Dear Friends;
Greetings on this morning of April showers. It is our hope that, by the grace of God, you have been fed and sustained spiritually, in these trying times, by these daily posts.
Next week we are going to try something different – which may be more sustainable. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, my “Today’s Post” will be sent out by Facebook, posted on Picton United Church’s Website, and emailed to those of you who have computers. (Thanks to Dorothy Speirs for also making hard copies available to several without technology, and to Mary Guernsey and others for reading the posts over the phone to other folk.
Tomorrow, Saturday April 4, there will be no “Today’s Post”, it will return on Monday. On Sunday, the Service in its entirety, including sermon, will be posted on Facebook, on the Picton United Church Website, and sent out by email. (This will be Palm/Passion Sunday.)
If you have comments or concerns about any matter related to your life or the church, please feel free to be in touch with me by email, text or phone at 613-970-7880.
My theme today is Walking as a metaphor the spiritual life, and as an activity to sustain one’s whole self – body, mind and spirit.
God bless and keep you,
With pastoral love and concern,
Rev. Phil
“Walking”
“In the cool of the evening, the human ones walked with God.”
Genesis 3.8a (Paraphrase)
“You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God.”
First Corinthians 6.19 (Contemporary English Version)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Second Timothy 4.7 (New International Version)
Here’s a song that we’ve come to love and sing together fairly often in worship. It is #649 in our Voices United Hymn Book. (You can find it on You Tube)
Refrain: Walk with me, I will walk with you and build the land that God has planned where love shines through.
- When Moses heard the call of God he said, “Lord, don’t send me.” But God told Moses, “You’re the one to set my people free.”
Refrain:
- Now Peter was a most unlikely man to lead the flock; but Jesus knew his holiness and he became the Rock.
Refrain:
- Young Mary Magdalene was sure her life could be much more, and by her faith she dared to let God’s love unlock the door.
Refrain:
- And when you share your faith with me and work for life made new, the witness of your faithfulness calls me to walk with you.
Refrain:
Those who know me, know that I am a passionate walker. Under normal circumstances, health authorities tell us that we need to walk about 10,000 steps per day for maximum health. Even in winter and on days of rain, the people of Picton often saw me out pushing Rosie’s stroller through the streets.
During this time, it is a challenge to walk outside and still keep safe social distance of at least six feet between yourself and any other person, other than a member of your household. It is a challenge but it is not impossible.
As a morning person, I’m out before dawn. There aren’t very many people out at that hour but there are a few. My route varies – combining walking on the streets of town, and on paths and trails through Glenwood Cemetery and on the Millennium Trail. When I meet another person or persons – one party stays on the sidewalk while another takes to the road. Or, one stands well off the trail or trails edge, while the other walk on the far side. This has worked well. I’ve not ever had a person come closer than about six to eight feet.
Some of you who are reading this, live in the gorgeous rural area of the County. Your place to walk is on the County Roads of our dear Prince Edward. I know that many of you walk on those roads. Always a good idea to do that in daylight – walking on the left so you are facing traffic. Also, always a good idea to wear light coloured clothing. (Any country folk with dogs, please keep them inside or tied well away from the road, in consideration of walkers.)
In the gospels we read that Jesus called his first disciples and invited them to: “Follow me.” They did that literally, as they walked through the countryside, from village to town to city, sharing the Good News of the reign of God.
In the early church, in the years after Easter, the first believers followed the risen Christ in the Way – the Way of Compassion.
Our Christian Faith has often been likened to a pilgrimage – which was, in ancient times a walk. People from across Europe often left home and walked through the countryside and city streets until they came to sacred sites such as Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain (the Church of St. James), Rome, or even Jerusalem.
One of the five pillars of the Islamic Faith of our neighbours is the Hajj – a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca.
After the Reformation in the 16th century, English Puritan author John Bunyan wrote the classic allegory Pilgrim’s Progress. In this great story, our hero Pilgrim makes his way through trials and tribulations to the Celestial City.
Walking continues to be a great metaphor for our faith. Walking also continues to be a great way for all of us to care for our body, mind and spirit – especially in times of stress and anxiety in which we now find ourselves. St. Paul reminds us that each of us is a Temple of God’s Holy Spirit. God lives in us. We must care for ourselves and honour ourselves as we would God’s own house.
“We’ve got to keep walking, keep right on walking, walking in the light of the Lord. We’ll get to God’s reign someday, walking in the right way, walking in the light of the Lord.”
“We are walking in the light of God; we are walking in the light of God.”
