September 10, 2025 Midweek News
Hello church!
Last Sunday we began a worship series “Quest: The Awakened Traveler.” This series is a journey about journeying, about traveling as a spiritual act. Whether you travel far away or simply begin to see our local surroundings as if for the first time, “pilgrimage” has long been a spiritual practice, and “journey” a metaphor for our spiritual lives. Last week we reflected on the idea of “leaving home” using the text of the Hebrews leaving slavery in Egypt.
This four-week worship series will encourage us to open ourselves more fully to the curiosity and wonder, reflection and transformation that travelers–not merely tourists–experience when we choose to immerse ourselves in soul-widening adventures. And the best thing is that you don’t have to go anywhere or have been anywhere in order to go on this adventure together. The main point of the series is not so much where or how you “travel,” but that the act of expanding our horizons and challenging our preconceived notions is essential to our journey of faith.
I will show a clip of travel guru Rick Steves each week during worship. Last week we heard Rick talk about “the road as church” and how his journey of faith intersects with his vocation as a tour guide. Here’s a second clip I didn’t get to show on Sunday. Rick shares about where and how he finds spirituality on his travel journeys. It’s 4 mins, and after you watch it, reflect on this question:
Video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O2SqkoUQ6E
What kind of things have you experienced (or would like to experience) that broaden your perspective about life and spirituality and connection to a larger world?
Can you recall instances and/or places where you felt “closer to God?”
Blessings,
Pastor Jared