A Pilgrim Heads for Home

I spent a week on the island of Iona, off the coast of Scotland, all by myself this summer.

I went on pilgrimage, feeling called by God to a time of journeying and reflection. I went seeking to hear 'a word' from God, I went carrying a question in my heart.

It was an astonishing trip: beautiful and mysterious and lovely beyond description. I will be telling stories over and over about my holy time on the island, I am sure.

But now I am heading for home. I have one more week away, helping to lead a conference for preachers, and then I am Home for good. The work I am beginning now is the work of re-integration.

My friend, who regularly leads groups of people on pilgrimage to seek God in the wilderness, says that perhaps this is the most difficult part. It takes a long time, and there is always the danger of simply giving in to the gravitational pull of 'business as usual'.
My friend offers this question "How does the new take root, O God?"
How indeed?

When we hear a new invitation from God, when we hear a new call or catch a new vision, how do we bring it home and integrate it into our ordinary lives? When we are convinced that a change is called for, or when we are blessed with a new enthusiasm, how do we integrate it into the living of our days?

If we want to be a vital community, directed by the Spirit and responsive to the world, this is a pretty important question.

How does the new take root?

One way is with the support of those who understand, and who share your desire to live responsively, to be in tune with what the Spirit is doing.

In the ancient Celtic tradition, those who sought to be Holy had an anam chara- a "soul friend", who could help a pilgrim listen for the whispers of the Spirit, who could lend courage and support for changes, who would pray and be present to a friend who was seeking to live in God's way.
An old Gaelic saying said, "Anyone without a soul-friend is like a body without a head."

So I am grateful today for my soul friends, for those who help me listen to my experiences and hear the voice of the Spirit, who give me courage and support when I am called to make changes, and who pray for me and are present to me in a way that reminds me of God's presence and faithfulness.

I am praying too, today, that we can increasingly be a congregation of Soul Friends, who recognize and encourage in one another the Life of the Spirit, who help each other walk in the way of Jesus.

The lectionary for tomorrow, strangely enough, includes this prayer of Paul:
" ...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.." (Eph 3:17)

How does the new take root?
Well, evidently it takes place continually, if we are willing. Christ dwells in us, and we are being rooted and grounded in love.

Thanks be to God for home, and for homecoming, and for soul friends.
May all of us bring home gifts from the Sabbath of summer.

Amen.