In the heart

Ron Ferguson

IN the American Midwest there are several Bible colleges. There’s great competition for business, and they advertise in various magazines. Some time ago, one of them advertised its college as being “located seven miles from any known form of sin”.

What they meant was that its students would have to travel seven miles to find a pub, a brothel, a disco or a cigarette machine. It was intended to reassure parents of prospective students that they would be far removed from temptation.

Despite calling itself a Bible College, I feel somehow that they had missed the point.

What we know as sin is not located seven miles away or even seven feet away. We don’t have to look any further than the human heart. It’s as close as that. It’s there that we find our own wounding and our own shortcomings. Jesus says that it’s what’s inside a person that counts, not what’s outside, not the externals, not the image. So: sinfulness, brokenness, wounds and the need for healing are no distance away. We only need to look in the mirror.

The Christian calendar has its special seasons for reflection and new beginnings, but the secular world has its own rituals too. January is traditionally a time for contemplation and the making of New Year resolutions. These meet with varying degrees of success: “In one year and out the other”.

I find the current rise of interest in pilgrimage to be interesting. Traditional walking routes such as the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage are attracting many people of all nationalities and traditions. The Holy Land and Rome have attracted pilgrims for centuries. Nearer to home, places such as Iona and Whithorn are popular destinations. A new St Magnus pilgrimage in Orkney is attracting many people: the combination of the beautiful island scenery and the stops for reflection at wayside markers is proving to be a big draw.

Why is this happening? The increasing busyness and stresses of modern life are taking their toll, and the ancient tradition of walking the old (and new) pilgrim ways give people the space to reflect upon their own priorities and make new decisions. Many of those who walk are on personal journeys of penitence. The experience of pilgrimage can be transformational.

So what about sin? To say that sin is not seven miles away but is much nearer home is not to be pessimistic, but simply to be realistic. In our heart of hearts we know that. But where’s the good news that the Gospel talks about?

The Good News is that the Kingdom of God is within us as well. We are not located seven miles from any known form of Good News. We don’t have to travel any distance.

It’s here.

One old Celtic writer put it this way:

“Since God is near to all who call upon Him, no necessity is laid upon us to cross the sea. For one can approach the kingdom of Heaven from every land.”

“So what about sin? To say that sin is not seven miles away but is much nearer home is not to be pessimistic, but simply to be realistic.

In other words, if you’re going to find God in pilgrimage, you’ve got to find him on the journey in your own heart. So: journeys, pilgrimages are fine: but only if the external physical journey is matched by a journey inwards. In the heart. One can approach the kingdom of God from every land: it is closer to us than breathing.