8th Day: Around and on The Sea of Gaililee

We were allowed the luxury of a lie-in this morning, as we did not have to leave until 8.30! Our first stop was at the site of the feeding of the five thousand. We had a look inside the church at some very old mosaics, then shared in Holy Communion by the lakeside. I (Ann) presided, using a liturgy which I had specially written for the occasion. Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

Our next stop was Mensa Christi, where we saw the lovely statue depicting Peter’s reinstatement, took a look in the church, and had the chance to dip our hands in the sea. We heard the reading telling that story from John’s Gospel, and sang ‘Spirit of the living God.’

We then went on to Capernaum, site of much of Jesus’ ministry. In the synagogue, we heard a reading telling about that ministry, but did not sing as another group was sharing in bible readings. The lakeside area there is very peaceful, and it was lovely to have the chance of a few quiet moments.

Lunch was at the convent of the Beatitudes, where we all enjoyed St Peter’s fish and some more delicious fresh dates. Before the meal, we heard the Beatitudes read from Matthew’s Gospel, and sang ‘Blest are the pure in heart.’ Afterwards, we had a brief look at the gardens, and inside the church.

Our next trip was down to the lake side, where we had the chance to do a little shopping and have some coffee. Then a highlight of the holiday: a trip out on the lake in a boat, similar in construction and size to the ones that would have been used for fishing. At first, we thought that we might be sharing a boat, but we had one to ourselves which was lovely. We heard the story of Jesus teaching from the boat and calling the fishermen, and sang ‘Dear Lord and Father of mankind.’

On docking, some of our party elected to walk back, whilst others took the bus. A very brave group swam in the sea – none of them by the name of Bossingham! An early start in the morning means packing tonight – but what a wonderful stay we have had!

In the evening we had an interesting question and answer session with our guide, David.