Road Trip. Words often spoken at this time of year. Planning has been done. Flights booked/trains arranged. Vehicle prepared and loaded. Patience level is good as you start.
Accommodations are either with you or confirmed ahead of time. Excitement is rising. Or not. I remember one trip I made with my family to Ontario in 2012. It was for my mother's funeral. A flight was cancelled and we were re-booked. I had lost my luggage. Only then I found it again. It had gotten to Toronto hours before I had, taking a much more direct routing. Or trips are dropped. Sometimes at heavy financial cost. Sicknesses appear. Housing/garage renovations get to be way over budget, eating up time and throwing schedules completely off. And then there are such things as pandemics. Now in 2018, nobody saw that coming. Yet road trips are great if only for the lived experiences. New sights, new aromas, new people and new experiences. Even deep learning can occur.
Jesus experienced this.
Mark 7:24-30 shows us this. He finds deep faith in someone who is not Jewish. And this is a road trip that is a long way from his usual haunts. He finds it also in John 4. This woman is also of the faith, just not the right 'denomination' as we would like to say these days. And for us Christians, the classic road trip story is Luke 10:25-37. There are many road trip stories in the bible. Two chapters that are on my favourites are Acts 8 and 16. Notice how nobody is left out. All people from all walks of life are included as they seek faith in Jesus. This ancient model is one that we need so much right now. So many people are seeking faith. So many are questioning their vocations. Many are also wanting more out of life than a job, a family, a single detached house and a good pension at the end of their working lives. Some of us, myself included, are working well past retirement age. Some of us have no choice because of poor planning or financial reverses. Others need to be occupied. And still others of us see a need and step in to help out.
I hope your road trips this summer are as enjoyable and resting as you expect. For me, I will not be blogging for the next few weeks. I am taking holiday time and you can expect me back in late August. May Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit go with us on all our trips wherever they take us. Until later, Pr. Scott
