On pyramids October 2003

Police Camel 

Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World the great Pyramids of Giza are possibly the most visited monuments of Egypt… The pyramids of Sheops and Chephren have stood for 46 centuries … before them lies the Sphinx .. mystery surrounds the meaning of this feline character.

lonely planet guide

‘It was not an obsession with death, or a fear of it, on the part of the ancient Egyptians that led to the construction of these incredible mausoleums , it was their belief in the eternal life and their desire to be at one with the cosmos.’

lonely planet guide

I finally made it to the Pyramids, on this my 3rd trip to Egypt. I was travelling with Leslie, a CMS colleague (Interchange advisor). We were on our way to youth conference in Pakistan via Egypt and were given an afternoon off from the ISAACS programme to explore Egypt’s heritage.

On close examination I managed to work out that pyramids have four sides, not three!  This helped me expand my definition of mission. I had often described it as a triangle, but now there were further possibilities !

They are after all full of religious meaning, so lend themselves to spiritual analogies.


At the Pakistani Youth Peace Conference in Karachi I was able to share these new insights into the work of CMS as “A movement of people in mission”.

Mission is like a pyramid with different sides: 

The 3 bits I have often emphasised in the past are: 

Proclamation, kerygma, speaking the Word of God 

Praxis, diakonia doing the Works of God 

Presence koinonia being a Witness as the People of God 

 And I suppose I have tried to live out the middle of these three through my own involvement in social development.  But I recognise how important being an authentic witness is through simply being who we are and also the necessity of being willing to answer peoples questions, which involves speaking  about what we believe in.  

But there is a hidden dimension to this pyramid -  which represent dealing with issues of Power and (Spiritual) Warfare, fighting evil structures, not people.

And I would put Praise & Worship of God is at the heart of the pyramid, at the centre of it all. 

And I suppose you could say that the the pinnacle of the Pyramid, the outworking, is the Way of Peace and Discipleship, the lifestyle of the follower of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

from your own correspondent 

Cairo October  2003