Invitation & encouragement from Fr. John
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Let’s go walking!
As the Rector, the Rev. John Beddingfield, spends June and July of 2022 away from the parish on sabbatical, he’ll be doing a lot of walking. He invites the parish and friends of Holy Trinity to join him in walking— whether that means actively walking more and moving your body, or simply reflecting on your own faith journey. We’re invited to think especially about how HOSPITALITY enters into our walking— whether we are thinking about our walk with God, our walk with other people, or the walking we do alone.
O God, whose Spirit fills us with breath and life, lead us, we pray, more deeply through hospitality. Enable us to be generous hosts, gracious guests, and reliable companions, that our walk with you and one another might always follow in the steps of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Resources
MAPS
BOOKS
Walking Home: From Eden to Emmaus by Margaret Guenther (New York: Morehouse Publishing, 2011). Some copies available in the back of the church. Join us in reading this book by former parishioner, priest, professor, and spiritual guide, the Rev. Margaret Guenther (1929—2016). On Wednesday nights, August 17 and 24, the Rector will talk about some of his walking during the sabbatical and invite the stories and experiences of others, as we discuss this book.
The Way Under Our Feet: A Spirituality of Walking by the Rt. Rev. Graham B. Usher (London: SPCK, 2020). Bishop Usher is the Bishop of Norwich, England and was trained as an ecologist before ordained ministry.
Reaching Out: The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life by Henri Nouwen (New York: Doubleday, 1975). This classic book was read and discussed as a Sunday morning Adult Education series and went into the planning of the sabbatical. Nouwen writes, “Hospitality means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.”
Christ Walk: A 40-Day Spiritual Fitness Program by Anna Fitch Currie (New York: Morehouse, 2021). Written by an Episcopalian, Christ Walk outlines a 40-day program for individuals and groups to focus on improving physical health while engaging in spiritual and mental reflection and growth. Individuals and groups select different biblical routes to complete (through walking, running, biking, etc.), while reading a reflective passage on health and spirituality each day of the journey.
Saved by Faith and Hospitality by Joshua W. Jipp (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2017). Jipp first provides a thorough interpretation of the major biblical texts related to the practice of hospitality to strangers, considering especially how these texts portray Christ as the divine host who extends God's welcome to all people. Jipp then invites readers to consider how God's hospitality sets the pattern for human hospitality, offering suggestions on how the practice of welcoming strangers can guide the church in its engagement with current social challenges—immigration, incarceration, racism, and more.
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition by Christine D. Pohl (Grand Rapid: Eerdmans, 1999). Combining rich biblical and historical research with extensive exposure to contemporary Christian communities -- the Catholic Worker, L'Abri, L'Arche, and others -- this book shows how understanding the key features of hospitality can better equip us to faithfully carry out the practical call of the gospel.
Hospitality and Islam: Welcoming in God’s Name by Mona Siddiqui (New Haven: Yale Press, 2015). Dr. Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, explores and compares teachings within the various Muslim traditions over the centuries, while also drawing on materials as diverse as Islamic belles lettres, Christian reflections on almsgiving and charity, and Islamic and Western feminist writings on gender issues.