The Accidental Pilgrim…

Posted by David Ward on 09/08/2012
Posted in: Pilgrimage, Theology. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Accidental Pilgrim book coverWhen I worked for Youth for Christ I worked with a singer called Maggi Dawn on a couple of occasions. Although I didn’t get to know her well I remember her positively as a good person to work with. She has subsequently gone down the path of Anglican ordination (so many of my friends and former colleagues have gone down that route – despite persuasions from some of these friends I haven’t yet followed ) and has made a name for herself  in theological circles.

I recently noticed that Maggi has written a book called “The Accidental Pilgrim”. The title intrigued, and I’m always keen to get any new angle on this life we call pilgrimage, so I ordered it up and have started to read it.

So far it charts the changes in Maggi as she discovers that pilgrim places are not just about facts and first-hand knowledge, or even about having a ‘religious experience’, but about changing our perspectives and even transforming us. Along the way she describes some well-known pilgrim destinations and recounts the history of pilgrimage…it makes for a great cocktail!

Quotable:

“And, as in most religious gatherings, there was a pair of irritatingly over-keen evangelists who seemed to think that their God-given role on this trip was to correct everyone else’s point of view, interspersing every conversation with somewhat Pharisaical interjections about the ‘true meaning’ of the Bible.” p7

“Our scholarly adventure followed in the footsteps of worshippers who seemed to care little about the authenticity of the place (Jerusalem); their interest as they clutched prayer beads or sang with arms raised to heaven, was in an encounter with their God.” p15

“Looking back from the perspective of Christian history, it might appear that the crowds of people turned up especially to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem, but it’s thought that on the first Palm Sunday Jesus and his disciples joined an existing pilgrimage into Jerusalem, which every year marked the hope of the long-awaited Messiah. It was only as the procession moved down the hill that Jesus gradually became the centre of attention” p19

“…my view of pilgrimage was a scattered collection of images like random pieces from a jigsaw with most of the bits missing and no picture on the box to help put them together. Was pilgrimage really about the journey or the destination? Did it matter whether the destination had any historical verification, or was it entirely a matter of tradition, or even superstition? Were pilgrims supposed to suffer penances, or – like Chaucer’s pilgrims or the pilgrims on the tourist coach – was pilgrimage equally valid made in comfort?” p25

“The difference between a tourist and a pilgrim is that, while a tourist travels to get away from it all before going back to reality, a pilgrim is transformed by the experience and returns home changed.” p48

I’m looking forward to the next chapter…”Pushchair Plgrim”.

New Beginnings…

Posted by David Ward on 07/08/2012
Posted in: Personal thoughts, Pilgrimage. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Some old friends from Manchester came to stay with us recently, and the end of a week’s retreat with the Northumbria Community. They are exploring the “what next” question that all of us face from time to time, as we sense a change of direction to our life’s journey.

If we take the idea of Life as Pilgrimage seriously, this is a place we will all arrive at from time to time, as just a natural progression to the next stopping point en-route for our final destination.

This year seems to have encompassed change and new beginnings for several members of our family too.

My wife has had a life-changing operation and has started a course of therapy which could be significant. As she winds down her Community Arts business she has also started the first steps towards a new career in nursing.

Several of the children have also started new career paths or are getting ready to move on to the next step in their education. One of them seems settled and happy in the work and place he is in, for the moment at least.

The remaining one has completed her degree course and is now asking that “what next” question.

I find myself most identifying with her. Having arrived at a point where I thought that my passion and calling towards pastoral work in church was going to be re-ignited, and then seeing it all fade away at the last moment I’ve spent the last year trying to pick up the pieces. My other self-employed work seems to be taking a downturn at present, so just from a practical point of view I find myself being nudged towards something new (I think). So the “what next” question is in my sights too.

book cover Holy Discontent I’ve been reading a book recently which has cast some light on my current predicament too. In his book “Holy Discontent”, Bill Hybels writes about our passion, the thing that more than anything else gives us a sense of purpose and fulfilment. I would have said that producing a strong, healthy, caring, growing church would have been my passion, however, Hybels also makes the point that sometimes our passion ‘morphs’ into something new, and we have to recognise and embrace the change. That’s if we have the faintest idea what the change is!.

