The Iron Cross

We arrived at the Iron Cross at about 10:00 am, and sat down to wait for our opportunity to go the base of the 30 meter pole to leave our stones.  Eventually we each did so and we tried to get a meaningful picture.  However there were a number of spainish men taking multiple photos in their spandex biking suits.   For them it was a photo op while we were trying to have a meaningful spiritual moment.

There are lots of pilgrims on bicycles on the Camino often in couples but there is also many groups of six to ten of spainish men in matching spandex biking shorts. Lots of groups.  It seems that their journey is about a bicycle vacation and isn't about the spiritual pilgrimage.   They rush by and usually have little to do with the pilgrims from various nations.   Because they are on the bikes they aren't meeting people along the way during the day.  They are on vacation following a designated route but not on a spiritual pilgrimage. 

In the church we could possibly design our worship and programming to appeal to the spiritual vacationer.  Use only upbeat music performed by professional musicians, make the spiritual journey easy, and fast, avoid unnecessary relationships, avoid any inconveniences, but in doing so we will be feeding people spiritual pablum, food without substance that requires no chewing.   The church might gain in size but loose its soul in the process.  Many of the big mega churches have followed this route and many have felt the hollowness of this path.

True spirituality nurtures relationship and social and personnel transformation.  True spirituality engages the struggles of life and does not offer short cuts. 

Eventually the biking group left the iron cross and there was a break when no one else arrived.  In that moment the wind gusted at the base of the pile rocks and  created a little twister in the dust.  Our prayers, our letting go, symbolized by our rocks,  were gathered up in the wind of God and taken away.  It was a Pentecost moment.  It was a gift, unlooked for, unexpected, and perfectly timed.  To add to this as we contined on the journey, the path was filled with butterflys, a favourite symbol of transformation.

Three things this event offers for the spiritual journey.  One, sometimes one has to pause and wait for the Spirit to respond.  Sometimes the distraction has to move on before we are ready to see the work of God in our lives.  Two, we need to trust the Holy One to respond when we step forward and follow through on the planned ritual.  Three we must watch for the signs of The Presence in the timelines of the ordinary and the extraordinary. 

Describing this experience does not share the reality.  It is easy enough to explain away both the wind and the butterflys but spiritual meaning comes from the heart.  We give meaning to an experience because or our hopes and our spiritual needs.  

In our lives and in the life of our church, we need to keep our hearts open to the timely intervention of the  Holy One. 

Peace Bill