Journeying
The journey of life
by Claire Law
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider how physical journeys might support spiritual journeys.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (Journeying) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘The Miracle Maker – Road to Emmaus’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 3.22 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/tKmK9bMZfOk (show from 0.45 to 3.16 minutes).
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Welcome the students to the assembly. - Ask the students whether they’ve ever gone on a journey and been asked to be the map-reader. Perhaps they’ve tried orienteering or been on a DofE expedition.
Point out that most of us rely on Google Maps or satnav to help us get from A to B. Even so, we still need to know how to interpret maps and directions to avoid getting lost. It can be daunting to be given a map and be in charge of leading people in the right direction. - Ask the students, ‘What are your map-reading skills like?’
Tell them that you are going to test them with a quick quiz to find out the answer.
Explain that you are going to show some symbols that are found on Ordnance Survey maps and you want the students to identify what each symbol represents. - Show Slide 2.
Ask the students, ‘What does this symbol mean?’
Show Slide 3.
The correct answer is: parking. - Show Slide 4.
Ask the students, ‘What does this symbol mean?’
Show Slide 5.
The correct answer is: a place of worship with a tower. - Show Slide 6.
Ask the students, ‘What does this symbol mean?’
Show Slide 7.
The correct answer is: a railway station. - Show Slide 8.
Tell the students that this is a harder one. Ask them, ‘What does this symbol mean?’
Show Slide 9.
The correct answer is: cycle hire. Point out that this is a tricky one because there are similar symbols to indicate cycle trails and even mountain bike trails. However, this circular symbol represents cycle hire. - Show Slide 10.
Tell the students that this is the final challenge. Ask them, ‘What does this symbol mean?’
You may need to provide the clue that the students might find this type of terrain at the beach.
Show Slide 11.
The correct answer is: shingle. It is a type of terrain that consists of small, round stones that cover a beach, or the ground by the edge of a river. - Knowing how to read a map can help us to know our physical location when we are on a journey. However, the idea of understanding where we are going is also a theme in various world religions.
For centuries, people of faith have seen a link between physical journeys and spiritual journeys. Like a physical journey, a spiritual journey comprises both a destination and the journey itself. We can learn a lot about our inner world as we journey through life, no matter what our destination is. - The Bible tells us how Jesus and his disciples moved from place to place and town to town. Along the way, they probably got lost a few times and needed to ask for directions or consult a map. We also know that sometimes, the disciples felt confused about what their faith in Jesus really meant. Part of their spiritual journey was to ask questions.
- On one occasion, after Jesus had saved the disciples’ lives by calming a storm, Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the disciples asked themselves, ‘“Who is this man? Even the winds and waves obey him!”’ (Matthew 8.27)
- In John’s Gospel, we read, ‘At first, his disciples did not understand all this.’ (John 12.16) In other words, Jesus’ disciples were on a spiritual journey that involved asking questions and being curious about their faith. As they physically walked from town to town, there was movement in their spiritual life too.
- This process didn’t end with Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Luke’s Gospel (Luke 24.13-35), there is a passage about a physical journey that two of Jesus’ disciples took towards a town called Emmaus. It was the day when Jesus’ tomb had been found empty, and the disciples chatted as they walked, trying to make sense of their feelings of grief and confusion about Jesus’ death on the cross.
Jesus had been crucified just days before. The disciples had heard people saying that they’d seen Jesus alive, and that he was risen from the dead. This had left them feeling confused about where they were heading spiritually, so as they walked, they talked. On the way, they met a man, who joined them and chatted with them. The disciples talked about Jesus and what he’d meant to them, and the conversation helped them to understand better the meaning of Jesus’ death. It was only later that the disciples realized that the person who had joined them on the road was, in fact, the risen Jesus. - This video shows us what happened.
Show the YouTube video ‘The Miracle Maker – Road to Emmaus’ from 0.45 to 3.16 minutes. - For the disciples, moving from A to B resembled how their feelings and faith were shifting too. The physical journey is a symbol of their inner journey of faith.
For centuries, many people of various faiths have undertaken pilgrimages. A pilgrimage is a journey, often a long and difficult one, to a special place, usually for religious reasons. During a pilgrimage, pilgrims expect to journey spiritually as well as physically. - Show Slide 12.
Every year, millions of Muslims undertake Hajj, a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Completing Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. This year, Hajj is due to take place in June, and many pilgrims will undertake it, intending to grow and deepen their faith. - Show Slide 13.
Likewise, Christians from around the world visit Lourdes in France, or journey to Jerusalem. For these pilgrims, one reason to take such a journey is to understand better where they are heading in terms of their spiritual life.
Time for reflection
We don’t need to leave home to undertake a spiritual journey. We can journey inwards without putting on our hiking boots or taking a plane. In fact, we can take time wherever we want to and journey inwards.
So, let’s take a moment to consider where we are all heading. Let’s take some quiet time to consider our own journeys, including our inner journey. As we listen to various questions, let’s silently consider the answers to them.
Where are you journeying to in your own life?
Pause to allow time for thought.
There will be many physical journeys that you are planning to make today, this week, this year and beyond.
But let’s take a moment to consider our inner journey.
What matters to you in life?
Pause to allow time for thought.
What questions do you have about your own faith and what you believe to be important in your own life?
Pause to allow time for thought.
Who can you talk to about your beliefs and what matters to you?
Pause to allow time for thought.
To what extent is quiet reflection or prayer important to you on your own inner journey?
Pause to allow time for thought.
Prayer
Dear God,
We pause in prayer, trusting that you are with us during the journey of life.
When we have questions, or we are confused, or we aren’t sure where we are heading, please help us to remember that you walk with us.
When we feel confident about the direction that we are taking, please help us to remember that you walk with us.
We pray that, through your Holy Spirit, we can sense the places that are helpful for us to move towards.
Please guide us away from things that harm and hurt us.
Please help us to find moments when we can consider our inner journey today.
Help us to pause and consider where we are heading.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Circle of life’ from the film The Lion King, available at: https://youtu.be/GibiNy4d4gc (4.06 minutes long)
