In an era consumed with entertainment, recreation and personalized services, it may not be a surprise that the travel industry’s offering of trips spans the breadth of human interests. As we plan trips to faraway places, or neighboring amusement parks, we can choose from a vast array of options: cruise style, adventure style, family style; but do we ever stop and consider what a trip would look like if we took it “Jesus Style?” What would it look like if we took Luke chapter 10 as a model for traveling Jesus Style?
For all of us who like to pack to be prepared for whatever may befall us, yes, all of us who pack for three extra days, a pack of Band-Aids and that extra sweater, just in case, traveling with Jesus may proove to be downright scarce. According to Luke chapter 10, Jesus calls us to simplicity, “bring no money belt, no purse, and no extra pair of sandals.” He wants us to travel lightly and with urgency. As for the “what if’s?” of life, He calls us to a deeper level of trust…trusting that we will be welcomed, fed and housed.
So, at the very get-go of our journey with Jesus, we are called to simplicity, trust and obedience. But more important are His instructions of how we are to arrive and conduct ourselves upon our arrival at the destination.
In Verse 5 we are told to enter and say, “Peace to this house.” How often do we allow ourselves to be rush passed these important four words? They are informed by the Hebrew concept of Shalom and imply a wholeness and completeness that only God’s peace can bring. Do we bring God’s peace to the people on our journeys? Do we pray for the location, the people, our hosts and ask God for his Spirit to lead us so that we may be effective agents of His peace and reconciliation? Or do we get carried away with the excitement of arrival, the greetings, the newness of adventure and travel that we pass over these instructions?
Summer travel is often a time to reconnect with family at reunions, picnics and beach vacations. It is also a time for “old” conflicts to rear their ugly heads, once again. Old wounds are brought to bear on family time, and old grievances are reignited. If we pause but one moment we can glean volumes from Jesus’ instruction to us. No matter where our journeys take us–the foreign mission field, the family beach vacation, or the reunion picnic–he calls us to enter our destination as bearers of His peace and with his gift of reconciliation.
This summer wherever our travels may take us, may we travel Jesus’ Style: simply, trusting and bearing His timeless message of “Peace to this house!”
The Rev. Dcn. Kirsten Gardner
The Way Christian Fellowship