The traveler thought about his time spent on the Island he had come to a new found place in God. He was confident and assured that God was guiding and directing him. He had decided to spend his last Sunday going to church. He got there before the priest came and the only person there besides himself was an elderly man. He decided that this would be a good time to read the bible before the Service began. He opened his bible to John 7:1 “After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him.”

Those who hated Jesus and his message that caused change and a new direction wanted to kill him. In such an ominous and confusing climate Jesus had to come even closer to his father because even his disciples and his’ own family did not understand him. The traveler thought about how even Jesus’ brothers did not see his divinity and his true purpose. The traveler knew that he had to stand firm when he got back to the city. He knew that there would be those who would question and test his renewed commitment to Christ, for their own perverse and/ or misguided and erroneous purposes. Yet his relationship with God would be steadfast.

He opened his bible to John 7:2 “Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near”

He thought about Sukkot the Hebrew festival held in late September – early October that Jesus’ relatives were going to celebrate in the scripture. He had visited Jerusalem as a student and had actively learned as much as he could during his time there. He knew that he name of the festival Sukkot was plural and came from the Hebrew word sukkah which means a tent, dwelling place or booth similar to the huts their ancestors used when wandering the dessert for forty years. He also knew that during this seven day holiday families ate their meals there and invited guests including seven father of the Jewish faith Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph and David – a different guest each night. 

The festival reminded them of the days when there was no temple and there was no city, the days before many of them had grown contented and prosperous. The church seemed to be reminiscent of that time as well to the traveler. It was not grand; it had no luxurious stained glass, marble or bronze trappings. It was a simple island building that had stood there for quite some time. The traveler imaged that this was his booth – he would need to invite only Jesus in his booth along with his new found family the priest and the small congregation.

The traveler had not been to his own church in some time. He had missed the fellowship and the activities to some extent but what he really missed was the intimacy that can only be found in group worship. Worshiping alone was good but it did not compare to the joy that was experienced with an assembly of people who loved the Lord. Yes there was always sin, division in the members and disruptions present in the worship but it was a calling to a higher place in God – a place where the body of Christ – the church – humbly asked God to give them strength for another day. He would enjoy worship today – regardless of who came or what was said in the sermon – he would enjoy worship today because he was here sitting with his God in the presence of his people and he would love them flaws and all.

L

1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill him. ²Now the Jewish festival of Booths was near. 10 But after his brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not publicly but as it were in secret. 25 Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, ‘Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? ²⁶And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? ²⁷Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.’ ²⁸Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, ‘You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. ²⁹I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.’ ³⁰Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come.

30 ‘I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
31 ‘If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. 33You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. 34Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, 38and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent.
39 ‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. 41I do not accept glory from human beings. 42But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. 43I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. 44How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? 45Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. 47But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?’

Rain had come unexpectedly to the island and the traveler had decided to stay indoors today. He remembered a walk in closet in college where it was big enough for him to sit and study away from his sometimes noisy roommates. Sometimes he would pray there as well. The closet in his room was not as large but it was larger than the average rented accommodation. It was basically empty and it had a comfortable, clean carpet. He decided that he would go in there read and meditate on the scriptures.  He first listened to a song and as he listened the words and music spoke to his soul. He made his journey to the centre of the closet in the middle of the floor. John 5:30 “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
He thought about the way humans dish out judgment carelessly and callously. He thought about all of the adverse effects of judging others prematurely and the premeditated actions that result from it. Wars, squabbles, insurgencies, uprisings, civil disturbances, all begin that way. He thought of all of the conflicts around the world the ethnic cleansing, mass murder, mass raping of women and children. People lost limbs, fought in the streets schools, churches, religious building, hospitals and clinics were bombed and burned every week in the name of a greater good. The traveler knew in his heart that judging in led to many grievous ills. Judging led to the killing of innocent civilians, indulgent immoral and greedy power mongers globally seeking any and every way to gratify their lusts and appetites for self satisfaction at the expense of anyone and everyone who would get in their way. It was not just the drug dealer and politicians that craved this power it was the man on the street the lady on the bus, the child in school, the preacher in the pulpit – anyone and everyone was susceptible to it in lesser forms and in lesser forms they manifest in hatred, unresolved bitterness and anger, malevolent and maligning power moves and lies all just to get ahead.
The traveler thought about the fact that most people were oblivious top all to all of the sin in the world because they had been destined to it. Prior to this trip he had forgotten it himself. He too was involved in the rat race – where a rat would kill another rat to get a scrap of food. He paused … and silently repented.
He thought about humanity as it had truly become a festering open wound in need of washing and healing. The problem was that not many people saw the solution to the sickness that had fallen on mankind – Jesus Christ – in fact he was largely ignored and looked at as a placebo – a simple sugar pill with no real effect to rid society of its problems. He knew that humanity needed a break – a time to go into the closet lock the door and pray. A time to reflect on the things it had done on a collective and individual level.
He turned his bible to Isaiah 53:6 “6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Christ knew the pain and heartache associated with the sin of humanity. He knew that we have gone our own way and that we need to come to him, ask for forgiveness and repent – that is turn, change direction and never go back to our old ways. He suffered so that we might have this privilege, he died and was resurrected to set us free from this self imposed bondage. Yet many did not understand Christ mission and purpose while he walked the earth – and still few understand his words in hindsight.
The traveler held his head down and bit his lip because he knew that much of humanity was destined toward a tragic ending – oblivious to the pain that they are causing each other and causing God himself. The traveler vowed to live a life that would always bringing healing and strength to the world by first giving the world love. Love not found in sappy sentimentality or over used emotional outbursts – but love found in respect for God, respect for friends and neighbors in Christ. The traveler asked God for the courage to help pull the lost out of their confused states with the guidance and help of the Holy Spirit and he asked for the faith and courage to keep focused n the task at hand. The traveler then closed his eyes and said another prayer before he continued with his task of studying and reading of God’s word.

