Enniskillen Park June 24, 2007

Not All Who Wander Are Lost – David Mundy and Deb Laforet

Exodus 13:17-22

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Did everyone find their way here this morning without too much difficulty?

Did anyone get lost?

The first year I was at St. Paul’s I came out during the week to make sure that I knew the way to this spot. For this picnic you might not mind if the minister didn’t show up, but it was important for me to get here!

How many of you have gone on a journey where you weren’t sure of the way? We probably all have, and we may have said things that we didn’t want repeated in church when we realized that we took a wrong turn.

Deb: David? David! I’m glad that I found all of you – is this Saskatchewan?

David: Hi Deb. Good to see you. Saskatchewan? Not quite. I know this is your last Sunday with us, and you’re excited about getting under way, but you’re still in Ontario. Actually, we’re just outside of Bowmanville. Can anyone here point toward Saskatchewan to help Deb?

I brought my compass along so we can point west and north toward Saskatchewan.

Deb: I really knew this. The moving van doesn’t come for another week. And we have our journey all mapped out. But all of our family is excited – and a little nervous. When we leave for Saskatchewan some of us are going by car and some by plane.

David: You aren’t going to walk?

Deb: It’s too far to walk!

David: Couldn’t you just ride a donkey?

Deb: We don’t have a donkey!

David: I suppose it would be too slow anyway. How long will it take you to get there by car?

Deb: [You can tell folk how long and that you will leave Canada and drive through the States and back into Ontario and then through Manitoba before eventually getting to your new home in Stoughton, Saskatchewan, Do you know how many kilometres it might be?]

Do you know that long ago God’s people went on a journey to a new land, a place they didn’t know at all. They had been slaves and they cried out to God to help them. Does anyone here know the name of the person who was their leader? This morning we listened to a small part of that story and it says “God led them by the roundabout way.” That’s an understatement! How long did it take the people to get to the Promised Land? Forty years is a long, long time.

And they had no clear directions. No Mapquest They did have a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead them onward.

Some people would say that they were lost in the wilderness. They even complained at times because they were tired of wandering around. You might be surprised to know their journey wasn’t as long as the one the Laforets will be on, but they were on foot and there were a lot of them. But in the end they realized that God had always been with them and was guiding them.

J.R.R. Tolkien who wrote the Lord of the Rings once said that “Not all who wander are lost.” That’s a very good reminder for us as Christ’s people

There are times in our lives when we aren’t sure of our direction. We would like to feel confident and that we have our compass bearings for what life holds. But there are always questions:

Should I take that new job?

Is this the right moment to retire?

Have I found the right person to share my life with?

What will I do when I finish school?

Even though these moments can be confusing and scary, we often look back and realize that we have not been alone, just as it says in our creed “In life and death and life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone.”

David: Deb, Why are you so ready to leave your house and the people you know and your church family?

Deb: It will be hard to go, but we believe that God has wonderful things in store for us. [Add anything you like here]

I brought our Jesus doll with us this morning as a reminder that Christ is with us too, as we journey. Wherever we may wander, Jesus is our way, and truth, and life.