The Walk Is A Part Of The Gift: A DevotionByDon

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The Walk is Part of the Gift ICM Devotion May 13, 2010

Two things recently happened to bring this devotion to the top of my heart: First, I participated in the Stations of the Cross in Colonial Williamsburg. Held on Good Friday, this literally moving event began at Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, went through the William & Mary campus, and concluded at the St. Bede Catholic Campus Ministry Center, several miles away. These pictures will give you an idea of what this looked like as a crowd gathered and moved with the Cross. [show Stations of the Cross pictures] The Stations, also called the Way of the Cross, are a depiction of the final hours (or Passion) of Jesus, and a devotion commemorating the Passion. They are a tradition that began in the 1300s 1400s. For me, this event was also a beautiful example of denominations holding hands for the sake of Christ, as the Episcopal and Catholic churches of Williamsburg jointly sponsored and led this annual reminder of Christs walk to His crucifixion. On this day, there were 14 stops along the way, each one bringing Scripture and prayers as a remembrance of the respective stations; in-between the station stops, the beautiful sounds of the groups singing filled the air. The 14 Stations went from Jesus being condemned to death to His being laid in the tomb, or from His carrying His cross from the Hall of Pilate where he was condemned to death, to the site of his execution on Golgotha, or Calvary. The second piece to the spiritual puzzle that led to this devotion was an article written by Barbara Hughes. Titled The Walk is Part of the Gift, it began with a story of a young boy who presented his mother with a beautiful seashell. Barbara wrote, Knowing that this particular type of shell could only be found on the other side of the island, (the mother) exclaimed, Oh, honey, you shouldnt have! Her concern came from knowing her son had traveled such a distance to find her gift. But in response, the boy simply smiled and said, The walk is part of the gift. As I read Barbaras article, my mind immediately went back to the Stations walk, and I was reminded of how Christs walk to His death was a part of His gift to us and of how His crucifixion and resurrection were a part of the gift of life God gives us, not just once, but ongoing. Its another of His gifts that keeps on giving! [See ditty at end] I wondered what Scripture said about Jesus including His walk in His gifts, so I did a search with my Bible software. Lets see what we can glean from just a few of the passages:
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Which is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise and walk? 6But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins he then said to the paralytic, Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home. 7He rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings. Matthew 9:5 8 (NAB)

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Here Jesus gives a walk as a part of His gift, even though the true walk was not what many saw it to be. Still, their awe and giving of glory to God tell us the walk was impactful.
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Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and youll recover your life. Ill show you how to take a real rest. 29Walk with me and work with mewatch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I wont lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 30Keep company with me and youll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28 30 (The Message) This is another example of Jesus gifts-that-keep-on-giving, as He offers a walk with Him as a part of His gift, and promises that this lifetime walk will not be heavy or ill-fitting! My friend told me this passage reminded her of I Come To The Garden Alone, in which we hear, He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. In both cases, it is the walk with Jesus that is a part of the gift we receive.
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He said, Come. Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus Matthew 14:29 (NAB) In this story, Jesus gives Peter the walk as a reminder to believe in Him. Peter had faith, but because Jesus knew his faith needed to grow, he got the walk, and a better understanding of how faith works.
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Now that very day two of them were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, 14and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. 15And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, 16but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. 17He asked them, What are you discussing as you walk along? Luke 24:13 17 (NAB) While His gift of death-into-life had already been given to them, Jesus adds this walk to His gift, through it giving them a new insight, when the time came, for them to see. Only then would they realize the walk was part of His gift.
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Dont act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice. 29Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment. John 5:28 29 (The Message) Jesus had just showed His disciples that walking was a part of His gift to the cripple man, who had been ill for 38 years. When Jesus told the man to rise, pick up his mat and walk, that is just what this man did. As the Jews tried to trap and persecute Him, Jesus told them there was another walk available to them, and it was a part of His gift of new resurrection life.
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When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. John 8:12 (NIV) Here Jesus told the Pharisees, and promises us, that a walk in His light of life is a part of His gift. The Message describes this light of life as plenty of light to live in. In any case, the walk is again a part of the magnificent gift of Jesus Himself!