The traveler spent the morning planning his journey to the hills. He set off with a packed lunch in a small backpack. The traveler thought about the distance of the trees. They grew closer as the minutes and hours passed. He had walked for a several miles when he began to see the land rising and the hills beginning to tower over the ocean. He admired the brown and white pebbles leading up the hillside, the soft green moss on the gray rocks, the tall trees in the distance. He could faintly hear the thundering waves crashing. The trees were leafy and pea green. He sat underneath a shady tree and opened his bible to Luke 1: 37 ^“For nothing will be impossible with God.” This was a fact. He knew it but he had not lived it for some time. There were many things that people called impossible that he wanted to try and he hesitated at doing because of what they would say. He reasoned that maybe everyone has a task that they are called to do which seems impossible for them to accomplish to their friends and family. His impossible task was walking away from his secular job and going full time into ministry. They all knew him as someone who maybe one day could have done that but lately everyone knew him as just one of the boys. They reasoned that he had better leave serious religion to the professionals. Yet he knew that he was called to something greater in God’s eyes and something lesser in the eyes of humanity.

He thought about the Blessed Virgin Mary – she was not ready for what God had in store for her but – God was ready. God made her the mother of Our Jesus Christ our Lord. She was given the task of bearing the child that would change, save and one day judge the world. Yet in her mind she was only a little girl.

The traveler looked up at the winding branches of the mango tree and remembered the winding branches of Sycamore trees he had seen on his visit to Palestine. He remembered Zacchaeus and his call as well. He turned his bible to Luke 19: 1-10 “He entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a Sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ ⁶So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ ⁸Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ ⁹Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” the revelation to Mary, the mother of Jesus, by the angel Gabriel that she would conceive a child to be born the Son of God.

These leaves were blowing. A lizard appeared on a low hanging branch. Zacchaeus was brought to repentance not through a community but through a direct relationship with God. There are many who are like Zacchaeus and Mary – called out by God – but not aware of their true worth, living less than lives. Then God reaches out to them personally and God then enters into intimacy with them. God was reaching out to the traveler in the stillness of this moment … he knew it … so he bowed his head closed his eyes raised his hands and prayed.

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ 29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ 34Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ 35The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born* will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.’ 38Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

John 5: 1-18

After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. ³In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralysed. ⁵One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. ⁶When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ ⁷The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ ⁸Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ ⁹At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

Now that day was a Sabbath. ¹⁰So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ ¹¹But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk.” ’ ¹²They asked him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Take it up and walk”?’ ¹³Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. ¹⁴Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ ¹⁵The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. ¹⁶Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ ¹⁸For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the Sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.

The traveler had been on the island a few days but this was his first early morning walk since he had been there. He walked until he came to the beach. He faced the ocean and prayed, “Father, this day I give to you my life, I consecrate it to you. In Jesus’ name I pray Amen.” The wind blew softly; the warm weather gave him comfort. The ocean protected by the harbor was as still as a lake. With the exception of an occasional jogger he was alone in his mind as he sat on the sand. It was 4:30am. This was the beginning of what he deemed a ‘new morning ritual’ to sit quietly with God in the mornings. He remembered Jesus sitting near the water and he skipped to John 5: 2-3 “Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralysed. ⁵One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.” He thought about the lame man sitting in from of the pool of water. He thought about the difference between resting a while to renew your energy for ministry and becoming stagnant and slothful. He too had sat at the foot of the gate preoccupied with the troubles of the world and missing out on the living waters of Christ that were so readily available to him. A big wave came in, as if an angel was stirring up the water. He remembered Jesus sitting near the water and he skipped to Matthew 13:2 on his IPod.  “²Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.” He went on to listen to the entire thirteenth chapter of Matthew. He thought about Jesus sitting in the boat speaking to the crowd.

The traveler sat at the foot of the waves, his legs crossed, his hands on his knees. He thought about the rhythm of the ocean, the movement of the joggers and the rhythm of life.  Seeds are planted, crops grow or fail, wheat and weds grow together, seeds are planted treasures are lost and found. People live and they die – some find purpose and meaning and eternal life, some never hear about Jesus, others reject him.

