Journey Prayers

A few weeks ago I was doing some planning work for the trip and I thought I would listen to some music while working on the computer. I remembered an album from Jeff Johnson called Pilgrimage. It seemed appropriate so I put it in the CD player. As I was working and listening it dawned on my just how much influence Jeff Johnson has had on my approach to this trip to Europe. It had been a while since I had checked out his website, so I web-surfed over there ( http://www.arkmusic.com/ ) and discovered he has a new release out called Journey Prayers. So of course I had to complete my Jeff Johnson collection and get this album that had a title appropriate to our upcoming trip. It arrived last week and I have been enjoying it ever since. I was so struck by this connection of Jeff Johnson and the trip to Europe that I sent him an email. As always he was gracious in his reply and encouraged us with these words "I'm very excited for you both being able to take this pilgrimage together. Whatever you do, take your time and make time to stop and take in some of these places."

Jeff Johnson has influenced this trip in a few significant ways, first by describing trips to Europe in his own life as pilgrimages. In his songs and writings I have encountered a very spiritual approach to touring Europe. In his work I have sensed that it is possible to have a trip to Europe that is far more than just a sightseeing venture; that it is possible - even in this day and age - to be a pilgrim, a spiritual seeker, rather than simply a tourist.

Even on his earliest albums (created back in the 1980's) Jeff would weave ambient sounds recorded in Europe into the music tracks. As I listened to Pilgrimage I suddenly realized that my desire to record the ambience of various places we visit and weave those recordings into music projects I have in mind, this has its origins in the work of Jeff Johnson. (As a side note, recently I have been testing out my little Yamaha recorder, including last night when I recorded a concert by one of the choirs our middle child, Joshua, is in. The Pocketrak works pretty slick, I'm looking forward to using it in Europe).

For years Jeff Johnson has recorded albums that are based on the novels of Stephen R. Lawhead. It was through these Lawhead novels that I came to deeper love of Celtic lore. My favourite Stephen R. Lawhead novel is called Byzantium which follows the journey of a Irish monk who is captured by some vikings and eventually ends up in Byzantium before returning home to Ireland. It was this book that first made me realize how intertwined the history of the Celtic and Nordic people are. The Byzantium recording by Jeff Johnson remains one of my favourite of his many albums.

If you have never read any Stephen Lawhead books I would recommend them as a great source of entertainment and education. I have learned new things with each new Lawhead novel I have read. You can find out more about this interesting author at his website ( http://www.stephenlawhead.com/ ). If you'd like to give a Lawhead novel a try I would recommend either Byzantium or Patrick: these books are self-contained (meaning they are not part of a series) and they are two of my favourite novels of the past decade.

I would also encourage you to check out the music of Jeff Johnson either by visiting his Ark Music website (where you can find music samples to listen to), or by searching for Jeff Johnson on iTunes. (Be aware that there is more than one Jeff Johnson who is a musician with recordings out, visiting Ark Music will tell you if a particular recording is from the Jeff Johnson of which I write).

To conclude this entry I would like to quote the lyrics of the title song from Jeff Johnson's most recent recording:

JOURNEY PRAYER ~ GODRIC’S THEME
Words & music by Jeff Johnson

Father, bless to me this day,
And Jesus, bless to me this night,
Spirit, bless each hour of life,
Bless me, God of grace I pray.

Bless the path on which I go,
Bless the earth beneath my sole,
Bless me God and give Your love,
Bless my rest and my repose.

Father, keep me in Your eyes,
Jesus, keep me in Your love,
Spirit, keep me in Your Truth,
Bless me, God of grace I pray.

Assassinio nella cattedrale – Ildebrando Pizzetti

When we first started the in-depth planning of this trip, we divided it into three sections: 1) the things that could be arranged immediately, 2) the downtime with no activity and 3) the final preparations. It’s hard to believe that we’re already in stage 3, it helps that we pretty much just skipped stage 2.

