Writing as path-making

I recently listened to a talk on the intersection between Christian faith and fiction writing. It compared the writing and thinking of two Catholic fiction writers, J.R.R. Tolkien and Flannery O'Connor.

I believe the heart of the speaker's message was that the task of the Christian writer is to create a living world for readers to enter, a world that prepares them to encounter Christ -- both within the fictional world and especially in the reader's own real world.

As I listened to the talk, I remembered a sermon I heard earlier this year in a church service, and this gave me an image to help me more clearly understand the speaker's message. The sermon was about John the Baptist's ministry as told in the Gospel of Mark (1:2-3), and the image is that of a path-maker:

I will send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way --

a voice of one calling in the desert,

"Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him." 

In the sermon, the priest prompted us to be like John the Baptist and make paths for others. He asked, 'How can we prepare for people a path that leads to the Lord?'

I live in a part of the country with many public footpaths. A clear footpath prevents walkers from getting lost (or at it least helps) and enables walkers to encounter the beauty and wilderness of the hills, woods, rivers and other elements of the landscape. A good footpath is clearly defined and yet also blends in with its surroundings, enabling the walker to enjoy the walking experience.

Cat Bells, near Keswick, Cumbria

Relating this to the talk, the task of the Christian writer is to create such a footpath, except rather than using stones or soil, they use words, characters and stories to create a world in which the reader can encounter the beauty and wildness of God's world, with the aim of somehow, directly or indirectly (usually indirectly, according to the speaker), connecting the reader with Christ.

Perhaps this task of path-making should encompass all of our lives, so that every action, word and thought can become a road which leads others (and ourselves) to Christ.

When I walk past my neighbour on the street, how can my brief interaction with them -- whether engaging in conversation, saying 'Hello' or even simply observing their face -- lay down a small stone which, over time, can become a road to Christ?

I am in the process of digging up a patch of our garden, preparing the soil to grow vegetables and other plants. I hope that, in a small way, this garden becomes for people a path to Christ: that when people walk by and look at the garden, they might appreciate the beauty of God's creation, which might point them to the beauty and work of Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes, 'And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him' (Col. 3:17).

If we are permitted to add to this according to the topic of this blog post, then in whatever we do, whether in word or deed, we should make a path that leads towards God.