Walking to Emmaus, Walking in Merchantville

            It struck me as I walked this morning that the folks walking to Emmaus were trying to work through the implications of a life, faith, and world-changing event.  In a car culture, it is easy to forget that, to move around, God created us to walk.  There is power in walking.  The church is well placed for that.  We are practically on the cardinal points of the compass, here at the intersection of W. Maple and Centre.  Taking a walk, blends the question of 'who we are' with that of 'where we are'.  And since it is good to have a purpose in life, I like to seek out new places that serve coffee, a treat for the road every so often.

            Going south will take you 'down' Centre till you get to one of the more intriguing ‘traffic circles’ in New Jersey.  Cherry Hill starts 'down' there somewhere, as the route shifts to the southeast and the road becomes Chapel Avenue.  I usually get as far as the Country Club before turning around (because it is uphill coming back and I am old-ish).  Along the way there is a natural coffee stop for the minister-type at the “Hallowed Grounds Coffee Company”.

            Go north, 'up' Centre, this follows traditional 'map etiquette'.  Takes me right up through the downtown, eventually crossing over into Pennsauken, ending at Cove Road.  My favorite seasonal detail is the ‘infected zombie enter-at-your-own risk’ tiny home seated on a pedestal on the corner of Centre and Park during the season when the town renames itself “Monsterville”.  While disconcerting, it appeals to my love of the contrast when it is reinvented as a tiny North Pole cottage, all candy canes and snow for the Christmas Season.  For the coffee people, heading north, hang a quick right at the Merch Mile pedestrian rout and get a cuppa at The Station. 

            Heading west on W Maple, that puts us on the longest straightaway through Merchantville, pretty much out to Rt 130.  Took my coffee self into Melo’s Food Market.  There is a sandwich-making operation in the store, so I will be taking my appetite back there at some point.  The real fun for me came after, going over the maps to determine the half-block of Pennsauken that lies at the end of Merchantville before W Maple turns into Federal Street in Camden.  

            Going east on W Maple, once I crossed Centre Street, I was actually on East Maple.  But that is only in Merchantville.  Get to the Pennsauken border headed east and the East Maple becomes Maple Maple.  Have not found my coffee place out that way as yet, but found good company and a great haircut at The Barber’s Lounge.  Shout out to Jibril, owner and operator.

            But now here is a mystery to verify with the street signs next time I go west on Maple.  Is the half block in Pennsauken West Maple or Maple Maple?  The cartographers of Google say 'west maple', but inquiring minds want to know...

            I thank the Lord that none of these walks have included ‘crisis-point’ moments as Cleopas and Mary (I like to think) had on the way to Emmaus.  But these are observations of the community that the Lord has blessed our church to serve, opportunities to contemplate the amazing world our Lord has created, and times of prayer and preparation.  In a culture of vehicles that move us ever faster, it is a blessing to be able to slow down and take in the world as God created us to. 

Peace

Pastor Pete