Ardingly College Epiphany Mass 8th January 2020

As we think about Epiphany this evening two words come to mind – spiritual journey.

The spiritual journey of humankind as we enter a new decade. The spiritual journey of the wise men to Jesus and their offering at journey’s end. Linked to this the Church’s spiritual journey through her Seasons as Advent and Christmas give way to Epiphany and head towards Lent and Easter.

This brings me on to share about another spiritual journey. It’s just a few inches - fifteen inches…

There was a Rabbi in Cracow, Isaac son of Yekel, who dreamed one night there was a great treasure under the bridge at Prague. He set off at once for Prague, but when he got there found a heavy guard on the bridge. The Rabbi had no choice but to explain his dream to one of the guards. 

When the guard heard the story he burst into laughter. ‘How crazy can you get? Suppose everyone went off after their dreams? Why I once dreamed there was a treasure hidden in a house in Cracow. It was in the house of a man called Isaac, son of Yekel, but do you think I was going off to Cracow because of my dream? 

Rabbi Isaac returned to Cracow. He had treasure at home and didn’t need to go to Prague.

So it is with the spiritual journey. If we want spiritual riches we’ll better find them by opening our eyes to what we’ve got already than by journeying the world over.

The truth of Christmas is about God coming down to our level to dwell in human hearts. If people want to journey to God today they need move inches and not miles. Fifteen inches, to be precise, down from the head to the heart, where we find God. 

Too often our capacity for doing things and going places works against what’s most important – a short journey, always possible, to rest in God, to contemplate the one who made us and offers himself to us continually. The mindfulness exercises we’re encouraged in at College take us some of the way to this, but mindfulness isn’t thoughtfulness, and generating thoughtfulness is what Chapel is all about.

Once we recognise God’s thoughtfulness, his love towards us, something reaches that 15 inches down from our heads into our hearts to motivate them into overflow showing consideration towards him and our neighbour.

How can I best speak of this key spiritual journey because, though its 15 inches, I’ve spent years travelling it and I’m not fully there!

With a doctorate in Chemistry and diploma in Theology my learning comes out of my ears, or rather flows endlessly between my ears in a restless mind. Thoughts can be like monkeys, for ever jumping from branch to branch, distracting us from the treasure found in the stillness of the heart. When the mind can be stilled, and lowered, into the heart - there is salvation. The Kingdom of God is within us.

Accomplishing this short journey within means taking time day by day to reflect, to sit in God’s presence and indeed our own presence. There we find hunger and longing, hurt and inadequacy, pride and fearfulness. None of these melt away on the spiritual journey but they can be owned and offered to the Lord who meets us just as we are. 

‘Drop thy still dews of quietness till all our strivings cease, take from our souls the strain and stress’ we shall sing later on.

The journey within takes courage. There’s so much that would keep us on the surface, so much to literally plug into with the recreational options available to us, manifold apps and activities we can choose to fill up our lives! 

The inner journey takes courage and it takes time, time to be. The writer Pascal said most of humanity’s problems derive from our inability to sit still in a room. 

How do you rank here? As you stay put somewhere on your own? Will you manage better after this eucharist? Please God you will! To spend 5 or 10 minutes a day with God  - 2 to 3 minutes with the Scriptures, 2 to 3 minutes in heartfelt worship and prayer for others, including our College - what a difference if we made that the flavour of our spiritual journey in the coming decade!

The wise men recognised God’s love sent to the world in Jesus. As we own that love day by day we own ourselves to be made thoughtful in the depths of our heart. Speaking of the Epiphany journey T.S.Eliot wrote: ‘And the end of all our exploring – will be to arrive where we started – and to know the place for the first time.

Wise men and women still journey to God but they don’t move anywhere. Let’s have a moment of quiet stillness now to practice what’s been preached.