Travellin' Jones
Whew! We made it! What a trip—our choir travelled from Boise to Denver, Colorado this past Thursday. 21 of us met at church at 5:30 a.m. and caravanned in four vehicles. We were on the road by 6 and made it, tired but excited, to Denver at 7 p.m. The Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (LWMS) provided our choir an opportunity to sing at their annual convention.
We met the next morning at 8 a.m., went to morning devotion, then practiced. We had our sound check at 12:30 p.m., then the convention began. Following a PowerPoint presentation about our church, I had the honor of introducing our choir. Everyone looked great—all the men were in white shirt and tie while each of the ladies wore an “áo dài” which is the traditional dress of Vietnam. Toan Doan, our choir director, introduced each member of the choir and we began to sing. Our first song is called “Lo Gì” which is a reminder that we don’t need to worry, but rather concern ourselves with God’s righteousness and his kingdom. As the song says, “Friend, worrying is beneath you.”
We finished singing the song and people began to applaud. Then people began standing. The standing ovation of the thousand people in attendance made quite an impact on our little group from Peace In Jesus. The moment was so powerful, several members of our choir had a tear in their eye. We sang two more songs and left the stage.
Speaking with choir members, what really made an impression on them was the response of the people. Not only singing in front of a thousand and having such a powerful response, but wherever they went, our choir members were stopped by those attending the convention—in the hotel, on the street, in restaurants—our choir folks were treated like rock stars! Such an outpouring of Christian love is typical at LWMS conventions, and I thank God for it. Such sincere love and care is the mark of the Christian, even from the time of the early Christian Church this was the calling card of the believer: “My how they love one another!”
During these summer months as we go on trips, please don’t overlook the opportunities you will be given to share your Christian love with brothers and sisters in the faith. Check out the interaction of the Apostle Paul as he was travelling:
“After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Cos . . . We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days . . . when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.”
If you have ever had the pull to “get out of town,” you have had what is called “the travellin’ jones”—you feel the need to travel. Paul’s schedule was filled with much travel. As you look at your summer schedule, you may have some travel days as well. As you travel, or have the occasion to welcome travelers, please give careful consideration to ways you can let your faith be evident to other Christians. You have opportunities to make confession of your faith with your life—not only to pre-believers, but to other Christians as well.
Lastly, as you travel or send others on the open road—please remember to pray. In dawn’s light this past Thursday, we all prayed that the Lord would bless our trip. As we rolled into Boise on Saturday night, we gave thanks to God who watched over us and blessed our trip. The act of “committing your way to the Lord” can also include the practical practice of praying as you begin and end travel. God be with you, dear faith family, no matter where you are off to this summer!
Have a blessed week!
--Pastor Dan