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What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has
gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search
of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices
over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the
will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
(Matthew 18:12-14 ESV) Elder is from an old Anglo-Saxon word, eldra, meaning
older, with a practical meaning of more experienced. It's used to translate a
number of original words of the Scriptures, such as the Hebrew word (pronounced)
gaw-dole, meaning greater (in any sense, whether age, stature, dignity etc.) and
the Greek word (pronounced) pres-ber-teer-os, meaning older, or senior. While
"elder" was commonly used for an older sibling, or a parent, during Bible History
it was also a political and/or religious office held by responsible individuals.  Tailored
senior tours and pilgrimages
Our Christian Pilgrimages senior tours for
elders and seniors are designed for maximum exposure to sites, sounds, tastes
and the touch of special sites in a way that is comfortable and convenient, church
travel for seniors. tailored senior tours, why a pilgrimage? The
theme of pilgrimage is woven into many of the books which make up the Christian
Bible. It is a multi-faceted concept which includes ideas of journey, experiencing
exile, living as a pilgrim or sojourner, and the quest for a homeland. The Old
Testament The Book of Genesis, part of the Old Testament scriptures inherited
from Judaism, tells a story central to Christian ideas of pilgrimage: the expulsion
of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden after they disobey God by eating the fruit
of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3). The Fall of
Adam and Eve is shown to have profound implications. They and their descendents
are condemned to live as exiles in a harsh and inhospitable world, alienated both
from God and from one another by sin. Adam and Eve's eldest son Cain later murders
his brother Abel in a fit of jealous anger because Abel's offering to God has
been judged more acceptable than his own (Genesis 4:1-16). As punishment, God
sends Cain into further exile, away from his home and family. The Old Testament
presents several physical journeys which also have a deeper spiritual
meaning. The journey made by Abraham and the story of the Exodus from Egypt
both emphasise the theme of God journeying with his people and stress the importance
of being willing to obey and trust God. Abraham, a key figure in Judaism, Christianity
and Islam, is shown in Genesis 12:1-9 leaving his home to go in search of a land
which God promises to show him, becoming a 'pilgrim' or 'sojourner' whose willingness
to obey God makes him a model of faith and obedience. In the story of the Exodus
from Egypt, the Israelites travel through the wilderness to the land of Canaan,
experiencing both hardships and God's care and guidance. The Exodus motif
plays a key role in Christian thought and the long journey through the wilderness
towards the Promised Land was later interpreted as a paradigm or model of the
Christian journey through a fallen world towards heaven. In time, the city of
Jerusalem developed into a centre of pilgrimage, a place where God could be encountered
in a special way. Pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the three feasts of Passover, Weeks
and Booths became a requirement for all male Israelites who would often have been
joined by other family members. During periods of exile, pilgrimage to Jerusalem
took on additional emotional and spiritual significance.  The
New Testament picks up many motifs from the Old Testament but also shows some
important changes in emphasis. The Fall of Humankind, and the stories of alienation,
disobedience and conflict which follow, provide the backdrop to the drama of redemption
told in the New Testament. In the Gospels, Jesus Christ is shown winning forgiveness
for humankind through his death on the Cross, making it possible for individuals
to return to God and eventually reach heaven, vividly portrayed in the Book of
Revelation (Revelation 21:9-22:5). The focus shifts from seeking God in the earthly
city of Jerusalem to finding him in Jesus Christ, believed to be God made man.
New Testament writers stress that salvation will be offered for a limited time
only before Jesus Christ returns to judge humankind (Matthew 25:31-33).
This
event, often called the Last Judgement, will be unexpected (Matthew 24:36-44)
and cataclysmic (2 Peter 3:10-13), as the created world dissolves and is remade.
Human beings therefore need to be aware of the essential transience of this world
and its pleasures (John 2:17; 1 Corinthians 7:31; James 1:11) and prepare themselves
to face God's verdict on the way they have lived. Christians are therefore encouraged
to see themselves as 'pilgrims and strangers on the earth', 'temporary residents'
whose true home is in heaven (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13). The Christian life
itself is thus seen as a journey towards that homeland in which the individual
believer seeks to follow and obey Christ through an alien, frequently hostile
world (John 14:6; Mark 8:34). Figures such as Abraham are presented as examples
of faith to be imitated (Hebrews 11:1-16). Later commentators developed
a complex web of connections and allegorical interpretation as Old Testament characters
and events were given new significance within the teaching of the New Testament.
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