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Then Peter said, Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk. 7Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the mans feet and ankles became strong. 8He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Acts 3:6 8a (NIV) Peters words and example of what God did through him can also be our encouragement that God wants us to include the walk as a part of our gifts. Sometimes we dont have what people want, but we can give what they need.
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On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 5He said, Who are you, sir? The reply came, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do. 7The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. 9 For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank. Acts 9:3-9 (NAB) God gave Paul the walk of his life as he went to Damascus, and Jesus walked with him, even though Paul did not know that until he was struck. At first Paul had no choice, as his sight was taken and his senses were overwhelmed. But God stayed with him as he was led into Damascus, forcing him to trust God. The walk was a part of Gods gift!
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In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10and called out, Stand up on your feet! At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. Acts 14:8 10 (NIV) Here Paul takes gifting to another level: determining first if this man has sufficient faith. So perhaps a part of our gift-giving is to determine that the gift will be appropriate. In this case, because it was, this walk was a part of Gods gift through Paul. As God has said: I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. 2 Cor 6:16b (NIV) In this verse, Paul reminds us of Gods offer to let Him walk with us. Only then can we be His people and be able to offer His walk to others. As I went through these passages, I saw that the walk includes not only what Christ did for us, but also what God offers us and what we can offer to others. Barbara Hughes points out that Scriptures represent life as a journey, which values every step (i.e., walk) along the way, and prepares us for the walk still ahead. She says the walk that is a part of His Gift, is a story about God-with-us from the beginning, and which continues to this day as God walks with us just as he did with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Apostles. For these passages and thoughts, then, the devotional application is this: How can we give a walk as a part of our gifts? Some ideas include making a birthday card instead of buying one; spending time with someone rather than simply giving them a material gift; going an extra mile to find the gift that has greater meaning (like to the other side of the island!); fasting and praying for someone who is not able to receive gifts of the normal 4 of 6

kind (e.g., they are hospitalized); walking in a 10k to raise money for a charity thats important to a friend or family member; and discipling (mentoring) someone who is in need of a mentor. Can you think of other ideas? How about: Really listening to someone hearing their heart and not trying to fix them, leaving that to our healer; honoring another persons gift; just being physically present with someone, lightening another persons burden (like Janets trip to Ohio with a friend); having a joyful heart even when you dont feel like it; not being judgmental of others who are in a different place spiritually; overlooking others faults; making someone laugh; and forgiving when you dont feel like it.] The wonderful takeaway for me is that life is about our walk with Jesus, a gift He gives to us freely and ongoing. To quote Barbara, We are invited to walk with Him, not only when it is easy or when we feel like it, but every day. And when we grow weary, we have only to place our hand in His and remember that the walk is part of the gift.

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Post Script: My friend said this devotion gave her several images. One image was of her being a child holding her daddys hand, walking and skipping along; their names are engraved in the palm of Jesus hand as He walks with them. And a second image was seeing Jesus at the right hand of the Father, being upheld by his righteous right hand. She said in each case, how wonderful it was to know we are His own!

Post, Post Script: The Walk As a Part of The Gift Ditty (Read with mphasis on bold syllables) The seashell he gave her was one of Gods best. It came from a place far away. This son took great joy in presenting the gift, He gave to his mother that day. In seeing the seashell, she instantly knew, The distance and time he had gone. And why he had left without letting her know, Returning just after the dawn. You shouldnt have!, she told her son with a smile. His loving response was quite swift. With only these words he conveyed so much more; The walk was a part of the gift! As we seek a gift that best speaks of our love And one thats considered as prime. The best we can do is to give of ourselves, And often that means of our time. When each step weve taken goes into our gift, And wraps it in love all around. Our present is seen as a gift of ourselves. A sense of true caring is found. The greatest example of how this might work, Comes from what Christ did on the Cross. Because of His walk as a part of Gods gift, We now have new life from His loss. So next time youre giving, be sure you have thought Of how you give someone a lift. By dem-on-strat-ing that because of your love, The walk was a part of the gift.

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