Trust in the Lord of the Journey

As our Journey to Bethlehem winds down, I offer this prayer for your continued journey:

Trust in the Lord of the Journey
- Pierre Teilhard de Cahrdin, 1861-1955
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
to something unknown,
something new.
Yet it is the law of all progress that is made
by passing through some stages of instability
and that may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow.
Let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Do not try to force them on
as though you could be today what time
--- that is to say, grace ---
and circumstances
acting on your own good will
will make you tomorrow.
Only God could say that this new Spirit
gradually forming in you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that his had is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.
Above all, trust in the slow work of God,
our loving vine-dresser.

Amen.

Adding up

A couple of the original WtB walkers gave me their totals to date:
23 for M and 32 for J. Or maybe the other way around. But 55 total!
And J e-mailed her 13 for the week. So let's add 68 miles to what we had . . .
124 +68+ 8.5 (from me - w-f) = 200.5 miles. Right?

Something to ponder . . .

Carol Erb forwarded this to me from her reading. It is worth thinking about:

Interesting article in this week's Farm World, "The road from Bethlehem is as full of Christ as the town." Rev. L. Althouse says "As important as it is to tread the way to Bethlehem, it is even more important that when we have worshipped the Christ Child, we take the Good News with us on the road from Bethlehem and out into the world!"

As we near the destination of our Advent journey, we remember that we realize the road does not end there, but continues for a lifetime and beyond.

X minus 9 days . . . and counting

Doing the math.
92+32= 124 miles.
Together we have walked from here to . . . the outskirts of Chicago.
"Walking to the Suburbs" just doesn't sound has Christmas-y as Walking to Bethlehem, though, does it?

Tuesday - reporting on Sunday

I got a few more miles turned in Sunday morning:
18 from one person and 7 from another.
And I walked 3.5 yesterday and today = 7.
So we have 32 to add to our tally.

A friend from California sent me a link to a story on NPR about the olive harvest in Palestine.
It's at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16506897

It ran on Thanksgiving and has very little to do with Christmas, except that longing for peace on earth, goodwill to all is pretty much a Christmas theme.
It's a heartwarming story - about people and not politics, (for those who shy away from politics.)
It even has recipes!

More mileage!

It was great to pick up the phone this morning and hear from our Lutheran walkers. They have been moving right along!
12/1-6 A went 7.25 miles and W logged 5.
12/7-13 the each hiked 8.25 miles. Wow! That's gettin' on down the road.

So . . . 12.25 + 16.50 = 28.75 miles from those two. Hoorah!

Our running total is now 54.75 + 28.75 = 83.5 + 8.5 (me) = 92 mi. logged.
I know that there are lots of unlogged miles out there! Let's get those in, OK?
You can call 684-2317 or click the "comment" link on this blog and leave a message about YOUR walk. Advent is a journey we take TOGETHER into God's future. (As we used to say at Little League games: How about a little chatter out there?)

Thought for the walk

Have you ever tried walking with a refrain in your head? Some people even call it "walking meditation". (But don't let that put you off!)

"Come, Lord Jesus, quickly come" fits with a moderate pace. So does "Jesus Christ, the peace of the world" or "Jesus Christ, bring us peace" A Bible verse or phrase you like would work, too.

The idea is that you let other thoughts go, letting the phrase you've chosen be your focus. Just repeat it. When other ideas intrude, or you become aware that your mind has drifted, you just very gently return to the prayer phrase.

If you try it a few times, for a 10 or 15 minute walk each time, you may find that you taste a bit of the peace you pray for.

I got in 3.5 m before breakfast.

Thursday - Reflecting on Mary

Mary is the "person of the week" this week in our "A Christmas Worth Waiting For" series. So I've been thinking a lot about her. What do you suppose it was like for her to walk 70 miles to Bethlehem?
I ran across another clergy woman's reflection on Mary that understands her in a slightly new way - as one passionate for God to act and bring justice for her people. I liked it. Read it and walk with it, and tell me what you think:


http://sallysjourney.typepad.com/sallys_journey/2008/12/marys-story--re.html

PS. I slept through the alarm AGAIN! arg! so I only did 1.5 mi. today.

