“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

God “led you all the way…to humble you and to test you.” This passage from an early day on the Camino reverberated in my mind our whole journey. To humble you and to test you. I now realize it was the Lord who put the idea of the Camino into our minds. It was the Lord who walked with us and provided for us. It was the Lord who set up the tests, heightening the mountains and lengthening the paths until we knew we couldn’t do it without him.

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Galician delicacy percebes

(Santiago de Compostela, Spain)

Revelation 22
v. 1-3 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb…. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit…. No longer will there be any curse….

Revelation 22, the last chapter in the Bible, gives us a final glimpse of the end of time and the eternal kingdom of God. After the tribulations of life, the delights of heaven will be exquisite. We experienced a foretaste of those celestial delectations today. At the completion of our pilgrimage, this Sunday was the icing on the cake, the cherry on the sundae, the gilt on the lily. After the stress and adventure, the physical strain and all the ups and downs of our pilgrimage, we were treated to a magnificent lunch and served as though we were the pope (because they did serve the pope at this classy establishment and they knew how to do it). Keep reading

(Santiago de Compostela)

Revelation 21:1-8, 22-27
v. 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.”

It is done. The Camino that danced in my mind for decades, that we planned for more than a year, that we started on the wet cobblestones of St. Jean Pied de Port and that seemed to stretch out to infinity under steep and dragging kilometers, has been accomplished. Maurice and I walked all the way across Spain, five hundred miles on our own two feet. We finished. It is done and I am amazed. It wasn’t just us, though, nor us and hundreds of companion pilgrims. Jesus, the Alpha and Omega of all life and creation, was with us from beginning to end, giving us what we needed from the spring of the water of life. Thank you, Jesus, that you walked with us. Thank you for your great faithfulness to us.

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After completing their own pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand decided to improve infrastructure for pilgrims along the Way. About 1492 they founded a hospice in Santiago where pilgrims arriving at the end of their journey could stay free of charge for a few days. Their building, the beautiful Hostal de los Reyes Catolicos, provides hospitality to travelers today as a five-star parador, but we had heard a rumor that it still gives free meals to pilgrims. Keep reading

Lavacolla to Santiago de Compostela: 10.2 km, about 3 hours

Revelation 7:9-17
v. 9-10 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Right now I’m looking around the cathedral, and here before us is a great multitude filling every seat, leaning against pillars and crowding the aisles, people from many nations and languages, standing before the golden statue of the apostle Santiago above the great altar. They are wearing tech clothing and hiking boots and holding smart phones in their hands and crying out to one another, “We made it!” And if they know the one God who sits on the throne above it all, they say, “By God’s grace! The only way we made it is by God’s grace!” And they join the angels, unseen but ever present, proclaiming around the throne: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (v. 11).

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(Salceda to Lavacolla: 18 km, 6 hours, with 1 hr & 10 min breaks; 26,795 steps, plus 1700 later)

1Peter 2:4-12
v. 6-7a For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Now to you who believe, this stone is precious….

Tomorrow is the day we’ve been walking toward for six weeks. We will walk down from the Monte de Gozo, the Mount of Joy, into Santiago, through the streets of the old city, then down and around into the plaza where the cathedral stands, its stone towers soaring into the sky. Up the stairs, through the Portico of Gloria carved over 800 years ago, there is a pilgrim mass twice a day. In a crypt below the main altar is a silver casket containing the relics of Saint James, Santiago. But these ancient stones and beautiful shrines are not where our hope lies. Our salvation is found in Jesus, the “chosen and precious cornerstone,” the living Stone set by the Father as the foundation and head of the church, the One through whom all things were created and in whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-20). “The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame,” writes Peter. Dear Jesus, thank you for the beauty of the arts and for the remembrances of the saints that point to you.