“It is easy to forget God’s rhythm when we get caught up in our own rhythms” the traveler thought. It is often easy to put trivial matters ahead of God’s urgent call to come to him. It is often easy to put God aside to let hard soil form in our souls – when we do not rest in him. Another wave came in and the traveler put his belongings aside in a neat pile, including his shoes and shirt and entered the water.

He loved to swim, but today he decided to float on his back; not to plan, not to process any emotions in his mind, but to pray.

He prayed for God’s forgiveness, he prayed that he would be forgiven for all of the good intentions that he had; promises to grow closer to God over the years that had started hot and had grown lukewarm.  He knew that commitment to Jesus was a lifelong journey. He knew that Jesus wanted all of his life not just a part of it. It meant that he was called to be more involved with the things of God. It meant that his body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. It meant that his whole heart must rest in Jesus – more than in a onetime event – but in a lifelong transforming process.

The waves were beginning to come in more frequently and they began to warm, but a slightly larger wave came and made him open his eyes. He had drifted a good distance from the shore so he headed back. As he swam back to the shore he could hear the seagulls on their morning hunt for food. Using a small towel he dried put on his shirt and shoes and walked back to his lodgings. He promised to spend the day being an encourager, it was the least he could do to begin to serve god more fully.

43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honour in the prophet’s own country). 45 When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.
46 Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ 49 The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ 50 Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ 53 The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.

The Word of the Lord:

The plane was late again but finally the flight was called and the passengers began to board. The traveler showed his ticket to the flight attendant and took his seat. After the flight took off and he was comfortable – he had a sip of water and said a short whispered prayer “Heavenly Father Thank you for life, may this flight be safe and may you continue to lead me to know you and love you more each day. In Jesus’ name I pray Amen.” took out his bible. John 4: 48 Then Jesus said to him, Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ This reminded him of the verse found in 2 Corinthians 5: 6-7 “So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight.”

He closed his bible and began to think. He thought about his faith journey up to this point in his life. He thought about the first time he decided that Christ was the Son of God and the master of his life at his Confirmation. He thought about his Sunday school classes and his involvement in the youth group as a teen. He even thought about his college prayer group and the good time that his group of five friends would spend praying and listening to God. His mind wandered back to the times and places where he would witness for Christ to his classmates and to strangers. Then he thought about the lure of success that had somehow made him forget his first true love – God Almighty. He knew that his faith had waned though the years. He knew that he needed to get back where he was once before to a place of trust and faith.

Outside the sky was bleak and a slight drift of snow was inevitable. The ground controllers were obviously freezing while directing the planes – it was not a pleasant day to be outside. It was a good time to take a few weeks off. He decided that this Lent he would deliberately get away from it all the business of life and even family, friends and everyone and everything else that he knew; to get to know God all over again. His Lenten discipline would be to travel physically, emotionally and spiritually with God.

He knew that this would be an uphill battle – faith to him was so fleeting … it took such little effort to believe that the plane that he was on could fly. It took no stretch of the imagination to think that special care went into designing the various parts and placing together the functional systems. Yet his faith couldn’t make the leap from believing that God was here urging him to ‘spring.’ Just as the original meaning of the Old English word Lent was spring – this spring season he needed to spring back into a deeper commitment and understanding of God.

After about an hour he noticed that an elderly lady on the other side of the aisle on the flight running her hands over the pages of a book. It only now occurred to him that she was visually impaired and reading Braille. Here he was wallowing in nostalgia and the lady on the side of him clearly could not see. He wouldn’t dare assume that he was in any way more fortunate than her because he could see and she couldn’t see. Yet her presence reminded him of the passage he was just pondering “… for we walk by faith, not by sight.” It made him think about the faith he would require to place things back in perspective if he ever lost his sight – but literally he had – he was fumbling along hoping to find some clear way back to God. He reasoned that he just needed to let go and to trust God. In the gospel that the traveler read this morning the Royal Official’s son was healed by faith from a distance – Jesus healed him with a word. The traveler opened up his bible again and read 50Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ 53The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household.”

The traveler decided at that very moment that he had all the faith he needed right now to believe that God is – even at the very present time – working in his life. The traveler closed his bible rested it on his lap. He put his head back closed his eyes and smiled – knowing that Jesus lived, healed, taught, died and was resurrected for the restoration of the entire world.

Dear Friend,

Thanks for the call. It has been a while since we have seen each other. It was when you were in college. The last time you traveled you had an opportunity to get away from the busy life in the city. This time it’s the same and the bonus is that you get to take in some refreshing island scenery.

When we last traveled together – you traveled light. You had your pocket bible, music, some other necessary items and a few changes of clothing. You said that you traveled light for a reason – you wanted to grow in God and serve him more fully. This time you say that you want to reconnect with God and need nothing much to distract him from that purpose. The crew says hello. As you go know that we are praying for you.

God Bless,

Captin Sorley

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

This section is for devotional stories posted by readers. The site Admin retains the right to edit or remove stories as needed.

Taking off – tripping – journaling – journeying

Need some solace in the soul

Enough sufficiency in the self

Sitting near the place where skies connect

Can’t get enough quiet in the heart

Cast me away to the place where I can rest and revive