Pilgrimage

BeliefsRelationship with GodKerith Community Church
Written By Simon Benham

The picture above is a portion of what is known as the Gough Map. It is dated to around 1360 and was reputedly the most accurate map of Britain prior to the sixteenth century. Like all maps of the time it was (like churches) oriented towards the east, unlike our modern maps which are oriented towards north. The red line which runs from Southampton to Canterbury is thought to mark a pilgrims trail, which European pilgrims arriving in Southampton would take as they travelled to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket.

I am planning on doing my own pilgrimage later this year, starting at our West Wight site in Freshwater after the morning meeting on Sunday 21st May, then from Southampton following the pilgrims trail on the Gough map, hopefully arriving at the Wildfires site (just short of Bramber on the map above) on Friday 26th May in time for Big Church Day Out and then the Wildfires Festival. In brief my plan is:

Pilgrimage is defined as ‘journeying with purpose on foot to a holy place’, and my hope is that both the journey and the destination will be significant for me. I’m believing that the walk, away from the distractions of meetings, email and every day life, will create the space to pray, to praise, to contemplate and to encounter God. And I’m believing that Wildfires will be an occasion when many of us will not only meet God in new and exciting ways, but also that through our encounters we will become a force for change in the wider world.

The theme of pilgrimage is one we sensed God giving us as a community at the start of 2023. Pilgrimage not just as a physical act but also as a metaphor for our lives. A journey which starts with Jesus in us entering into his death and resurrection. A journey where on the way Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, is both our strength and our guide. And a journey where the destination is Jesus, coming home to live with him, the Father and the Spirit for all eternity in a new heaven and a new earth.

Last Sunday we started exploring this idea of pilgrimage as a metaphor for life, looking at Psalm 120, the first of fifteen Psalms of ascent which the Jews sang as they ascended both physically and spiritually on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship in the temple. We are going to be studying all fifteen Psalms, each of which covers a different aspect of life on pilgrimage with Jesus. The series is based around Eugene Peterson’s book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, which is brilliant. I strongly encourage everyone to get hold of a copy, as studying it alongside the sermons will greatly enhance what you get out of the series.

I would also encourage you to think about going on a physical pilgrimage. It might mean coming to Wildfires (you don’t have to walk there!). I will be doing daily updates on my pilgrimage if you’d like to join me that way (apparently in medieval times wealthy people would pay others to do pilgrimages on their behalf!). You might fancy joining me for a day (you’d have to come up with your own plan for transport to the start and home from the end) , or you might have your own pilgrimage in mind. In my experience the hardest part is deciding to do it, so why not make a decision today to do some sort of pilgrimage in 2023 and start making a plan.

Let’s commit to being a people on the move for God. Dissatisfied with the world at it is. A people on pilgrimage with Jesus and on a journey towards Jesus. Exciting days lay ahead.

Your fellow pilgrim,

Simon

Simon Benham
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