Wednesday - Dec. 10

Wow! The month is flying by! I know you all are out their walking your way to a wonderful Christmas. So how about letting me know your mileage??
I went 3.5 mi. today, after (blush) sleeping through the alarm on Tuesday morning.

Also, I wanted to pass on this email I got from Churches for Middle East Peace. It offers the opportunity to pass on a prayer for peace to Christians living in Bethlehem. As we are "walking to Bethlehem" we can also have a real connection with the people there through our prayers. A neat idea, huh?

Send Christmas Prayers for Peace to Bethlehem

As Christians in the United States prepare to celebrate Christmas, we are being invited to pray for a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians and send Christmas wishes and messages of peace to Bethlehem to encourage the Christian community living in the place of Christ's birth.

Since December 2000, a new Christmas tradition has been taking shape: sending peace messages to people in Bethlehem. Once again, individuals, communities, churches and congregations, organizations and partners from across the world are invited to e-mail Advent and Christmas wishes and prayers for justice and peace to Bethlehem.

Wishes and prayers will be printed and handed out as personal messages, educational materials (e.g. at schools), and in the context of interfaith prayers (in places of worship) and in the newly established peace house of the Arab Educational Institute in Bethlehem, affiliated with several church-related organizations.

Sending a wish or a prayer by e-mail is an important way of communicating with many people who long to hear a word of hope. People in Bethlehem greatly appreciate receiving wishes and prayers from people outside the region, both as personal and spiritual gestures of comfort and hope on the occasion of Christmas.

Please e-mail your Christmas messages and prayers for peace before the 25th of December 2008 (Western Christmas) and/or the 7th of January 2009 (Eastern Christmas). Messages can be e-mailed to the Arab Educational Institute at the following address: aei@p-ol.com

If you would like to read prayers for peace from around the world that AEI has already received, please visit http://www.aeicenter.org/ChristmasMessages2008-09/

A Lost Post - Don't Lose the Miles!

Somehow, I posted this on my other blog (philoprespastor.blogspot.com)
But I found it today, and so we have many more miles than I figured.

Late to the Gym, I only walked two miles on Wednesday. I was really glad to get the word at choir that two of the singers had walked 16 miles, between them. And their dog had walked twelve! I think we should count the dog-miles. And my theological justification is this: The camels are the ones that actually walked the miles for the wise men. So I think we should recognize the contributions of animals to the Christmas story, too!

16.5 (from Tuesday) + 28 from choir members and their dog + 2 from me = 46.5 miles logged so far.

We're up to 46.5 on Wednesday plus 7.75 from me for Thursday and Friday. (Is the math getting complicated, or is it just me??)

So NOW (Sunday, Dec. 7) our total is 54.25. All right!!

Weekend Walkers?

As a pastor, I have a different sort of rhythm to my week than most of you. This weekend, that rhythm did not include time for walking. How about you? It's been cold outside. Did any of you bundle up and venture out?
The weather on the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem was probably not snowy and cold. But there is a lovely winter hymn you might sing in your heart as you brave the elements:

All beautiful the march of days, as seasons come and go;
The Hand that shaped the rose hath wrought the crystal of the snow;
Hath sent the hoary frost of heaven, the flowing waters sealed,
And laid a silent loveliness on hill and wood and field.

O'er white expanses sparkling pure the radiant morns unfold;
The solemn splendors of the night burn brighter through the cold;
Life mounts in every throbbing vein, Love deepens round the hearth,
And clearer sounds the angel hymn "Good will to all on earth."

(It's sung to the traditional English melody - Forest Green.)

Pretty, huh?

Map. Second try.

The link to google maps didn't work too well. And this map is so SMALL!
But you can see, in grey, the territory that belonged to Palestine in 1948, when Israel was established. Nazareth is to the north of that, just a little.

