O Lord, I’m On My Way

“Where’re we going?” “I don’t know.” “When’ll we get there?” “I ain’t certain…All that I know is I am on my way.” Scriptures read this weekend urge the brave ones who will hear to leave their comfort zone and plug on toward God’s horizon. Paint Your Wagon and come along!

II KINGS 2:1-14 is the famous story of Elijah and the Fiery Chariot. Elijah has been mentoring Elisha in the ways and dangers of being a prophet (speaker for God), and now gets ready to leave for heaven. Both men realized that new horizons involve grief that things aren’t the way they were. Elijah is taken away by the fiery chariot, leaving Elisha alone to ask, “What’s God’s purpose for me now?” Still faithful, he was grappling with understanding his own role of striding out with God’s continued message. We may well pack our prayers for the journey, wherever it may lead! An interesting footnote–Elijah’s earthly body was never discovered, nor was that of Moses, linking the Law & the Prophets… FWIW

GALATIANS 5:1, 13-25 has instructions for the Holy Traveler: what to pack and what to discard. The author urges the pilgrim to put aside “fleshly things”, i.e. things which make for so much comfort that we’re content with a permanent camp. Earthly desires include fornication, idolatry, sorcery, anger, quarrels, envy, carousing, “and things like these”. (Might also include arrogance, racial abuse, and militarism.) Yet the “fruits of the Spirit” include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control. J. William Harkins reminds us that “bondage takes many forms, and we must be courageous in naming them.” (FEASTING on the WORD, C 3:186) The Good Stuff comes when we risk community with others on our journey.

LUKE’s Gospel, 9:51-62, tells of some encounters with Jesus who is on his way to Jerusalem (“his face was set”). Jesus discouraged these folks from being disciples because they were concerned for the comfortable (“Foxes have holes…but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”) and the necessary (care for parents and family). Couldn’t they have done both? These rather callous rebuffs are included to remind the reader that the Journey can’t wait for a better time: the moment for commitment is always THIS one. (A personal note: God has always been patient with my excuses, coming back yet again–and again!–to aim me at the horizon, wherever it may be…)

And so the Journey is before us. There probably will be some detours–we’re far from perfect. But as we go on to Perfection, our eyes may be open and our other senses attuned by the grace of God’s Spirit, and we disperse the spiritual fruit of a holy message to those others we encounter along the way. Have a wonderful trip! Vaya con Dios.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

Join me every Tuesday as we travel into scripture readings to be heard on the upcoming weekend: at horacebrownking.com