Ferdinand Magellan was a famous explorer who circumnavigated the entire Earth… and that was the very first time it had been done. Because of this, you might imagine that his sense of direction was exceptional, hence the naming of a GPS company after him: Magellan.

When I was in my twenties, a group of friends witnessed my own sense of direction in action and nicknamed me Magellan. This was sarcasm.

That’s because my sense of direction… stinks.

I had a job working for a consulting firm in the 1980s – remember, this was before GPS was a thing – and oftentimes had to drive to area hospitals for meetings. Followed by several coworkers who were all in their own separate cars, it once took me two and a half hours to drive to Winchester Hospital. From downtown Boston (* editor’s note: this is typically a 30 minute drive… tops). And there was no traffic. This was the day my new nickname was born.

Fast forward to more recent times and this bad sense of direction has translated into some scary adventures for me while out hiking alone. Sadly and almost tragically, I have become lost while out there on the trail.

Over the past several years, though, I have become a more successful way finder, paying closer attention to landmarks and I’ve gotten better at using trail maps.

Today’s readings are all about our sense of direction and about losing our way.

In Jeremiah’s reading from the Old Testament, we hear about the pairing together of the words “mislead” and “scatter”. In our lives, when we pursue untruths, like sheep, we can become scattered, and we can get lost.

Our Psalm today begins with one of the most recognizable lines in all of scripture: “The Lord is my shepherd.”

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians notes that Jesus came to those who were far off and made them near.

And the Gospel from Mark describes the followers of Christ as being like “sheep without a shepherd”, which of course moved him to great pity.

If you go to the New York Times bestseller list, you will notice how many of the top sellers there are self help books. There are books on the list about the mental health crisis in our country, how to become less addicted to our devices, how to lose weight, declutter our living spaces, save the planet, and lead more productive and happy lives. These all sound like good things… but looking at that list, I wonder whether many of us are feeling a little lost these days and, as a result, are left wanting for more.

Again, these self help topics are good ones but there is a big difference between the things we can rely on to help us find the way and The Way itself.

I think of this visual metaphor: there are markers, maps, and handrails that help us to move forward through life… that is, to move ahead under our own power. But life can kick dust up into our faces, push back hard on us, make the ground we are walking on shake and crumble, and despite the railings and trail markers, we can still lose our way. But Jesus has offered us a lifeline – picture a large and unbroken rope – that we can hold onto during our lives. And when we are shaken and can’t move ahead, he will pull us forward.

How does he pull us forward? Well, remember that Jesus is the shepherd who promises to come after us. The prodigal child’s father who leaves the house to greet us, the Samaritan who enters onto a dangerous road to help us when we are lying there injured and alone, the Messiah who washes our feet and then who hangs upon a crucifix out of love. Notice all the action verbs here.

Yes, I’m glad I’ve learned to follow the signs, look for markers, and rely upon maps. But I don’t want to hike without a companion anymore, be apart from the shepherd who accompanies me, takes risks for me, who loves me with action verbs, and who will always look for me if I get lost.

Life is full of trail markers, railings that can help us find our way. Some are helpful, but others are false and misleading, perhaps even subtly so, and, as Jeremiah warned, can actually pull us off the trail if we’re not careful.

There are the railings and then there is the rope.

What are the railings you rely on… and where are they leading you?