Seeker

What is a pilgrim? Someone on a pilgrimage? Through life or to places of special meaning?  Pilgrimage involves a significant journey that may be hard or long. It's travel but not tourism.   Pilgrims may follow a guide but are open to the unexpected on the way. Bishop Alan makes an interesting comment about the difference between being a pilgrim and a tourist in his post Two Roads to Remembrance . He describes 'resonant remembrance' (in contrast to 'contemplative remembrance') as messy: "You put yourself through a routine with your wits around you, but floating on the surface, so that a stray thought or impression can resonate against something in you, and bring you up against something you thought you had forgotten all about, but can now be understood in a new light." Putting myself through a routine devised by others (the programme for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land) freed me from responsibility of deciding what to do. It allowed me to be enter ...

Things I didn't do on Diocese of Oxford Pilgrimage to Holy Land: I didn't buy a drink in the 'Lowest Bar in the World". I didn't sink in the Dead Sea. I tried and failed as did others as you can see here . I didn't run round the walls of Jerusalem (or anywhere else) early in the morning. I didn't catch fish in the sea of Galilee. I didn't get re-baptised in the River Jordan. Things I did do on Diocese of Oxford Pilgrimage to Holy Land: I did drink a lot - mostly water because of the heat. I did stand in shallow Dead Sea water, with great difficulty from a floating position. I did take hundreds of pictures of walls of all sorts, some of them shocking. I did sing the British National Anthem standing in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. (How bizarre is that?) I did renew baptismal vows at the River Jordan, was annointed with oil of chrism and then had a paddle in the water. A full immersion would have been more cooling. I've unp...

Am I Little Miss Chatterbox? Probably not. I rather like silence. On the other hand I do like to be heard. Stuck with preparing a sermon on a challenging theme, I took a coffee break and browsed some blogs I follow. A post this morning by Richard Littledale grabbed my attention, Mr Preacher (Which one are you?) Richard writes how "There are occasions when we preach where we feel gifted and equipped for the job. On others, however, we feel acutely aware of our own shortcomings and wonder whether we are up to the task." He then refers to the Mr Men books by Richard Hargreaves and how on different occasions as a preacher he identifies with various Mr Men characters, including Mr Small, "feeling overwhelmed with the task in hand and hoping to hide behind the pulpit, the Bible or something." Richard Littledale asks, "which one are you?" Here's my first thoughts answer. I don't identify with any Mr Men (I'm a woman), but could have...