Ancient Road, Modern World

When Was It Written
This was the first official post on our blogspot (www.tracecrossing.blogspot.com).  It was written on August 21, 2006, but it didn't post until August 24, 2006.  It was written the day after Kevin decided that he would move to Tupelo and join the group of people starting a new church.

Why Was It Written
For the first eight months of 2006, the people who met together called themselves the "no-name church".  We liked it, but didn't think it would really work well with everyone else.  When Kevin Wood came in August 2006, he was given the choice of naming the church what he wanted.  He chose The Church at Trace Crossing because of the Natchez Trace Parkway that cuts through Tupelo and is headquartered there.  It is an old, epic road that winds through Tupelo.  Kevin felt it was a good picture of what the church was called to be - a way of life based on an old road, path, or way, cutting its way through today's world. 

Who Wrote It
This was written by Kevin, our pastor, in August 2006. 



Ancient Road, Modern World
She winds her way nearly 500 miles from the muddy waters of the Mississippi to the gentle hills of middle Tennessee. She snakes her way through thick pine forests and past ruined plantation homes. In the fall, she dresses in the most beautiful colors of the season: orange and yellow and brown and red.

In the winter, the bleak gray sky and the barren limbs hang over her like an ever present blanket of frost. If you ride her frigid trail late in January, you'd think she was all but gone for good. But in the spring, she storms back to life with green trees bursting and fresh flowers blooming and wildbirds singing and every animal dancing. Life roars out of the darkness, and the sunlight commands the cold to leave. In summer she hovers over those who travel her path, providing shelter and shadow from the sweltering sun.

For a thousand years or more, her winding ways have been known. First by those native to her land. Later by those who were fortunate to find her secret passage. Every imaginable race has traced her path. Every imaginable class has crossed her way. The white, the black, the brown, the red. The rich, the poor, the soldier, the slave. And there she lies quietly day after day, whispering her secrets to a generation too busy to see her beauty; a generation too busy to heed her call.

Her pace is slower. Her path less straight. She doesn't cut into nature or maul right through it. She deftly weaves in and out of branch and brook and bridge. She forces you to slow down and take notice of life as it should be, life as it could be, life as it would be, if we only had the time.

And therein lies the heartbeat of her beauty.

She isn't just an old road. She isn't just an ancient road. She is an enduring road, and her whisper has the echo of eternity. A place where time does more than stand still. Time bows, and Time smiles, and Time rests, to soak in the joy of the journey.

There is another ancient road that winds like The Trace. She too winds her way through a landscape and timescape rugged and old. Her route begins by the banks of a muddy river as well, a river called Jordan that is less swift and less swollen than the Mississippi, but no less epic. The road she cuts takes its path to the hills, or a hill, to be specific. A hill called Calvary where red blood stained a brown cross, and where an orange sun scorched a dying man's body, only to be wrapped in a yellowish cloth and lain in a darkened tomb.

And there after that one man took a fall, the winter of man's soul settled in. Hope was barren, and faith lay lifeless, blanketed by a frigid curse. And for three days the road rested, and the road cried, believing this was as far as she would go. And for those who followed her miraculous trail, her end seemed a disappointing destination for a story that began with such promise. The road and her master, all but gone for good. Then like spring, life roared out of the darkness and love commanded the cold to leave. Blood ran warm through broken veins, and gentle eyes squinted as the first rays of light pierced the darkness. And as holy feet regained their step, the road ran anew. Her pace now quickened, and her path now determined, for not even death could slow her down.

And for two thousand years now, her winding ways have been known. First by those native to her holy land. Later by those fortunate to find her sacred passage. Every imaginable race has traced her path. Every imaginable class has crossed her way. The white, the black, the brown, the red. The rich, the poor, the slave, the soldier. And there she lies quietly day after day, whispering her secrets to a generation too busy to see her beauty; a generation too busy to heed her call.

Her pace is slower, but deeper. Her path is stronger, and sweeter. She forces you to slow down and take notice of life as it could be, life as it should be, life as it would be, if we only had the time.

And therein lies the heartbeat of her beauty.

She isn't just an old road. She isn't just an ancient road. She is an enduring road, and her whisper has the echo of eternity. A place where Time does more than stand still; Time bows, Time smiles, and Time rests, forever, to soak in the joy of the journey.

We call the first road "The Trace", and marvel at her beauty. The name of the second is "Grace", and she holds a majesty all her own . Like an ancient path colliding with a modern world, God's grace winds its way into our realm whether we acknowledge it or not. When Jesus Christ said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father but by me," he was talking to a world that had hopelessly lost its way. And now for those who are tired of wandering, now for those who are tired of wondering, God has provided an ancient road cutting through the heart of a modern world. Grace has paved the way for you to find your way home. And his name is Jesus Christ.

At The Church at Trace Crossing, our heart is to help you find and follow the new life found in Jesus Christ. We hope you discover and develop a passion for God that leads you into a more satisfied life. But the only way to enter that life is to step onto the path Grace has paved. So join us and learn what it means to soak in the joy of the journey. Learn what it means to walk the enduring road.

The Church at Trace Crossing... a grace experience.

Kevin Wood, Pastor
August 21, 2006



Want to Let The Writer Know What You Think?
Email Kevin at kwood@tracecrossing.org and let him know what you think about this article.