Pilgrims Wanted — Hazardous Journey, Small Wages – You In?
How’s that for a help wanted ad! Given the hipster job title “Pilgrim” and stellar job perks you might assume not too many resumes would hit my inbox. But hold on — you might be wrong!
My experience is some people are just wired for adventure. For some status quo, simply sitting on your hands, well just stinks!
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was a polar explorer in the early 1900’s who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was an adventurer and key figure in the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. This was the help wanted ad he ran in British newspapers. He filled his crews and turned hundreds away!
Men wanted – for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.
John Wimber was cut from this same cloth. A 1960’s hard drug using, California rock-n-roller and keyboardist for The Righteous Brothers, in 1963 Wimber had a radical conversion to Christ. This led him to become the founder of the Vineyard Movement We owe much of today’s modern worship to Wimber’s influence.
Never a fan of the status quo, the story is told that early in his new walk he asked a more seasoned pastor, “So, when do we do the stuff?”
“The ‘stuff’,” said the pastor. “What’s the ‘stuff’? You know, John replied, “the stuff in the Bible, like healing the sick and casting out demons. The stuff!” “Oh,” replied the pastor. “We don’t do the stuff. We believe they did it back in biblical days, but we don’t do it today.” With a rather confused look on his face, John could only say: “And I gave up drugs for this?” You get the idea!
Jesus you could say was an adventurer, not a fan of the status quo — and could I add the word pilgrim. And don’t let that word “pilgrim” throw you off. It really is a good and useful word and concept. To go all academic on you, pilgrim (from the Latin peregrinus) simply means a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) and who is on a journey to a holy place.
Jesus at his core was a pilgrim. And if I’ve got this right, his blood courses through our veins as we daily journey in this life to the places we are called to recognize and call holy. No funny hats to wear, no daily turkey dinners — just being the pilgrim/missionary and repping for our King Jesus in everyday places, which often reflect values far from those of heaven.
And if a Scripture address helps you get your head around this idea of pilgrim/missionary/Jesus follower, then try this one as rendered by Eugene Peterson in The Message: “God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:20
This Saturday morning, Forge Dallas is hosting a Missionary Conversation with Dr. Michael Stroope. He is down to earth and relational. He as well is a leading thinker, author, teacher, and practitioner in the missional movement. He currently hangs his hat at Truett Seminary at Baylor University. He’s lived worldwide for 21 years in places like Sri Lanka, England, Germany, and Hong Kong. He’s really good at helping Jesus followers learn what it means and how to embrace our calling as pilgrim/missionary/Jesus followers in our culture.
We invite you to come be part of this conversation. Door prizes and it’s all free! Please RSVP on our Facebook page event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/106952666771041/
This is the day’s schedule:
8:30 am: Continental Breakfast and Door Prize Giveaway
9:00 – 9:50: Missional Conversation – “The Pilgrim Ways of Jesus” What did Jesus’ witness look like?
10:00 – 10:50: Missional Conversation – “The Pilgrim Ways of Jesus Followers Now” What does witness look like in our culture now?
11:15 – 1:00 : Lunch and Forge Dallas Tribe Talk
Already in!