Here is a story about a Christian who lives in Nazareth, from the Mennonite Central Committee's resource Bayti Baytak! My home is your home!:

Naim is a Palestinian pastor. Naim started to think about becoming a pastor, so he could devote his life to serving the family of God, when he was just a young boy.
Naim grew up in the Palestinian town of Beisan, on the main street, in a home his father built. Naim's father was a gold-smith, but his hobby was gardening. Naim helped his father tend the orange and lemon trees in the garden around his house.
Naim's father and mother were active in the church, and Naim's home was the center for all that activity. After attending the prayers on Sundays, children would gather at Naim's house for Sunday School. During the week adults would come for Bible study.
When Naim was 11 years old,his life changed forever. On May 12, 1948, the Jewish army moved into the city and forced the residents of Beisan to leave. Naimm's family was driven out of their home that Naim's father had built for them. The families were allowed to take with them only what they could carry. They thought they would be away from their homes for a few days. Weeks passed. Months passed. Years passed. The refugees were not allowed to return to their homes.
Today, the house that Naim's father build is still standing. But no one lives there. The house is used as an Israeli bank where people hurry in and out changing money and doing business. And the town isn't called Beisan. Beisan is now known as the Israeli city of Beit Shean.
Even though their family lost everything in 1948, Naim's father and mother were determined to re-build their lives. They fled to Nazareth, along with other Palestinian refugees. In Nazarethy, Naim's fmily once again became active in the church. They began to help other refugee families.
The war in 1948 is remembered by Jewish Israelis as "The War for Independence." But for Naim, his family, and the 726,000 other Palestinians who lost their homes in 1948, the war is remembered as "al-Naqba," or "The Catastrophe."
Today, despite the many difficulties facing the Palestinian community, Naim and others like him continue to reach out to people in need, in the name of Christ. They are responding to God's love by loving others.

Yesterday I walked 4.5 miles, and today 3.75. That makes 25.25 miles for us so far. That is about the distance from Nazareth to Beisan. 25.25 miles can be a long way sometimes, when it is the distance between having a home and being a life long refugee.

As you walk today, you might join me in praying for Naim and his family and the church that sustains them in Nazareth today.

A Place to Start

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl

If you click on the link, it should take you to a map of Nazareth on Google Maps.  I hope you can zoom out and see where Mary and Joseph lived when they set out to go to Bethlehem.  (Bethlehem is VERY close to Jerusalem.  You may have to scroll down and zoom in again.)  

I hope many of us have gotten a start on our walking.  I went 4 miles today - 2.6 on the treadmill and 1.4 on the way to and from the gym.  (The streets were so slick last night when I went to bed that I decided it was probably safer for me to jog there than to drive.)  

Also, I got a call from some great Lutheran walkers.  The two of them contributed 8.75 miles to date.  

So - we have 16.25 m. recorded so far.  

As often as you like, log in (hit the comment button on this site) or call 684-2317 and leave a message so we can add YOUR miles to the total.   

As you walk today, you might pray for all those who are traveling a distance, especially those who, like Mary and Joseph, are not exactly sure of their destination.

A Brand New Trip to Bethlehem

Happy New Year, Walkers!
We are beginning an advent adventure (see how close those words are!!) together. Our goals are:
1) to walk our way into a fresh experience of God's activity in our lives
2) to have a little fun working toward a common goal (900+ miles, representing the miles traveled by participants in the first Christmas)
3) to keep active during the darkest, coldest part of the year and increase our fitness.

I'm glad you are joining in!
Please feel free to "post" your personal goals as well as your mileage on this blog, or by calling the church (684-2317) and leaving a message.

We're off to a good start! My personal goal is to walk 70 miles (which is the distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem) and to share with you things I learn about the sights and sounds along the road. Today I walked 2 and 1/2 miles on the treadmill at the Center for Family Health here in Philo.

What about you?