There are certain books and ideas I return to time and time again because they have proven to be reliable guides and trusted advisors in my own life. I also recommend them to others for the same reason. One of these is Joseph Campbell’s epic work on the heroic journey, Hero with a Thousand Faces. The journey is a “monomyth,” a myth that recurs throughout many times and in many cultures. Campbell unpacks the mythic narrative in seventeen detailed steps. In sum, though, we can understand the hero’s journey in three parts: departure, initiation, and return.

The hero begins their journey in the world that is familiar to them, the world that they know. A call to adventure intervenes in this familiar world, beckoning them on to…what? The adventurer does not know at this point. Many narratives depict this in mythic terms. However, we can also understand it in more contemporary terms, relating it to the various personal journeys of our lives, both actual travel and inner journeys of self-discovery. We can apply it as well to congregational evolution.

The center part of the heroic journey takes place in the unfamiliar world into which our adventurer has been thrust, either by choice or by circumstance. Various challenges await the hero here. Travelers through this strange landscape face challenges, some great and some small. They encounter helpers along the way. There is always what Campbell calls the “supreme ordeal.” This comes in a few standard forms, but “intrinsically, [it] is an expansion of consciousness” for the hero. However depicted, it is about self-realization, inner personal growth. The hero breaks through personal limitations to attain spiritual growth and maturity.

It is this inner transformation that enables the final stage of the return. Changed by the experiences of the initiation phase, the traveler is poised to return to the ordinary world they left. They may want to refuse the return, just as they initially may have wished to refuse the call to adventure. Remaining in the rarified world they have been in is seductive. In terms of a very mundane example, how many of us have lamented having to return from vacation? Besides, can those left behind even understand, let alone appreciate what transformation the adventurer has experienced and what it means going forward? No matter what, however, the heroic traveler must return. The cycle must be completed, because the purpose of the journey is far more than individual growth and transformation.

Because of what our adventurer has experienced in the liminal time of the journey, they are able to return with a “boon,” a gift for the community they left. This is the real purpose of the heroic journey.

Looking at the course of my own life through the lens of the hero’s journey has helped me find larger significance in the changes I’ve experienced, especially the challenges. Allow me to suggest a larger application for our consideration. Rev. Seth will be on sabbatical, part of which will be spent with his family in Costa Rica. And we as a congregation will be on our own journey of discovery as well.

The call to this adventure came in the form of the sabbatical written into Rev. Seth’s contract, along with his writing a successful application for a prestigious Lilly grant that will benefit both him and the congregation. He recognized that he needed time away for rest and renewal in the face of the demands and challenges of the past couple of years. For the congregation, the call took the form of recognizing that we, too, have work to do to reflect on who we are and who we want to be. The last couple of years have not been easy ones, but it was our familiar world, and we are seeking a path forward. What will be next? We don’t yet know, but we will accept the call we have been given.

All of us are entering into an unfamiliar world, a world ripe with possibility and promise. Rev. Seth and his family will have an extensive outer journey, too, and we are all embarking on an inner journey of self-discovery and potential transformation. We are crossing the threshold into something that will be different, something we cannot yet see. We are called on to trust the process and each other. Yes, we’ll all probably be uncomfortable at some point, but we will be growing.

Having come into the liminal space of the initiation phase, we can expect that there will be challenges. Perhaps the word so often used in the literature, “ordeal,” sounds too strong. But there will definitely be tasks we will complete and tests of our faith in ourselves, the process, and the larger love which holds it all. We will not be alone, however. There are helpers in the initiation, mentors who can guide us, suggest how we can be better, and help us build confidence. We don’t know yet who all these mentors will be. Our sabbatical minister, Joel Tishken, is certainly one, as is the leader of the Brené Brown workshop. And we have our beloved community, the container for our shared journey.

The hero of the mythic journey returns with a boon, a gift for their community. We can’t yet know the boon this journey promises all of us. But allow me to speculate. There is the gift of healing and renewal, promised in water. There is the promise of greater maturity, born of conversation and reflection. There is the gift of a generous attitude and forbearance. And there is the gift of rest and relaxation. May all of benefit, in ways large and small.

~Rev. Julia