Pilgrims not Planners
“the word of the Lord came to Abram…he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness”
May the Word of God be spoken, may the Word of God be heard, and may the Word of God by each one of us be obeyed. Amen
I don’t know if you have heard the story of a vicar who was on a journey and ran out of petrol. The filling station was only 100 yards away. He didn’t have an empty can, so he used the baby’s potty that was in his car to put the petrol in. As he was pouring it into the tank, one of his parishioners passed by.
‘Good heavens, Vicar,’ he said, ‘you’ve more faith than I have!’
We have reached that time of year for journeys. It is the holiday season. What kind of holiday person are you? Do you want to go somewhere familiar, or venture into the unknown? Do you like to have all the arrangements sorted out before you go, or take off and be spontaneous? I am not one for 2 weeks lying on a beach; I like to be travelling and exploring a country, getting a feel for the people, their history and culture.
Do you travel light…, or heavy, with spare clothes, some food, English tea perhaps, and something for every eventuality? As a student I went, as many students did, inter-railing around
As with holidays there are perhaps two ways of approaching the journey of life; one is either a planner or a pilgrim. The planner likes to have total control over his life and be able to plan each stage according to pre-set goals. Planners tend to take their cue from what society considers success, and spend much of their time trying to match the lifestyle and values of others. There are dangers; of being too reliant on ones own strength. There is the danger that planners can become over anxious and bitterly disappointed if they fail to achieve their self imposed objectives.
The pilgrim…on the other hand, is someone who accepts life as a gift that unfolds as it is lived. For however hard we may try, we can never have complete control over what happens. A pilgrim is not deterred by failures and disappointments but sees them as opportunities for growth and development. Unlike the planner, the pilgrim does not feel wholly comfortable with society’s values. The planner refuses to live by faith. The pilgrim, however, lives by faith and knows the full risk, yet affirms it. The pilgrim senses the full insecurity of the human situation yet rejoices and puts matters into God’s hands. In this way a pilgrim is opened up to the full grace of God’s protection. The pilgrim can celebrate the present moment and is enabled to live life to the full.
It has been suggested that religious people are often planners and heavy travellers; that they are more conservative… they like what they know, routine, tradition and order. After all, change is stressful, and we like as stress-free an existence as possible. Yet in our first reading we hear of Abraham, the founding Patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who was on a journey involving change and uncertainty. It was a journey of over a thousand miles from the city of
‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you’ (Genesis 12:1-2)
Abraham could not use a compass to guide him. They would not be invented for another 800 years and in
In our reading Abraham is telling God that he still has no heir and that a slave born in his house stands to inherit. But the word of the Lord came to him …’no one except your own issue shall be your heir’. And when shown that his descendents would be as numerous as the stars, Abraham trusted God and believed. He is the great Old Testament model of faith. Abraham is the quintessential pilgrim.
We are the spiritual descendents of Abraham. Can we prove ourselves to be true heirs of Abraham by imitating his faith? Life is full of uncertainty. Like Abraham, we as individuals and as a Christian community are journeying into the unknown. We don’t know what lies around the next bend on the road of life. Yet, in spite of failures we journey on –as pilgrims to the place where our hopes will be realised, and where our true life will begin.
In our gospel reading Jesus is on a journey. He is travelling to
In our pilgrimage through life I hope that we can be open to the word of God. In our prayers we can ask God to reveal himself to us. To reveal the direction he would like us to take. We can hear his word in many ways, in scripture, in quiet contemplation, in worship, in conversations that we have and books that we read.
We give thanks for the faith of Abraham and the Patriarchs and let us strive to let that faith be an inspiration to us. The uncertainty of life should not prevent us from enjoying life in the present. We don’t know if we will be able to fulfil all our plans. But we do have the opportunity to be faithful to our responsibilities and commitments on a daily basis, like the servant that Jesus spoke about. Then we can go forward into the unknown like Abraham did, trusting in God’s gracious and loving care.
Trusting in God and his promises, trusting that we can meet his Son in those we meet, and trusting that the Holy Spirit is present as counsellor and guide, let us live the journey of life to the full, giving thanks for successes as well as failures, and in hope for the future. Amen
Greg Roberts, 8th August, 2010
