Walk #1327 -- the BEST EVER!

I've posted twice (on 24 June and 25 September) about men's Walk to Emmaus #1327. Well, this past weekend the Walk took place, the 1327th for either men or women in southwest Texas. It was at Mt. Wesley Methodist camp in Kerrville in the Hill Country. Since watches, cellphones, laptops and all other electronic commo devices are banned from walks to Emmaus, I haven't been able to post anything for some days on this, my blogsite.

But I didn't mind! My whole being was absorbed in the business of service on the Team presenting this Walk. And what a tremendous blessing it was!

As I've mentioned before, I was a Pilgrim (first-timer) on Walk #327 -- exactly 1,000 Walks ago (here in SW TX), back at the end of October A.D. 1993. And I was on the Team for Walk #1005, in August of A.D. 2002. Both those walks were here at Mt. Wesley also. (There are several sites in the region, and in every state, for a Walk to Emmaus, and I have attended Candlelight for walks elsewhere in addition to Mt. W.)

In my service on #1005 I was introduced to the concept that THAT particular then-upcoming Walk would be THE BEST Walk ever. At first glance I poo-poo'ed the idea, remembering how wonderful #327 had been for me as a Pilgrim. But I found out, when we actually did #1005 -- it WAS the best ever (to that point). In fact, I was so overwhelmed by the holiness of the Dying Moment which took place on the second day, that I considered the story of Moses' encounter with Yahweh at the burning bush, and how God told Moses to remove his shoes because he stood on holy ground. The Holy Spirit told me, "You think this likewise is a holy moment and holy ground? Then why are your shoes still on your feet?" My shoes came off in a heartbeat!

Please, dear reader, do NOT get the idea that a Walk to Emmaus is that intense thru'out the three days, or that it's like being in a monastery chapel. Far from it! Emmaus people KNOW firsthand that being a Christian is FUN, and even humorous at times.

On the first evening (Thursday) there are brief introductory comments by the Lay Director and the Spiritual Director, to orient the Pilgrims to the Walk. There is also a game of "Meet My New Best Friend" in which participants pair up and ask each other a few simple get-acquainted questions. First question is name -- an easy question, since everyone is wearing nametags. Final question is to tell me an interesting fact about yourself. Then, each of the pair gets to introduce his "new best friend" to the whole group. And the "interesting facts" are often either humorous in themselves or in the manner in which they are told to the group.

What was even more a laugher was when Bruce Bray, Lay Director, in briefly telling the Pilgrims what to expect, came to the subject of food. Now, on a Walk there are three square meals daily -- in fact one could almost call them three cubic meals (or "round-ing", ha, ha), and the conference room where the Talks are given has a "food agapé" table, always well-stocked with food of all sorts. So Bruce, who is 6 feet tall or taller and pushing 300 pounds, confessed that "my being on walks to Emmaus has made me as big as I am; in fact, some folks call it the 'Walk to Enormous'".

I wish he hadn't said that last, because whenever I looked at the "food agapé" table those words "Walk to Enormous" sprang to mind so fast I almost got mental whiplash!

Agapé, BTW, is the Greek word used in the New Testament for unconditional love based on the will rather than feelings, like God's love. It's the love Paul describes in I Corinthians 13. In Emmaus we also use agapé to label small deeds done or small items given, that express unconditional love. For example, whenever the Pilgrims and Team return to their sleeping quarters following a session in the conference room, we find "pillow agapé" -- little objects or cards with little objects which will have an appropriate Scripture verse or an encouraging phrase (and usually the name of the small group or whomever made and provided it).

My "new best friend" was one of the Pilgrims, named Travis Simon. He told me that his French ancestor upon coming to America, dropped the final "e" from the family name. So I took to calling him "See-MONE" during the Walk; he took it in good humor. What I shared as his "interesting fact" was that he was born in California, but after marrying a girl from Texas and then living in his home state, the wife talked him into moving to Texas. As I said, "Those of you who are native Texans know that you can take the Texan out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the Texan!"

Being one of the clergy on the Team (even tho' I do not hold a clergy job, I retain my ordination with the Disciples of Christ, and do occasionally preach), I sat at the "extra" table. All the Pilgrims, along with Table Leaders and Assistants, sit at tables labelled with names of the four evangelists or St. Peter, St. Paul or another saint. We at the "extra" table (in addition to the clergy also the Lay Director and assisting Team members) don't do the responses to the Talks that the Pilgrims' tables do, so we're called St. Elsewhere.

But we at St. Elsewhere DO join in on the general group activities, particularly the singing. Before each Talk there is singing of rousing praise songs like "I Saw the Light" and more tho'tful ones like "Awesome God", before the "centering song" is sung to focus everyone's minds & spirits on the upcoming Talk (see 24 June post). I found out during team formation meetings, that the music team would lead us at least twice in "This Train". So I offered to bring my train crew cap and whistle from my summer work on Fiesta Texas Railroad. Man, I had FUN throwing on that cap and blowing the whistle and saying, "All aboard!" when the music team started that song! One time I made sure I was at the front, near the musicians. As we got into the first verse of "This Train" I started making motions with my forearms like the rods of the train wheels, choo-choo'ed on over to the nearest table and invited the Table Leader to "get on board" (along with his Table Family) by getting behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders and following me. By the end of the song the entire room was doing this "conga line" around the tables!

Didn't I say we Christians have FUN???

Still, the Walk to Emmaus has a serious, Godly purpose. It is to renew the Pilgrim's faith and deepen his (or on a Women's Walk, her) relationship with Jesus. Thru individual renewal, the Emmaus experience renews the local congregation and equips congregational members who return from the Walk to be leaders in the local church. The Talks may have humorous anecdotes supplied by each speaker, but the overall outline is very serious while also being educational and uplifting, encouraging.

And then there are the intense experiences that take place away from the conference room, in the chapel and other places. One of these is the Dying Moment I mentioned above. Now, on THIS Walk, my shoes came off well before the Dying Moment. But they also came off then, as well as often later, including during my Talk. I told someone sometime on that final day, that I might as well have gone barefoot the entire time!

Well, I could go on and on. But then if you, dear reader, get opportunity to go on a Walk or Cursillo or similar 3-day retreat with follow-up, you will miss out on the element of surprise that's present in a few of the activities. Surprise which heightens the sense of discovery of oneself and one's relationship with an awesome God and Savior and with the Body of Christ which is the Church. And also, to be honest, some of those special and intense moments were between one or two other persons and me and Daddy God. And I'd prefer to keep these that way. (Jesus taught His disciples to call God "Abba", in His language of Aramaic "Abba" is a term of endearment similar to a little child's "Daddy" in our English.)

De colores. And "thank You, Lord, for the awesome experience of the Best Walk Ever, #1327! Amen and amen!"

De colores.