Still a Bewildered Outsider

 

                                                         Baptism of Christ -- artist unknown 

Yesterday we went for a walk in the woods which are only a few minutes away on foot. It's a privelege to be able to ramble about amidst the trees and along the edge of a stream without requiring a vehicle to get there. It was a windy day so the tree-tops were in motion, the Autumn leaves were sifting down, and the noise of the city was neglible. On our return we took furthur advantage of the incorrect forecast for rain. Instead we sat on our deck to read and looked up occasional to see clouds racing across the sky. What a gift on World Mental Health Day.

These experiences brought to mind my declared commitment to be a "bewildered outsider" upon my retirement more than six years ago. While I wanted to find a faith community where I could worship and contribute we both wanted to spend as much time outdoors as possible as an expression of our faith. I'm satisfied that we've done so, walking, cycling, paddling. 

Of course, "be-wildered outsider" is a play on words. Usually when we say we're bewildered we're suggesting confusion or befuddlement. Yet wilderness experiences are often demanding and clarifying. In everyday parlance outsiders are those who may not fit in or be part of the tribe. Yet when we are outdoors there are moments which seems miraculous and we have a sense of oneness with all of Creation. 

                                                      Moses and the Burning Bush -- Brent Kastler 

Consider figures from scripture, though, everyone from Moses, to Abraham and Sarah, to Elijah who had their epiphanies on mountains and in deserts. Other prophets such as Amos use metaphors from the natural world which they knew firsthand. 

Jesus had his forty days in the wilderness before ministry began, was baptized in a river, climbed a mountain with his disciples, and spoke to their bewilderment by the edge of Lake Galilee after his resurrection. Even the apostle Paul experienced his conversion by the edge of a road, then mysteriously headed into the wilds of Arabia for two or three years to get his head straight before beginning his remarkable evangelical journeys. I do wish we knew more about this sojourn of spiritual discovery. 

It is rare for us not to feel renewed and restored after spending time outdoors, even on what appear to be bleak days from the inside of the glass. For those of us who live in parts of North America where the leaves transform into glorious colour, this is as good a time as any to join the church of the bewildered outsiders. 

                                                                            Moira River