|
Psalm 84 1 How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! 2 The sparrow has found her a house 3 Happy are they who dwell in your house! 4 Happy are the people whose strength is in you! 5 Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, 6 They will climb from height to height, 7 Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; 8 Behold our defender, O God; 9 For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, 10 For the Lord God is both sun and shield; 11 No good thing will the Lord withhold 12 O Lord of hosts, happy are they who put their trust in you! This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We’ll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. |
Calling All Pilgrims
In reading Psalm 84 (heard in church yesterday and printed above) I was struck with the mention of pilgrims (v. 8). As far as I can tell, it’s the only place in scripture where the word is used. It got me thinking about what it means to be a pilgrim. Suspending immediate associations with Thanksgiving plays, perhaps we can hear the word in another way, and see how it applies this Monday morning.
For starters, it suggests movement. If there’s a desire to be a pilgrim, you can’t stay put. In my work with RenewalWorks, it was a bit of a revelation to me how much resistance there can be to movement when it comes to church folk and the spiritual life. I get that. In a world of rapid change, increased anxiety, uncertain future, our souls hanker for something solid and steady, reliable and predictable. Nothing new about that. The Psalms are filled with images of God as a rock, stronghold, and refuge.
In RenewalWorks, part of our work has been to identify archetypes of churches. About 25% of the churches were identified as “Complacent.” There was no expectation or desire for transformation in those communities. One rector whose church was assessed as complacent called me to tell me (tongue in cheek) that in light of the assessment, the church was changing its tagline: St. Swithen’s: We’re spiritually shallow and fine with that. In the spiritual life, it’s tempting to say: “Can’t we just keep it the way it’s always been? We’ve never done it that way. We’ve always done it this way.” (Just so you know, these are some of the words clergy dread most.)
So for starters, we have to ask ourselves, quite honestly, whether we’re interested in movement, in being a pilgrim. For better or for worse, that movement seems to be part of the spiritual experience. Note that Abraham was described as a wandering Aramean. Note the centrality of exodus or return from exile in the Hebrew Scriptures. Note how Jesus told disciples: Follow me. Note how the first Christians were called people of the way, a name which suggests movement, as opposed to the later developing name, Christian, which frankly has an institutional ring, and hints at arrival. Note the more recent wisdom of Pope Francis who said: “There is no such thing as a stationary Christian. A stationary Christian is sick in his (or her) identity. A Christian is meant to walk. To move.”
Given all that, if we decide to go for it, we may need to get clear about what it is to be a pilgrim. It’s different from being a tourist, as wonderful as that can be. They can be awesome experiences of discovery, and tons of fun, but they don’t always help us know God better. It’s different from going on a mission trip, as wonderful as that can be. They can be awesome expressions of generosity, but it can also have an air of superiority.
So what’s a pilgrim? Here are insights from an anonymous author on a website called seetheholyland.net: “A pilgrim is not a pious tourist. A pilgrim and a tourist may follow the same itinerary, but the pilgrim is on a sacred journey in which God is encountered through places, people, and situations….The pilgrim travels with the expectation that the one who returns will not be the same person as the one who set out.” The article goes on to detail some markers: A pilgrim will leave behind business concerns. A pilgrim will have an open mind. A pilgrim does not travel alone. A pilgrim respects the host country.
Here’s the deal. Whether we cross oceans or borders, or never cross the street or our home’s threshold, we are pilgrims. We are each and all on journeys to encounter the Holy One. In so doing, there is the prospect of being transformed, wonderfully, amazingly, into the likeness of Christ.
Imagine such a journey! Are you ready for that as you make your pilgrimage through this first week of February?
-Jay Sidebotham
