Acts 16:9-15
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Ever since I was
in seminary, I’ve subscribed to the Christian
Century. It’s actually
published here in Chicago. It’s a
great source for religious news, faithful analysis and thoughtful
reflections. Its subtitle is “Thinking
Critically. Living Faithfully.” I
want to share with you a commentary that appeared in the most recent
issue. It is related to today’s
readings, especially the reading from Acts.
I found it very
thought provoking. And I hope it
will provoke thought for you. Or
provoke conversation. Or provoke
soul searching. It’s meant to be
provocative, I think. And if you
find yourself reacting, maybe that’s a place to look prayerfully at your own
life. It’s by the relatively new
publisher, Peter Marty. He also serves as Senior Pastor of a
large Lutheran church in Iowa.
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Tourist and
Traveler
Early Christians
used the Greek word hodos, or
"the way," to describe the literal and figurative paths their lives
followed. The wise men returned to their home country "by another road."
Jesus' disciples spoke of what happened to them "along the way” to Emmaus.
Hodos could also refer to a way of life. Jesus points to John the
Baptist as one who came “in the way (hodos)
of righteousness.” By the end of the book of Acts, we find Christians referring
to their whole communal life in Christ as “the Way."
According to
John's Gospel, Jesus told his followers, "l am the way." This
expression contrasts sharply with "I am the answer," something many
Christians assume he must have said but didn’t. The difference between the two
self-descriptions is huge. The
former invites grand adventure and openness to all of the ambiguities and
doubts that go with a journey along uncertain paths. The latter suggests a
packaged arrangement-a relationship involving little risk.
In his book Hidden History: Exploring Our Secret Past,
Daniel J. Boorstin explains the historical difference between a traveler and a tourist. In previous centuries,
travelers were those interested in
unfamiliar settings and wild encounters that enlarged perspective. "The
traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience," writes Boorstin. In contrast, "The
tourist is passive; he expects
interesting things to happen to him. He goes
sightseeing." Tourism, in this historian's assessment, is a spectator sport full of contrived, prefabricated experiences.
The root words
for travel and tourist informed Boorstin's study. Travel comes from the
same word as travail, meaning
trouble, work, or even torment. A
traveler takes risks, plunges into
diverse cultures, and seeks to learn local
customs. Unplanned experiences are
the traveler's norm, sometimes
involving challenging exploits. Travelers eat whatever food is placed before them. They aim to learn
as much of the language as possible.
Shopping for souvenirs plays no role in their ventures.
A tourist
sacrifices less. The word tour from the
Latin tornus— tool for making circles—literally
means "one who goes in circles." A tourist is a pleasure seeker who
passes through different exotic experiences only to return to a comfortable bed
at night. Insulated from the noise, the smells, and the local people, a tourist's
circle is complete once back home unpacking mementos and sharing photos.
I wonder if congregations
are full of travelers and tourists. Travelers would be those who come to
immerse their lives and refocus their values. They want to breathe the language
of faith and know the way of Christ, even if travail may be part of the
bargain. The tourists show up for a more passive experience, happy to drop in
when they are in the mood. They spectate and consume, glad that the donuts taste
fresh.
I suppose we all
have to choose the spiritual road or path that works for us. Will ours be a journey
rich in wild mystery, full of unknowables and incomprehensibles? Or will it be
a safer path where we pick up a word here and a phrase there, making a few
social connections along the way?
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Paul was clearly
a traveler. In today’s passage
from Acts he receives a vision calling him to take the Gospel to
Macedonia. So he leaves where he
is, gets in a small boat, and sets out across the Aegean for a foreign land.
This reflection
really challenges us to ask just one question: What way, what path is Jesus calling us to follow? For each of us, as individuals, there
is an answer to that question.
What path is each of us to follow as a disciple of Christ?
At first I
thought the challenge was just to take the road “less traveled.” But all we know about that way is that
it is unpopular, not necessarily that it is the Christian way.
Or maybe, when
we face a decision point, we are to take the more challenging road. Maybe, maybe not. Just because it is challenging does not
mean Jesus leads us there.
The question is: Where is Jesus leading you? What path are you called to take as a
follower of Christ? And, yes, it
may be an unpopular or challenging way.
But it will also be full of grace, rich in mystery, abounding in wonder
and accompanied by Christ.
So let us pray
that, as we follow the way of Christ today, we may be travelers, not tourists.
