The Faith We Travel By
By Emily Rose of Claremont, CA, USA
When we lift our pack and go,
when we seek another country,
moving far from all we know,
when we long to journey free—
God is in the other place,
God is in another’s face,
in the faith we travel by,
God is in the other place.—“When We Lift Our Pack and Go” by Shirley Erena Murray ©1992 Hope Publishing Company, Community of Christ Sings 634
(Reflections on World Conference 2016)
This hymn has been in my heart today as I drive across the flat fields of Kansas, headed back to my home in California. Many of the people I care about are traveling, too, making the long journey home after a spirit-filled World Conference. We are moving away from singing songs, sharing laughter, and celebrating community. In a brief time we glimpsed what it would mean to build the kin-dom of God. Immersed in diversity of culture, language, and opinion, we made space at God’s expansive table.
Prophet President Steve Veazey challenged us to take our packs and go. He called for a mass exodus for people living in poverty and suffering. He called on us to stand up to politicians and systems of oppression and say with courage, “Let God’s people go!” If ever there was a sermon that our weary church needed to hear, this was it.
All of this took place just a day before the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. Many of us have still been lingering in the insulated space of our worship and songs of peace.
Through the loneliness of night,
through the sky’s uncharted spaces
not a sparrow falls in flight
but a loving God will care—
God is in the other place,
God is in another’s face,
in the faith we travel by,
God is in the other place.
—“When We Lift Our Pack and Go” by Shirley Erena Murray
©1992 Hope Publishing Company, Community of Christ Sings 634
I read the reports from Orlando to my traveling companions. A hush fell over us. I wanted to find myself rooted in God, to somehow get back to holy encounter I had just felt.
I think back to Apostle Mareva Arnaud Tchong’s sermon on the Good Samaritan and the brokenness of the man in the story—the brokenness of our world. Sister Mareva actually broke glass wrapped in a cloth on the stage. She held up a piece of the shattered glass, asking, “In this bruised, broken, and battered life, what is the call of Jesus? What is your response?”
Sons and daughters must depart,
friends will go on other journeys,
only constant is the heart
that can trust its God to be—
God is in the other place,
God is in another’s face,
in the faith we travel by,
God is in the other place.
—“When We Lift Our Pack and Go” by Shirley Erena Murray
©1992 Hope Publishing Company, Community of Christ Sings 634
What is this faith we travel by? What compels us to take our packs and go into a world that aches, shudders, and yearns for peace? If we feel trapped, paralyzed by fear, apathy, and helplessness, the only way to move is to trust that God is already moving. God is weeping with communities that feel marginalized and that live in fear. God is in the other place, and the call is always take your packs and go.
Prayer Phrase
God is with us.
Invitation to Spiritual Practice
Holy Attention
Ordinary time is a season for awakening to God’s presence in all the details and circumstances of our everyday, ordinary lives. Wherever you are, pay attention to your surroundings. Allow yourself to be fully present for a time with whatever is before you. Where do you sense God with you right now exactly where you are?
How does today’s story invite you to discover God in the realities of your everyday life?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