One thing is certain – the change probably won’t be geographical…Wendy’s new career demands that we stay in The Borders for the foreseeable future, and our new landlords have invested in our home in order to give us a secure, stable and well maintenance home to live in. So where is life as pilgrimage going to take me next, I wonder, and what new beginnings can I anticipate.

Proverbs at the Pumps…

Posted by David Ward on 04/07/2012
Posted in: Personal thoughts, Theology. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

I’ve been reading the Old Testament book of Proverbs as I prepare to give some talks about godly wisdom at church. It’s been a while and I’d forgotten both the common sense approach and the challenge that these pithy sayings about wisdom for life can bring.

Early in the book, in chapter 3: 27, I read:
“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”

This reminded me of something that happened to me a couple of weeks ago; it is a story which brings me no pride, but I think it’s one I need to tell.

I was on my way home after working on Holy Island. I was about to travel south and west and needed to top up the fuel in the car. The filling station was particularly busy, and I queued in one of the ‘pay at the pump’ lanes.

In the car in front sat an elderly lady (she must have been a few years older than me!). Her husband was busy at the pump.

I sat and waited…and waited…and waited a bit more.

Meanwhile, the man seemed to be participating in some sort of strange ritual. He would peer at the dials on the pump, push some buttons, put the nozzle into his tank, look at the pump, push the buttons again, remove the nozzle from the tank and replace it on the pump.

He repeated this ritual several times, occasionally supplementing it by leaning through the car window an talking to the women inside. With every repeat of the ritual he seemed to become more and more agitated…we used to have a dog who, when panicked or distressed, used to throw back her head, roll her eyes and look this way and that whilst running aimlessly back and forth. This man had that look!

Eventually I worked out that he was having trouble working out how the automatic pump worked.

Instantly, my kind, helpful, compassionate, godly heart failed me completely.

I was more irritated than I can say. I could not believe that anyone could be so incompetent. Surely he could read and understand the instructions. He’s the sort that gives older people a bad name…

At this point I reversed the car into the space by an empty ‘pay at the kiosk’ pump and started to fill up from that. From time to time I shot a glance across at the elderly man who continued to play out his ritual.

It was round about now that the small voice kicked in…”So why didn’t you help when you were parked behind them. It would have been so easy to help, and would have saved him some panic and you some angst. You could help now if you have the guts to leave your car at the pump and walk across the forecourt to help.”

My own inner voice countered…”If I leave the car here it will be in the way. I’ll be a nuisance as well and people will say I’m old and incompetent. It will be embarrassing! What if they don’t want my help?”

It then struck me that as I had to drive to the kiosk to pay I could tell the attendant, and she could help the man. I could still come out of this looking a bit good…

“I think the man at the pump over there is having some trouble,” I said.

She smiled. “I can’t help him if he doesn’t ask,” she said.

So much for customer service and my attempt to redeem the situation.

I drove away from the filling station still giving occasional glances back to the man at the pump, as he desperately continued his ritual. I desperately wanted to help, but it was too late and I couldn’t go back to do it.

I’m still glancing back even as I write this. It should have been so simple. I could have helped. We would both have felt good at our sense of achievement.

But I failed…he deserved my help and it was well within my power to help. It wasn’t even a difficult thing to do. But I withheld the help I could…should have given.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever get the hang of this godly living thing. Thank goodness He’s got more faith in me than I have.

By the way, just to make myself feel even worse I’m reading through the whole book of Proverbs, and supplementing it with the frustratingly, challengingly good “Making Life Work” by Bill Hybels. Try it for yourself…you probably won’t thank me, but it’s good for us.