“I thought this was a ‘Footsteps of St. Paul’ pilgrimage, but we’ve only taken one step with Paul.”
A group of 35 of us have been island hopping for the last several days throughout the Aegean Sea as part of a pilgrimage through Greece and Turkey. Please visit the Lord of Life Facebook and Instagram social media pages if you would like to follow our travels.
We started in Athens and Corinth, focusing on the places and ways Paul interacted with the various communities, but then pushed off for several days away from the mainland. The Apostle Paul never made it to the islands of Mykonos and Santorini, as far as we know, but the Christian faith has taken deep roots here. His life and legacy made a profound difference here. 97% of Greece is Orthodox Christian.
Throughout the centuries, Paul’s message of forgiveness, redemption, and hope took root in communities and spread as other missionaries shared the news of the One risen from the dead, as well as those sharing stories through commerce, immigration, and other means of connection.
In the coming days, our tour will take us deep into the places that Paul visited on his second missionary journey, including Thessaloniki, Berea, and Philippi.
The work that he did there planting seeds of faith through conversation, teaching, and common labor with others transformed people and communities in Jesus’ name.
As we travel and think about Paul’s ministry, I’m reminded of the Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13. It is a powerful story about a farmer who tossed seeds everywhere they went. Some landed on the path, on the rocky ground, among the thorns, and on the good soil. Not all of the seeds survived. Some were gobbled up, blew away, or were choked by thorns. But some took root and thrived!
Musician David Scherer (AKA Agape) embraces a different metaphor and encourages us to “sprinkle sunshine.” All the time, everywhere we go, God calls us to sprinkle sunshine. On the good days, sprinkle sunshine. On the challenging days, sprinkle sunshine. In our sorrow and in our joy, sprinkle sunshine. We can’t control where it will land, how it will be received, or the impact it will make, but we pray and trust that God will use it to change the world.
Whether we are at the locations of the Apostle Paul’s speeches and ministry or on the other side of the world in Ohio, I’m grateful for the countless ways that God continues to use us to sprinkle sunshine into the world. May God work through us in mighty and powerful ways to all yearning for hope and peace.
Wishing you Peace on your journey!
Pastor Lowell Michelson