The 23rd was the magic day, marked in red on my calendar, that opera tickets would become available. First thing in the morning, with much excitement, I logged on to the Teatro alla Scala website. It was the first time I have ever ordered tickets on-line (usually my role is to watch over Dennis’ shoulder) so there was a little fear and trepidation mixed with the excitement. However, the process was very painless and we now have tickets for La Scala.

The opera being performed at the appropriate time for our schedule is “Assassinio nella cattedrale”, based on T.S. Eliot’s “Murder in the Cathedral”. This is a dramatic portrayal of the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in the Canterbury Cathedral (very brief synopsis is that he got on the wrong side of the king in 1170 and this was the end reuslt). This isn’t an opera that I was very familiar with so in preparation I purchased a CD of the original recording and I’ve been listening to it quite a bit over the past few weeks. Dennis ordered a copy of the play and we both plan to read it before we go to Milan. It was suggested to us recently that we should try to get a copy of the libretto so I’ve been looking into that as well. However, apparently (amid much controversy), La Scala now has some sort of electronic translation device installed so it shows the Italian and English text as it’s being sung.

A while ago, we watched the SCTV spoof of the play - supposedly a NASA presentation, narrated by Walter Cronkite with the characters wearing space suits. I hope we don’t think about that and start laughing inappropriately.

Dennis wrote earlier about our proposed visit to Canterbury, England. This is a spin-off from the opera experience. We decided if we were going to experience the opera and read the play, we better visit the site where it all occurred. Apparently there’s a perpetually burning candle on the spot where Thomas Becket was struck down. We’ll have to let you know about that when we get there.

Needles and Ticks

This past Monday most of our family went to get immunized. Beth and I because of this upcoming trip to Europe, Thomas because in May he will be travelling to Mexico as part of a University class, and Joshua for a Hep A booster (he got the first shot before going to Cuba last year with the Luther College Choir).

Since I went to Cuba as well (as a chaperon for the choir) I had to get fewer shots this time around, in fact just one needle. Beth on the other hand got shots in both arms, and poor Thomas got two shots in each arm. There were some sore arms in the household for the next few days! There was also a bit of a sore wallet, but we're hoping our Employee Health Plan will cover some of this expense. However a little preventive medicine is certainly better than getting really sick. In some ways this is a bit like travel insurance, you hope you don't need it, but in the rare circumstance that you do it will be worth every penny paid and much more.

The big question for us is whether or not to get immunized for Tick-borne encephalitis. There are certain spots in Europe where this is an issue, particularly if one is hiking or camping in the rural areas. For our itinerary there really is only one spot of concern, this being Hestra (Beth's grand-father's family farm in Sweden). The area around Göteborg (Gothenburg) has been identified as one area where the ticks can carry this disease, and the Hestra farm is inland from Göteborg about 40 kilometres. So one day in our whole time in Europe we will be in an area where this could be an issue, and even on that one day we probably won't be tramping around in the woods very much. So the probability of getting a tick on us in the first place is very small, and the likelihood of the tick getting a chance to attach itself is even smaller since we will be taking precautions (like using an insect repellent with deet in it) and we will do a close body inspection for ticks after being out in the rural area.

Why not simply get immunized for this, and not worry about it? To put it bluntly, the cost. For both of us to get immunized for this specific disease would cost over $700! That's a lot for a little peace of mind, especially when a little diligence and common sense when in the rural region of Sweden will make sure ticks have no chance to attach themselves to us in the first place (even if we look a little goofy with the sock pulled over our pant cuffs).

So the first round of immunization is done, there will be a booster shot session in 6 weeks. With each item crossed off our to-do list the trip takes on more and more reality. Next week we will be able to purchase some more concert tickets and start booking trains. Slowly it all is coming together.

Pilgrims Slept Here

Not a lot has been happening these past days, though soon we should be able to start booking the trains for part of our journey. We have managed to book a few more accommodations, starting with a Bed and Breakfast in Skjern, Denmark. We will be staying for a couple of days at the B&B on a farm just north of Skjern, this will allow us to have a good length of time in Hanning and Finderup to see the churches connected with my family heritage. I also hope it gives us a bit of the flavour of the region and its people (at least more than a hotel experience I would think).

