This podcast begins with a Story for All Ages offered by Director of Religious Education Rev. K.P. Hong.

Thanksgiving / Partner Church Service

Fellow Travelers, Common Journey — Lissa Gundlach

The poet Rumi wrote:

"O you who’ve gone on pilgrimage where are you, where, oh where?

Here, here is the Beloved! Oh come now, come, oh come!

Your friend, he is your neighbor, he is next to your wall."

Jerusalem may be the most Holy city in the world, a site of pilgrimage for Christians, Jews, Muslims, and seekers alike. The Temple Mount is a shared spiritual landmark for Jews and Muslims — the Dome of the Rock marks where Muslims believe the prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven, while the Jewish people believe the site to have supported the original Temple during Biblical times. How might a common pilgrimage journey provide fertile ground for connections amongst as well as conflict between people of faith?

Some pilgrimages involve travel to a foreign or holy destination. Others actually can occur right at home. Janne and Worship Associate Mary Baremore will explore the dimensions of staying home, recognizing the sacred lessons available in our everyday lives and the riches to be explored in the pilgrimage within.

Our series on pilgrimage begins with a service for the Day of the Dead. When we move through the world with pilgrim eyes even our memories take on new life. Mary Oliver writes, "it matters how you carry it, books, bricks, grief." Pilgrims have to learn to travel light.