Walk in Love

How many of you have heard of the Camino de Santiago? It is a pilgrimage that can start from different points around Europe but you end up in the Cathedral at Santiago where it is believed that the bones of St. James the Apostle are kept. Pilgrims often wear a shell around their neck to show they are seeking the pearl of wisdom in their journey. You get a certificate if you walk at least one hundred kilometers (sixty miles) to get there. In it, there is an incense burner that is roughly six feet tall and weighs over one-hundred and twenty pounds. In its full swing, it can move up to thirty-five miles an hour and travels over one-hundred and eighty feet side to side. Its name is "Botafumeiro." Since 2013, the number of pilgrims that are walking this are growing by about ten percent a year. Even one of the baristas down at Java Moose walked this in the Spring. It is the third most popular pilgrimage of Christianity behind Jerusalem and Rome. I got this incense burner and incense from Jerusalem when I was in seminary. 

From Jerusalem to Ephesus it is eight hundred miles, it is in the western part of modern day Turkey, so Paul and his companions probably did a lot of sailing to get there, but also a lot of walking. It would have taken him about a month to get there. Paul in his journeys often stopped and preached along the way so it was much longer. Biblical scholars estimate that he would spend a year or two in a place to share the gospel. In Paul's time up to 60 AD (or CE), Paul and the Apostles didn't think of themselves as Christians, but Jews who followed the Way of Christ. They identified themselves as "Followers of the Way." It wasn't until the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD that Christianity and Judaism became separate religions. When Paul left, some from his entourage would stay behind to continue to help lead and teach. 

Our reading today seems to be pretty basic rules of behavior. Don't! No! Stop it! It wasn't that there was no ethics or morals out there in ancient Turkey or within the Roman Empire. However with multiple gods and religions and cultures, there were wide differences in what was expected and what was valued. Paul believed that not just Jews where called to be follow Jesus and love God, but all people, all Gentiles, where now part of the gospel, the good news. Some followers also believed that if they were saved, or liberated, then they could do what they want for their place in heaven was assured. Their sins wouldn't count against them and they were free to do what they want. Paul fervently believed in grounding ourselves in the love of God. He is exhorting them to walk the talk. 

One of the major problems with Christianity today is that many people from the outside don't see an average church-goer walking the talk. Especially some of our leaders of our nation and in our communities. I am not calling out any one on the national or local scene. But I am sure that we can think of a few who seem to wear their Christianity as a shield and use it as a sword rather than following the Way. However, it is not to them that we should be looking at, it is at ourselves. It isn't just the avoiding the lying, stealing, foul talk, and anger, it is extravagant love. Loving our neighbor, loving the earth, loving God, and loving ourselves. In this time where the nation is divided, in this time where more and more people are leaving the church, in all denominations, and in this time where we are facing catastrophic

weather events and changing climate and eco-systems, it is all the more important that our love, Christ's love, God's love centers us, grounds us, and leads us forward. Let us walk in love. Let us be filled with love. Let us shower love out into the world. Let us walk in love.