Bible Reading
Group : Details: Alex
Quinn on 01484 300526
The group met
last on February 4th.
 
Lynne
reports:
Nine of us
gathered at the vicarage to consider Matthew's Gospel,
chapter 2. We heard about the wise men who journeyed
from the east to bring gifts of gold, frankincense and
myrrh to Jesus. We used this as a starting point to
think about the concept of journeys in a
metaphorical sense and in our relationship with God.
Some of us shared difficult journeys that we had taken
and how like the men from the biblical passage, we had
set out often not knowing what we would find. Sometimes
we were drawn to undertake those journeys because of
spiritual reasons e.g. developing our relationship with
God as we became Christians; other times out of personal
need or to prove something to ourselves. When the wise
men encountered Jesus their lives were changed - they
'fell down and worshipped him'. The group realised that
we, (like the wise men) were never the same again
after these journeys because of how our experiences had
changed us and because of this we don't travel back the
same way we came. This was the same for the wise men as
they departed back to their own country another way,
changed after meeting Jesus.
We discussed
that like the wise men, perhaps we are called to
undertake journeys to give and receive gifts. We found
that some of our personal journeys led to us realising
we had gifts to share for the benefit of others - music
and our vocations for example.
Since the
meeting, I have been thinking about the concept of
journeys. How do you know which journey you are on? When
does one end and another begin? Who's journey is it -
yours or God's? How do you know you are going the right
way? When I looked up the definition of the word
journey, I found that gave some clarity to my thoughts.
For example, a journey can mean an expedition or trek,
suggesting something arduous and challenging; however a
journey can also mean something passive, almost trivial
like a cruise or a jaunt. It can mean going on an
excursion when an individual is taken on a journey
by someone else. Finally it can also mean a pilgrimage -
when you start the journey with a specific aim in mind.
When I was reminded that there are different types of
journeys, I thought about this and how this related to
our relationship and journey with God and through life -
sometimes it's hard work and we need lots of provisions
(e.g. fellow christians, prayer and support); other
times it's easier and he carries us along showing us new
experiences and allowing us to see things for ourselves
(a Godly mystery tour if you like); finally there are
times when we start the journey ourselves to learn more
about him, develop our faith and to go on a pilgrimage
(like some of us did last year when we went to the
island of Lindisfarne).
I think we can
all relate to being on one of those journeys at some
time and our frustration at not always having a
Satellite Navigation System! But maybe we don't need one
after all. The wise men found their way to Jesus by
following a star and having faith! Maybe we should all
look up a bit more (but not whilst driving obviously!)
and trust that although there may be many journeys of
different kinds, we're unlikely to get lost as someone
is keeping an eye on our sense of direction.
All this from
a Thursday night - much more thought-provoking than
Eastenders in my opinion!
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