Hebrews11:13-16 — These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Pilgrimage is such a powerful idea.
As I have grown older I have increasingly seen my own life as a pilgrimage. I would like to believe that I am traveling towards a day when I will be able to “walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” (Colossians 1:10). I know that I’m not there yet … Some days I know I’m very far off, but when I look back I know that I have progressed far from where I was.
Pilgrimage, though, is not just that process of personal sanctification. It is also the journey to a sacred place.
Pilgrimage was a thriving business in the Middle Ages. The practice started when Christians traveled to holy sites, especially in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth. Because the Holy Land was a 3000 mile journey, people started to make a pilgrimage to places associated with Christian Saints and martyrs and holy relics. The pilgrimages was modeled on the regular pilgrimages ordained by God for the Hebrews: “Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord God.” (Exodus 23:17). Of course, for Christians, of course, the destination is not an earthly geographic location … but we are traveling to the ultimate holy destination.
There is another pilgrimage … the one that all the Church is taking together.
Today I read this wonderful thought from Alan Lewis:

Christians are a pilgrim people, on the way toward but still far distant from a Christ-like future whose final arrival is certain, but assured by the faithful promises of God’s own incontestable grace, not by the community’s own efforts at self-preserving progress or innate indestructibility.

When I read that I thought of the Exodus. The people of Israel, led by God, marching from Egypt to the Promised Land — many mistakes and challenges along the way, but getting there in the end. This is the Church, all together, heading from a broken world to the New Jerusalem.
Pilgrimage — personal sanctification, heading towards Jesus, as part of the Church united. Did I say it was a powerful idea?