|
Morning Meditation
July 2, 2026
Reading: Romans 8: 5-8
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Meditation by Rebecca Northington
This will be my third and final composition on pilgrims. As we prepare for our country's 250th birthday, I cannot help but think of those first pilgrims coming here for religious freedom. They sought a purer religious environment where they could select their own church leaders and ministers and practice their faith in freedom. They were on a journey that included tremendous risk and danger. There was no designated path, and no hostels along the way to feed and house these pilgrims as my daughter experienced found in Spain on the Camino. In fact, the pilgrims of the early 1600’s were blown off course and endedending up in treacherous weather and waters before arriving inand a late fall arrival to an unknown land. And yet I presume their faith carried them through these challenges. They hoped to develop a community and culture where they could set their minds on the Spirit and the things of the flesh would fall away.
While the Mayflower Pilgrim story is not without its own complicated and tragic consequences, it is a reminder to all of us what those first pilgrims hoped to achieve, and why they felt they needed to leave the developed world to live a pure and Spirit oriented life, one free of the distractions of the flesh, including religious politics, power, worldly convenience and pleasure.
One could argue that the distractions of the flesh have multiplied infinitely in the last 100 years alone. To set one’s mind on the Spirit over the flesh today is challenging. We are being sold creature comforts and convenience in literally every facet of our lives. There is little profit in selling the Spirit. All of these conveniences are micro doses of flesh first, Spirit second. We are being manipulated into believing these things or experiences will enhance our lives when often they simply clutter up our perspective on what is truly important. Paul warns us that to set our minds and hearts on these things of the flesh will not bring us the peace and happiness we desire. Pursuing a life of peace takes discipline and discernment. A pilgrimage is an intentional journey to put something else before ourselves; ideally the Spirit. And while I do not suggest any of us get rid of all our belongings and set sail to an unknown land, or even leave our lives for a month to walk the 500 miles of the Camino. I am suggesting that we can all make little pilgrimages; we can all carve out a path that brings us closer to the Spirit-closer to peace and life. We have the freedom to do that in any way we choose in this great country. We simply have to take the first step.
Excerpt from America the Beautiful-first published on July 4, 1895
O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!
| 
