David's reflection

I loved it! Beforehand I thought I might be getting too old for this sort of thing, so I was a bit doubtful as to whether I could keep going at 10+ miles every day.  Now I regret I chose to join in at lunch time on the first day, rather than be in it from the start!  Still, I did all the rest with just one or two blisters and some mild aches in feet and hips by the end. \o/

Highlights:

Companionship:  Just great to chat in depth with other members of the group.  Even though I find it difficult to remember all that was said, the shared experience is a bonding process in itself.

Humour:  Lots of it!  I loved the banter; it was so refreshing.  (Cyril’s stile style!)  God must surely love a good laugh too, if we are made in his image.

Churches:  All in their Easter glory and several of them trying – often with limited resources – to meet the challenges of presenting the Good News to this century in imaginative ways.  The re-ordering of Farnham’s church was so beautiful, thoughtful and prayer-inducing.

Countryside:  Paths through growing crops, alongside water (Psalm 23:2b), daffodils and new spring life everywhere (Psalm 104:30 When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. plus the rest of that Psalm).  The contrast of deep blue sky and orange sand on the walk up to St Martha’s, and the panorama at the top was particularly memorable.

Weather:   Sunshine most of the time and just the right temperature for walking.  (But is life’s pilgrimage always that easy?  Psalm 23:4.  I need to be ready for anything!)

Worship:  Together, under Hazel’s leadership (in hallowed surroundings, as well as in hotels in full view of the public) and sharing thoughts, communion etc.

My personal response:

Peter D’s request to pray for the persecuted church worldwide each day set me thinking about the cost, simplicity and focus of my life’s continuing pilgrimage.

Hebrews 11:13-16 became a focal point for me.  My walk of faith needs to be anchored in a future hope which inevitably alienates me from the world’s way of thinking (11:13ff...they admitted they were aliens and strangers on the earth.  People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own... Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.  Also Ch.13:14.) Pilgrimage encouraged me to keep looking forward with a single-minded purpose.  Lots of things I do are perfectly valid in their own way, but slow me down and encourage me to put down roots in the here and now, rather than move on, in and towards the kingdom of heaven, doing the will of the Father.

Later in Hebrews 11 we are told how costly this kind of pilgrimage can be (vv35b-40) – which is all too real in the areas of the world Peter brought to our attention.  Verse 40 encouraged me to see these Christian sufferers as part of me.  I’m not just an onlooker;  their suffering, like Christ’s, needs to be shared by me, even though I don’t fully know at the moment how to make that connection more real and practical, as well as more prayerful.  That connection – the oneness and brotherhood of the worldwide Christian church – was also brought home to me in the churches we visited on the pilgrimage (Eg. An Ave Maria banner in one corner of a church and an advert for their Alpha Course in their porch.  Also the variety of ways the crosses we came across were used.)

Another thought left its mark on me on the last day on the walk into Winchester.  I had the map and became the path finder for much of it.  Others seemed content to follow at a loose distance, free to chat about other things, secure in the knowledge that someone reliable (?!) was leading the way.  Christ should be the path finder of our lives:  John 14:2ff Jesus said, “I am going there to prepare a place for you....You know the way to the place I am going.”  Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way?”  Jesus answered, “I am the way...”   I was struck by the liberating simplicity of it:  keep close to Jesus, follow him, listen to his instructions and let the route take care of itself – and be free to enjoy the journey, the view, and the company of other disciples!

Final thought:  It was easy to think that we twelve who did the whole pilgrimage were somehow special, particularly when we arranged to have our photo taken (at Farnham – long before we finished the walk!)

Jesus never tolerated the nonsense of elitism – eg when the mother of James and John asked Jesus for top table seats for her sons in the Kingdom (Matt 20:20-28 – and the rest of the chapter).  I was reminded of Mike’s sermon on that passage a couple of weeks before, and felt a spiritual slap on the wrists – as well as grateful to others who had served us with prayer and transport etc.