Listening on the Way

A Journey with Jonah and the Spirituality of Bewilderment…
10 October 2020

We are living in strange and difficult times. All around us, (and in our own lives too), there is a feeling of anxiety, disorientation and bewilderment.
The Benefice Pilgrimage Day offered a chance to stop, to reflect, and to listen to what is going on within ourselves.
The opportunities to listen – through prayer, art, creativity, walking, thinking, and silence – enabled us all to discover something of ourselves, our neighbours and God.
Everyone was invited to participate as much as they could … for the whole day, or simply a five minute moment to reflect.

There were many activities taking place through the day.

Artistic Pilgrimage.

Click here to see how you can share in our artistic pilgrimage.

Videos from the Day

Click here to catch up on videos of services and reflections.

Scallop Shells!

We’re encouraging people to put decorated scallop shells (a sign of St James, and of pilgrimage) into their windows, or at the front of their house for people to spot. If you spot a shell, why not share a photo!

YouTube Links are on our YouTube Channel, here

The Full Day Programme

8.30am

Full-Day Walking Pilgrimage
A socially distanced service of commissioning and sending out for those undertaking a full-day’s walking pilgrimage. Each pilgrim departs with a small scallop shell as a reminder of pilgrimage, baptism, and as a focus for prayer.

St George’s Church, and live-streamed on Facebook

Candles are lit at home by other home-based pilgrims, and pictures of scallop shells displayed in windows.

9.30am

Praying Together. As a Seed Falls.
Where do we begin? A socially distanced contemplative service, (and broadcast via zoom), with music from violinists, John and Jane Kane.
Liturgy Here

St John’s Church – and Zoom

During the Morning

Quietness and Reflection –
Noticing Autumn.
To notice in the natural world the movement into autumn as leaves fall, seed heads replace flowers and fruit, acorns crunch under foot, birds prepare to migrate, the sun sits lower in the sky…

Reflect on what has been lost over the past 6 months and pray for those who have been affected the most. Acknowledge our own feelings and bring them before God.

Ideas for creative prayer and meditation are available separately.

At home, or out and about.

10am-4pm

Prayer focus. Starting the Journey.
Come and explore the labyrinth, the journey to the centre.

Create your own ‘mandala’.

Scallop shells will be available for those who wish to take one.

Prayer prompts for the shorter pilgrimage from St John’s to St George’s along the Andover Road are available separately.

St John’s Church

Journeying with Jonah
(Any time)

1 Anywhere but Nineveh.
Short reflection (1of3)

YouTube

12 noon

Praying Together. Growth begins in the dark soil.
A socially distanced service, and broadcast via Zoom.

You can download the liturgy here.

St George’s Church
– and Zoom

Afternoon Reflection

Reflecting on signs of hope
To be attentive to signs of life, of beauty, of hope… What is life-giving for us? What, if anything, have we learnt over the past 6 months as individuals, as a society, as a church? Where is God in this?

You could ‘prayer-walk’ your road, or nearby neighbourhood, focussing on God’s love for every household, or shop, school…

Find something from the natural world or from around your home or as you walk along that has been discarded. Use it as a prayer focus for what must be left behind. Find a seed (conker, acorn, seed-head) and use it as a focus for new growth, renewal, reflecting on what good could come from all of this.

Ideas for creative prayer and meditation are available separately.

At home, or out and about.

Journeying with Jonah
(Any time)

2 Down deep in the belly of paradox.
Short reflection (2of3)

YouTube

11am-5pm

Prayer focus. Pausing on the journey.
Praying for the world – captured in a collage of images from the last 6 months… Come and place a seed that you’ve found – conker, acorn etc – as a silent prayer of hope.

Collect a scallop shell as a sign of journeying on and to keep in your pocket through the year.

St George’s Church

3pm

3pm Service of Returning and Blessing
A short service, socially distanced, for those returning from the day’s pilgrimage.

St George’s Church
– and Zoom

Journeying with Jonah
(Any time)

3 Bewildered by Love.
Short reflection (3of3)

YouTube

6pm

Praying Together. Signs of life are forever growing.
A service via zoom to close the day. Liturgy here

Zoom

Links to other Pages and Content for pilgrimage