My Walk to Jerusalem – Part 3

My walk ‘to Jerusalem’ continues. I have taken a little different route each evening so that I might see something different on each walk. Last night my route was a bit of a dud as far as sights goes. The most interest thing I saw was a port-a-john with a great phone number on it – 1 – 855 – 4 – Toilet!  What can I say – not every moment is filled with serious contemplation – some of it is filled with a good belly shaking laugh. [As an aside, it was good to know there was a pit stop on my route should I get short taken].

Last night’s stroll left me with a couple of thoughts to share – I am not a fan of snow. I complain mightily every time the blasted stuff falls. As I have been walking at night around the neighbourhood this past week or so and looking at it piled up at the end of driveways has done little but confirm my dislike of this frozen precipitation. But tonight’s route took me past an open field and, as much as I can see from street lights, it was blanked in an unblemished layer of snow. At once, I saw beauty. Snow usually causes me to use words that would be a misdemeanour of my mandate and a violation of my vocation.  But in just a quick moment it caused me to stop – to look – and to breath; to breath in the creative force of God and to breath out the negativity that builds up by day’s end. In those brief moments, near that parcel of land which is yet to be spoiled by development, I could see things as they should be. We loved it back home when the local pond was covered in a nice clean blanket of snow. It was cool to glide across it on sleds behind a horse, zip across on a skidoo or get pulled along on a toboggan or pushed on a komatik that my father had built for us. I was pleased tonight to be reminded that even the things that annoy us the most can also be an image of beauty and Grace.

The second image was the view of the city core off in the distance. At the height of the city I was drawn to the brightness downtown London as it sits below us. London looks beautiful from Red

Tail Trail. The city shimmers. Light in the midst of darkness. I offered a prayer that that we might all find a way to shine the Light of Christ in the dark corners of our world. There is no doubt that the closer you get to that shimmering city core, the less sparkle it has. My prayers turned to those whose lives in the inner city do not allow for peaceful walks in quiet neighbourhoods. God help us walk in the footsteps of Jesus toward, the hungry, the lonely, the rejected, the addicted, the abused, the forgotten — the broken. ‘God grant me wisdom to leave the security of my neighbourhood, to journey with you in your neighbourhood. May I be comfortable walking the streets of vulnerability and crossing the intersections of despair and hope with those who struggle to find the way.’
It was a good walk… I look forward to what I might discover tomorrow….