We are also confirmed in the Hotel Herman Bang in Frederikshavn, Denmark. This city will be the departure place for Norway by ferry, so we wanted a place close to the harbour. This hotel is over a century old and is named for a famous Danish writer (at least famous in Denmark, not many of his works were translated into English). I read up a little on Herman Bang on the internet, he sounds like an interesting character - though I'm still not sure why this hotel choose to honour this particular author - he wasn't born or raised anywhere close to Frederikshavn, and strangest of all, he died in Ogden, Utah (while on a speaking tour in the USA). Maybe this little mystery will be solved when we stay there - the web page for the hotel is all in Danish, so I could make out very little.

The last accommodation booking that got settled this week was in Canterbury, England. We were originally hoping to stay in the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge, which is a modern facility built right on the Cathedral grounds. Unfortunately they were full due to a large group booking that weekend, but the office staff there were kind enough to recommend some places close by. Beth and I did some looking at their recommendations, plus a few others we found through the internet. In the end we booked a room at a place called the Cathedral Gate Hotel. There were a few reasons we chose this place, mainly for its character and location.

If you go to the hotel's website the first line you read is "Pilgrims slept here!" This old establishment has been around since 1438 and apparently modern guests are constantly reminded of this because of the lower doorways and ceilings. The hotel is full of twisting hallways and stairways, and each room is different from all the others - no 'cookie cutter' design here. We are booked in a room on the second floor called the Daybreak Room. One of its appealing features is a great view of the Canterbury Cathedral.

This leads to the other reason we chose this hotel, it is literally just a few paces from the Cathedral, so if we decided to take in Evensong, or Matins (quite likely) it will be nothing to get to the Cathedral and back. The decor and facilities may not be up to modern standards, but I figure if we really want a taste of old Europe then we need to stay in a few establishments like this. Who wants to go to Europe to stay in hotel rooms that look and feel just like hotel rooms back in Canada? We don't, that's for sure.

Actually there is one more reason that Beth got all excited about this hotel. Take a close look at the picture above, in the lower right corner. See what beverage chain is right next door to the hotel? So Beth is assured of at least one good cup of coffee on our travels. Thus these pilgrims will happily put up with sharing a bathroom with other guests, old decor and furniture, and a small room - as long as there is Starbucks in the morning! (I'm not sure what he's saying about my coffee addiction but I have to admit that I am a little easier to get along with after I've had my coffee. bh)

Ancient - Future Worship

Something that I am looking forward to on our trip is being able to experience a variety of worship services. We will be participating in worship that has its roots in ancient ritual, and worship that seeks to be post-modern in approach. We hope to take in a traditional Evensong service at one of the cathedrals in England. We plan to worship regularly while on Iona, using worship that blends Celtic traditions and forms with contemporary concerns and sensitivities. We might even be able to witness a Eucharist service in the catacombs of Rome while we tour through there (celebrating Communion in the catacombs is a practice that goes back to the earliest Christians). But perhaps the day that best illustrates the diversity of worship we will hopefully experience on our trip is Sunday June 21st (which just so happens to be the day of summer solstice, a day that marks a celestial turning point - somehow that seems appropriate to me for a day when we will participate in worship that looks to the traditions of the past, and worship that seeks to blaze new paths into the future).

Our plans for that day are to be either in London or Canterbury. We want to visit Canterbury for many reasons, but one of which is that the cathedral there is a famous site of Christian martyrdom, as the Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered there by the king's knights in 1170 A.D. This famous significant event in Christian history was portrayed in a play written by T.S. Eliot. The play was called Murder in the Cathedral. It just so happens that the Opera that Beth and I hope to see in Milan is based on this play... but more on that in another post.

Whether we are in London or Canterbury we will attend worship in the morning at an Anglican Cathedral, which will mean traditional liturgy done very well, with splendid music and ritual that is many generations old. This might be considered the best of the old form, high liturgy done as well as could be expected, worship fit for royalty we could say.

