journeying at the edge of time
Questions for reflection
How do you respond to the identity of a ‘New Age Traveller’?
How do you understand the phrase the ‘Way of Life’? How can you make this something real and personal rather than distant and metaphorical?
How might you be able to walk more ‘mindfully in your everyday life? Is there one particular area or time in your ordinary everyday that might lend itself to a more mindful state of being?
Why is being ‘counter conscious’ and ‘counter culture’ important?
Further reading and further thoughts
“Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Carl Bard
“Pilgrims are poets who create by taking journeys.”
Richard R. Niebuhr
Read: Mark 2:13 -17
John Drane, What is The New Age Still Saying to the Church?, Zondervan (rev edn), 1999
Robert Van De Weyer, Guru Jesus, SPCK 1975
A peacemeal idea
Try sharing a Peacemeal in which each person present turns off their phone (not just putting it on silent’), and places it at the centre of the group. As a tiny act of sacrifice, this is a symbolic way of demonstrating your love for your friends, your community, and your engagement in the present moment. You may do this for the whole evening or simply for 10 minutes. How does it make you feel? You may be surprised what a sacrifice this is for some people!
Living it out
Live each day with the attitude of a wayfarer. Life is a journey that constantly opens new vistas of possibility and challenge ahead of you. Use the experiences of the past to infuse the present with wisdom. Remember that in the whole history of time no one has ever experienced this moment before.
Develop a sensitive listening and learning attitude to help you focus your spiritual formation. Be open to be persuaded by people you genuinely believe can help you grow in a life-giving way. Hold in creative tension both the humility of a disciple and the confidence of a seasoned traveller.
A meditation
To be ‘mindful’, in the moment, not pondering on the past or future but wholly on the present moment, is a discipline and a gift. Try building a mindful meditation into your regular life, be that in time of prayer or anywhere else in your daily routine. It can be as simple as wholly embracing an individual moment, when sharing a meal with friends or when taking your dog for a walk. Not to be distracted by the phone or plans for tomorrow, but to fully experience the whole sensation of being in that small moment.