Faith Matters | For ‘poor boys and pilgrims,’ the journey to Graceland is never ending

About a month ago, my middle child and I headed north to Tennessee to pick up our new puppy: a golden retriever/Irish setter hybrid (that sounds more debonair than “mixed breed” doesn’t it?). Upon further reflection, the trek reminded me of a fictitious trip and track on Paul Simon’s album, “Graceland.”

My traveling companion is nine years old

He is the child of my first marriage

But I’ve reason to believe

We both will be received

In Graceland

My traveling companion, also a child of my first (but only) marriage and of similar age, and I, had good reason to believe we both would be received in our respective “Graceland:” an off-the-grid house outside of the town of Pulaski. I had, after all, put down a deposit. After exchanging pleasantries, I tasked my 10-year-old son to pick out the smallest and calmest of the litter. We had finally picked out “Journey,” and with that namesake, we would begin ours the next morning.

We named her “Journey” for a number of reasons. It took a journey (meaning a lot of begging, bribing, bargaining, and painting) to convince my wife to sign off on getting a dog in the first place. We embarked on a multi-day Biblo Baggins-esque “there and back again” journey just to get her. And of course who doesn’t love the band Journey? But ultimately, we as a family chose the name for its spiritual allusion.

While some consider the individual’s “spiritual journey” surrendering too much to the western individualistic mindset, I see too many metaphors, terms, and narratives in the scriptures to overlook its use and benefit today. The New Testament writers announce Jesus’ arrival as the prophetic hope of an on-foot journey home from exile. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God (Isaiah 40:3). In other words, God’s people understood, “We are now being led by Him on a journey back home.”

The words no parent ever wants to hear on a road trip, “Are we there yet?” can actually help quite a bit within the mindset of a spiritual journey. If faith were a destination, then you would expect to “get past” temptations, struggles, trials at some point later in life. How defeating when you don’t! But when faith is a journey, you never reach such a point. “We’re not there yet.”

In Psalm 84, we read about an unmasked delight, a man basking in the presence of God in His temple. While we no doubt read a different poet in Psalm 88, what faith traveler cannot identify with a delight one week, and downcast disconnect the next?

But I, O Lord, cry to you;

in the morning my prayer comes before you.

14 O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?

Why do you hide your face from me?

I don’t know how the character in Paul Simon’s “Graceland” would have completed a long journey with a nine-year-old without the help of a plethora of Diary of a Wimpy Kid audiobooks. Yet I can imagine the sustaining solace of a redemptive reception would have transformed the whole trip. Knowing that you’ll receive grace upon arrival softens some of the blows experienced in transit.

But what if we could remove all doubt, and regularly experience grace during the journey? The journey of the gospel does not begin with us, but with God. Our first step forward, and every step thereafter, begins and is motivated by his journey “downward” to us. He has traveled to where we are, wherever we are. Charles Wesley’s wonderful hymn “And can it be” expresses this:

He left His Father’s throne above, so free so infinite his grace,

Emptied himself of all but love, and bled for Adam’s helpless race

Graceland remains within reach for all who would be received nowhere else. For those tired of one traveling one journey, may I commend another one for the poor in spirit?

Poor boys and pilgrims with families

And we are going to Graceland

Faith Matters is written by members of the Bradenton area clerical community. Geoff Henderson is pastor of Harbor Community Church (harborcommunitychurch.org) in Bradenton. You can reach him at geoff@harborcommunitychurch.org.

This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 6:00 AM.