Later that we will be participating in a worship service that is sure to be quite different from what will have occurred earlier that day. Let me explain this by first noting that the United Kingdom was one of the first places where post-modern, or emergent worship was developed. What has shown up in North America really only in the last decade has been Scotland, Ireland and England for over 20 years in some places. Since the Mysterium worship gathering that I help put together here at Christ Lutheran is similar in approach to worship as these emergent or alternative services found around the U.K. my hope was to be able to attend one of these services while over there.

A little internet searching and I found an alternative worship community called Moot in London. Looking at their website (http://www.moot.uk.net/ ) I thought this would be exactly the kind of worship experience I was looking for. When I looked for its location it was promising because it is held at a church in the heart of London (near London Bridge). Specifically the Moot community meets for worship in St. Mary Woolnoth (picture above). A little more research to find the exact location of this church and I discover that St. Mary Woolnoth has some significant history itself - it was the church that John Newton was pastor at for the last 27 years of his life. This is composer of that best known hymn "Amazing Grace". William Wilberforce, the member of government who was instrumental in abolishing the slave trade worshiped at this church. So we will be worshiping at a site that has roots back to the earliest days of Christianity in Britain, which has a storied past, but is also the site of something that seeks to lead into the future. An interesting juxtaposition, one that seems entirely appropriate for our pilgrimage.

Lenten Discipline

A long-standing tradition in Lent is to give up something. I think the idea behind this tradition is that through this small personal sacrifice we are reminded of the larger sacrifice of Christ. Usually I don't worry about this tradition too much, but this year I decided to do two specific things throughout Lent, and both are related to our trip to Europe.

First of all I have given up drinking Coke, which, if you know me at all, is somewhat of an addiction. As some people need their morning coffee, I need a couple of cans of Coke a day. From this habit I get my caffeine and sugar hit. But at the same time I also know that drinking that much pop (of any kind) is not so healthy - it certainly hasn't done any favours to my teeth or my waistline. So far it has been over 5 days, and while I've had my moments I haven't given in to those temptations and I remain Coke-free.

This is related to the Europe trip because I thought I should try and kick the Coke habit before going to Europe where it will be much more expensive to maintain such a habit. I remember when I was on the choir tour to Europe in 1980, and friend and I were thirsty after walking around Paris one day - so we stopped into a little café and each ordered a Coke. The drink was served in a nice sized glass with a lime slice on top - very classy, and it sure tasted great. Then we got the bill only to discover that we owed pretty close to $5 each for these soft drinks - and that was almost 30 years ago. If I'm going to pay that kind of money I'd rather have a nice glass of Italian wine or fruit juice or something! So that I don't have such strong Coke cravings while in Europe I thought it best to try and kick the habit in advance - thus the Lenten discipline (which I plan to keep up with even after Lent is over - though I might allow myself one Coke a week or something like that).

Secondly, I decided that I should get in good hiking shape since Beth and I will be doing a lot of walking while in Europe. It has been too cold and icy to walk outside, but since we have a treadmill in the basement there is no excuse. So my goal during Lent is to do a minimum of 30 minutes 5 days a week on the treadmill. So far I've been keeping up the schedule. I look forward to the day when I can do my walking outside, but winter has been hanging on longer and colder than usual. I hope the old saying "In like a lion, out like a lamb" is accurate this year, because March certainly came in like a lion.

Beth has been doing her own exercising, mostly she walks stairs at work during her lunch break. Doing stairs will be beneficial when we're climbing up and down the moors of Scotland, hiking around the fjords of Norway or when we have to climb the Spanish Stairs in Rome. The hotel we've booked for our first night in Europe is called the De La Ville Roma, which is situated right in the heart of Rome, at the top of the Spanish Steps (Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti). These steps are apparently the longest and widest stairs in Europe. So if we are to climb up and down the 138 steps a number of times while going about our sightseeing Beth's form of exercise seems a smart choice.

So while the reasons for my Lenten disciplines are not exactly spiritual, they will enable me to be better prepared for our pilgrimage to Europe and in that sense they make sense for me this Lent.