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The Symbolism of Pilgrimage

By Rev. Brittany Whyte

 

Earlier this month, I participated in the Wesley Heritage Tour, led by Bishop

Cynthia Moore-Koikoi. Our group of twenty-four pilgrims from Eastern Pennsylvania

and New Jersey retraced the steps of John and Charles Wesley, two Anglican priests

who founded the Methodist movement in 18 th century England. After our flights landed in London, we boarded a bus and rode to Coventry to see both the ruins of the old cathedral, which was destroyed by the German Luftwaffe during World War II, and the new Coventry Cathedral, where I encountered something unexpected. I had mentioned the words in my Good Friday sermon, which were carved into the stone wall, along the ruins of the old altar: “Father forgive.” The words stood etched in gold below an empty opening where a window would have been, beneath a dismal gray sky. The cold, dreary weather added to the somber atmosphere.

 

However, just beyond the ruins was the new cathedral. As we walked in, a

children’s event was happening, and there was an explosion of color as the light filtered through the tall stained-glass windows. The children’s voices echoed through the large nave as they cheerfully played with hula hoops and drew pictures. Underneath the colorful stained-glass window was the baptismal font. It was hewn out of a large rock, with a basin shaped like a shell. The scallop shell is a symbol of baptism, but it is also an ancient symbol used to mark Christian pilgrimage sites. In our sanctuary, the baptismal font is near the altar, but at Coventry Cathedral, the font is located near the entrance to the nave, so that anyone who worships there passes it on their way to the pews. This symbolizes the journey of Christian faith that begins with baptism.

 

The next day, we would see the same shell symbol on the wall at the Old Rectory

in Epworth, the birthplace of John and Charles Wesley. Like the old Coventry

Cathedral, the original rectory where the Wesley brothers were born was destroyed by fire. Late at night, Mehetabel “Hetty” Wesley, John and Charles’ older sister, awoke when a burning coal dropped from the roof onto her bed. She hastily got up and woke up the family, which consisted of Rev. Samuel Wesley, Susanna Wesley, and eight children at the time. However, five-year-old John was the last one out of bed, and by the time the rest of the family had fled the house, the stairs had already caught fire. His father, Samuel, went back into the house, but could not find him. John managed to push a trunk in front of the bedroom window and called for help. One man stood on top of another man’s shoulders, and they rescued him just minutes before the roof collapsed. His mother, Susanna, quoting from the Book of Zechariah, referred to John as “a brand plucked from the burning.” She felt sure that God had called him to some great purpose. Susanna nurtured her children’s faith and set an example for them of a life centered around God. Later, she became known as “the mother of Methodism.”