Walk - Dr. Andy Stoker

Breath Prayer and Words for the Day:  I will walk gently in the way of Christ's peace.

For me, walking means progression, a movement toward something or someone. Our devotion from The Uncluttered Heart seems like a different kind of “walk.” It is a walking that is simply ‘present’. This presence is a powerful witness to a hurried world. If we are to “walk gently in the way of Christ’s peace,” we are to engage the world around us. For Jesus, walking meant engaging another on the road who was in need of healing and wholeness, forgiveness and grace. Jesus was fully present. Present to the needs of the world. Am I?

As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I need a reminder to be present, to “walk” as Jesus “walked.” We engage persons in our world who maybe singing this in their hearts:

A million miles away

Your signal in the distance

To whom it may concern

I think I lost my way

Getting good at starting over

Every time that I return

I’m learning to walk again

I believe I’ve waited long enough

Where do I begin?

I’m learning to talk again

Can’t you see I’ve waited long enough

Where do I begin?

These lyrics are from the Foo Fighters song “Walk” from their new album, Wasting Light. In this season of Advent, we are waiting for the “light of the world.” We will need to ‘return’ after being ‘lost’. We need to be called back into the way of peace, the way of presence.

The prophet Micah gives an indication to what it means to walk in the way of peace:

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God?”

For the prophet, walking wasn’t just humility (or, ‘kissing the earth’). To walk was to consider your inward and outward action. Do our actions amount to the way Christ walked? Do our thoughts reflect the way of Christ’s peace? Be present for the world today! The Christian’s greatest gift is to be present in the world. May your presence be the peace someone needs to ‘return’ to God.