The Pilgrim

I have written previously about the language of "journey" and "story" that is used ubiquitously today. Everyone is on a "journey" and everyone has a "story". We need, as Christians, to be careful using this type of language because for many people today it simply reflects a meandering, rambling path that has no purpose, end, or goal. There is no telos. Most people do not know where they are going. In addition, most of those who use this language are centering the journey upon themselves: it is a self-serving story. It is a journey of self-importance.

Christians, on the other hand, are on a path that has an end in sight; we are heading for the celestial city, the city with foundations, that is, the land that will never perish or fade away. And we are going there to meet the King! It is he whom we serve on this pilgrimage. One of the Puritan prayers in the Valley of Vision puts it well:

"May I feel that I am a stranger and a pilgrim on earth,
declaring plainly that I seek a country,
my title to it becoming daily more clear,
my meetness for it more perfect,
my foretaste of it more abundant;
and whatsoever I do may it be done in the Savior's name."