engage our faith through engaging the spirituality of the sites we encounter, experiencing the fellowship of our group, and digging into relevant Biblical texts.
For me, this trip couldn’t have started in a better way. On our first day in Egypt, we visited my pastoral internship site at St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo. (Yes, it was a Friday: weekly worship at St. Andrew’s lines up with the weekly Muslim holy time on Friday mornings.) This felt like a homecoming for me. I got to see a place and greet a people that formed me early in my ministry career. It was a particular joy to be given the opportunity to preach for the worship service!
We were greeted by Reverend Bekah Davis, the ELCA missionary sent to pastor at St. Andrew’s and serve as a chaplain in St. Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS). She showed us around the grounds of St. Andrew’s and also told us about the work they do for refugees fleeing violence in their home countries. The Scriptures are full of refugees fleeing their homes to find safety, up to and including Jesus, whose own family fled to Egypt when he was threatened as a baby (Matt 2:13-23).
We heard many stories of refugees at StARS, stories that inspired us and stories that hurt to hear. The story that caught our hearts was a difficult reality: in the new mom’s group hosted by StARS, 10 of the new mom participants are only 10 years old. Babies caring for babies. We thank God for the ministry that happens in Egypt today which is supported by the ELCA, but that was a hard story to hear on this pilgrimage.
The poet of Ps. 84 promises that those who have pilgrimage in their hearts will be “happy.” But it’s a different kind of happiness than we typically think of. The happiness of pilgrimage is the realization of the vastness of who God is in the world and yet cares about little old me and my problems.
There is more I can say and will but for now ponder about your own pilgrimage that you are taking daily. You certainly do not need to travel all the way to Egypt in order to witness to the ways God is at work. Each day we are sent out on our own pilgrimages and trust that God is opening up our eyes to the expanse of God.
God’s peace,
Pastor Tim
P.S. Check out Prince of Peace social media for photos of our trip.
Psalm 84:5 “Those who put their strength in you (God) are truly happy; pilgrimage is in their hearts.”
Greetings from the land of Egypt!
For the next couple of weeks I am going to share about our pilgrimage to Egypt. Yes, you read the right: our hope is that this trip is more than a tourist trip. It truly is a chance to engage our faith through engaging the spirituality of the sites we encounter, experiencing the fellowship of our group, and digging into relevant Biblical texts.
For me, this trip couldn’t have started in a better way. On our first day in Egypt, we visited my pastoral internship site at St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo. (Yes, it was a Friday: weekly worship at St. Andrew’s lines up with the weekly Muslim holy time on Friday mornings.) This felt like a homecoming for me. I got to see a place and greet a people that formed me early in my ministry career. It was a particular joy to be given the opportunity to preach for the worship service!
We were greeted by Reverend Bekah Davis, the ELCA missionary sent to pastor at St. Andrew’s and serve as a chaplain in St. Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS). She showed us around the grounds of St. Andrew’s and also told us about the work they do for refugees fleeing violence in their home countries. The Scriptures are full of refugees fleeing their homes to find safety, up to and including Jesus, whose own family fled to Egypt when he was threatened as a baby (Matt 2:13-23).
We heard many stories of refugees at StARS, stories that inspired us and stories that hurt to hear. The story that caught our hearts was a difficult reality: in the new mom’s group hosted by StARS, 10 of the new mom participants are only 10 years old. Babies caring for babies. We thank God for the ministry that happens in Egypt today which is supported by the ELCA, but that was a hard story to hear on this pilgrimage.
The poet of Ps. 84 promises that those who have pilgrimage in their hearts will be “happy.” But it’s a different kind of happiness than we typically think of. The happiness of pilgrimage is the realization of the vastness of who God is in the world and yet cares about little old me and my problems.
There is more I can say and will but for now ponder about your own pilgrimage that you are taking daily. You certainly do not need to travel all the way to Egypt in order to witness to the ways God is at work. Each day we are sent out on our own pilgrimages and trust that God is opening up our eyes to the expanse of God.
God’s peace,
Pastor Tim
P.S. Check out Prince of Peace social media for photos of our trip.