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(Castaneda to Salceda: 17.5 km, 6 1/2 hours, with 1 hr & 30 min breaks; 24,725 steps, plus 530 later)

1Peter 1:1-12
v. 1-2 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

And exiles scattered throughout Navarra and Castilla & Leon and Galicia, elected by God to walk the ancient Way of St. James–there are so many of us. Sometimes we see a whole line of pilgrims spread out on the road ahead and behind, one by one, walking, all walking, as following some captivating call, drawn to an irresistible goal. We can’t see into their hearts’ motivations, but some of them walk to “be obedient to Jesus Christ,” believing God has called them to this journey and is honored as they walk (v. 7). Two millenia after Jesus’ life and death on earth, “though [they] do not see him now, [they] believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for [they] are receiving the end result of [their] faith, the salvation of [their] souls” (v. 8). Salvation is not in the journey to Santiago but is a gift of the One who calls us all to walk with him through “all kinds of trials” (v. 6) all the way to our heavenly home. Thank you, Jesus, that you give “grace and peace…in abundance” to all of us exiles who seek to be obedient to you.

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Onward and upward!

(Palas de Rei to Castaneda: 22.5 km, 7 1/2 hours, with 1 hr & 30 min breaks; 32,333 steps, plus 200 later)

Hebrews 13:11-16
v. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

Santiago de Compostela certainly seems to be an enduring city. People have been going there ever since it began growing around the tomb of St. James in the ninth century. Along with Rome and Jerusalem, two other even more ancient and enduring cities, it was one of the major pilgrimage centers of the Middle Ages. Yet given enough time all of earth’s cities will crumble. We can see it start to happen when earthquakes, floods, fire, terrorism or war bring sudden destruction; we see the great effort it takes to make repairs. We also see changes in cities and their people caused by political, economic and cultural shifts. Every part of life teeters on its edge. But God’s people always have a hope, the promise of the New Jerusalem, the holy and heavenly “city that is to come.” It will last not for centuries or millenia but forever. We will live with our Lord Jesus where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). Lord, we thank you for the wonders we see in many beautiful cities of earth. Help us not to put our faith in them or their leaders but to cling to you and trust you to lead us to our eternal home.

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We sent our packs ahead for the second day because we were walking a few more kilometers than our average and I was tired. The cost of the pack transport service is lower here, only 3€ apiece–perhaps more competition? Keep reading

(Portomarin’ to Palas de Rei: 24.8 km, about 7 hours, with 1 hr & 30 min breaks; 35,387 steps total)

Hebrews 13:1-10
v. 7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

We remember our church family at home, especially on Sunday mornings when we are not joining in corporate worship but walking. We remember our faithful pastors Ray, John and Randy who deeply love the Lord and his people. They serve in many ways every day, they witness to the gospel and they speak the word of God to us. We especially remember Pastor Randy who usually preaches in the little chapel service where I play most Sundays. He opens up his life to us and invites us to be real with Jesus and with one another. Thank you, Lord, for your great grace to us in giving us godly pastors who not only preach your word but live it out in our midst.

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We had a tostada at a bar on the plaza in Portomarin before starting our misty walk through the Galician hills. Keep reading

Church in Paradela

(Barbadelo to Portomarin’: 18.5 km, 6 1/2 hours, 1 hr & 30 min breaks; 27,018 steps, plus 2440 later)

Hebrews 12:14-28
22-23a But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven….

We’re getting closer. Maurice has studied the map and divided up the remaining distance, and we have evaluated where we might like to stay. We’ve just passed Sarria and pilgrim numbers have noticeably increased. When we get to Santiago there will be hundreds, maybe thousands, of pilgrims crowding into the cathedral for the pilgrim mass. But we won’t just be in the Santiago cathedral. Wherever God’s people gather to worship him in the name of Jesus, they touch the throne of heaven. Our praises rise and we are in “Mount Zion…the city of the living God.” It is not just the pilgrim people worshipping, in Santiago or anywhere else in the world believers gather, but also “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly” who join their praises with the earthly church and raise their voices in love of the Creator. Hallelujah! Lord, thank you that you made a way for us pilgrims yet on earth to touch heaven.

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Breakfast was expensive and only adequate. We left the room at 8:15, not realizing it was raining. We stood on the porch to put on our rain gear. As soon as we started walking, the rain tapered off and the path went up. We were too warm so we stopped to take off our jackets. Finally we were really on our way, past fields fenced with flat stones on edge, alongside pastures wet and green, through lovely lanes curving through tiny stone hamlets with barns and cows and the typical picturesque granaries elevated on stone pillars to keep the rodents out.

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