When Jesus had
finished saying all this, he went on toward Jerusalem. Luke 19:28 CEV
The calendar says it has
only been a few weeks since I returned from Jerusalem. There are moments it seems only like
yesterday. There are other times it
seems ages ago. While I was there, I was
given a certificate signed by the Tourism Minister and the Mayor of Jerusalem.
It certified that I was an official pilgrim - I set it aside. It seemed unimportant. But now as I struggle to describe to you what
this trip to the Holy Land has meant to me, it has come to symbolize my trip
for I am a pilgrim.
I have discovered that a
pilgrim is not a pious tourist. While a pilgrim and a tourist may follow the
same itinerary, the pilgrim is on a sacred
journey in which God is encountered through places, people and
situations. A tourist sees sights, discovers new places, learns interesting
facts, takes photographs and accumulates souvenirs. The tourist returns home the same person as the one who left, accepting that
his mind may have been broadened.
However, the pilgrim
gains insights and discerns new truths about oneself. The pilgrim travels with
the expectation that the one who returns is not the same person as the one who
set out. The pilgrim has his or her mind on ultimate things. The pilgrim sets out open to the possibility of
having identity and faith challenged.
The outcome for the pilgrim is a simple yet complex transformation that happens inside the
person. The pilgrim returns with an impression imprinted on the soul, rather
than on the memory of a digital camera.
Six days later
Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and brought them to the top of a
very high mountain where they were alone. He was transformed in front of
them, and his clothes were amazingly bright, brighter than if they had been bleached white. Mark 9:2-3 CEB
Jesus was transformed on a mountaintop so that his disciples might fully understand who Jesus is and what is promised to us. It would have been easy to become a spectator (as a matter of fact that is what Peter wanted to do!). Instead they were transformed by the event.
As we anticipate the arrival of Spring and the celebration of Easter, we
are all pilgrims. Winter has been a part of our lives, but it is time to
leave it all behind as we move ahead in our journey. We need to be changed.
We need to be eager to see life anew.
As the Spring approaches, don’t just be a tourist – enjoying the sights
- but be transformed. We all need to be transformed.
Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The
past is forgotten, and everything is new.
2
Corinthians 5:17 CEV
Calling all Pilgrims
and tourists too! See you Sunday as we journey together towards Easter …
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