Have you ever taken a really long journey?
The longest single journey I ever took involved; three flights, four countries and 35 hours of travel. It ended with a jet lagged job interview.
Journeys take many forms. They can be long, one-off, and international. They can also be regular, familiar, and routine. The Bible contains a lot of journey imagery; paths, crossroads, pilgrimages, exiles. The words of the prophet Jeremiah warn us to ask for the ancient paths, to stop at the crossroads and to find where the good way lies.
Being part of a nomadic culture, much of the narrative of the Old Testament writings involve physical journeys, often for practical reasons; to go in search of pasture for livestock (David), the avoidance of overcrowding (Abraham and Lot); searching for food at times of famine (Naomi and her family); flight in times of conflict (David again). Think of a familiar Bible story, we all have our favourites, and notice the elements of journey within it. Physical, practical journeys are one of the foundational elements of human existence; we move from one place to another and sometimes back.
Journeys are also a descriptive metaphor of other elements of our lives. We journey from childhood to adulthood via adolescence.
In the Bible the journey to freedom for the children of Israel from Egypt to the promised land, told in the book of Exodus, is more than a physical, geographical journey. It is the spiritual journey of learning to trust God. Each step on the journey reveals something of God’s character and the way God interacts with humanity.
There’s a whole section of the psalms, 120 to 134, known as the psalms of ascent. They were sung on the annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the great feasts. The journey to the temple being an opportunity to worship and prepare a pilgrim’s heart, as an individual and part of a community, before taking part in the festivals which celebrate God’s faithfulness and love.
Psalm 84 verse 5 speaks of setting our hearts on pilgrimage. We should intentionally see journey as integral to faith, we have not yet reached our destination but each day have the opportunity to grow in trust, and experience of the love of God.
Joanne Meharg
Ministry Team & Church Warden