By FRANK REMKIEWICZ
Columnist
Where are you going on your vacation this summer? Driving is the least expensive way to travel, and that probably means staying relatively close to home. Lake Tahoe is beautiful, and gambling is just about two blocks away if you are into that. Or maybe the Grand Canyon. Gorgeous site. The myriad colors among the rock formations are incredible. Around this time of year, American Express advertised its credit cards with a commercial that said, “American Express. Don’t leave home without it.” I want to make a suggestion for your summer trips: “God, don’t leave home without Him.”
Though several years ago now, the pandemic struck hard, and most churches continue to reel from the drastically lower attendance at weekly worship. Let’s be honest about the pandemic. It wasn’t our fault that we could not attend worship; we were told not to gather in large groups for the longest period. By the time the pandemic rules were lifted, we had backfilled our worship time with golf, pickleball, baseball, bowling, and grocery shopping. Our Sunday habits changed. To make the problem worse, we are going to skip church and go on vacation. So here are some handy tips for this summer.
First, make attending a worship service a priority. Yes, the kids will complain, the tee times will be pushed back, and the grocery shopping will move to Sunday afternoon. Remember the parable about the grain that falls on rocky soil and grows but soon dies? The same happens at the beach, in the desert, and when climbing mountainous rocks. So, we need to find some nice fertile soil that will make our faith grow, rich and abundant. There is no place better for that to happen than in your house of worship every week. So, tune up for the summer and get closer to God with those weekly visits. God on Sunday mornings is like your mom on Sunday afternoon. There is never a bad time to come over; she is always overjoyed to see you. God thinks the same way as your mother; there is never a bad time to visit, and God is always overjoyed to see you.
Vacation time arrives, and it is time to go. How do you keep that closeness to God from slipping away on vacation? It is time to “not leave home without God”. I have two excellent ideas for those times. The first is to look ahead to where you will land on your day of worship and find the local church within your denomination. Then attend one of the worship services. There will probably be an instant connection given your similarities. Attend the after-worship coffee hour, brunch, or whatever, and learn about the new people. Grab a bulletin or service flyer to take home to your church. When we returned home, we always got “attendance credit” for visiting another church.
The second way is a little less formal but perhaps more intimate. Before you leave, create your worship service for the time you travel. It is not as difficult as it may seem. For example, meet with your pastor, priest, spiritual director, or director of religious education and ask that person for help. Explain that you are traveling and will not be near any house of worship, but you do not want to forget God while you are away. Work with that person to develop a 15- to 20-minute worship service for you and your family for Sunday when you are away. Not only will you be more than likely to floor the person you are talking with, but when that person gets up off the floor, there will be a flurry of activity to design just the worship service that fits your family.
There are two slight alternatives to this way. One way would be to keep the last bulletin, brochure, or worship service document and use that as a guide for creating your family worship service. Where there are prayers of praise and glory to God, write prayers of praise and glory to God in your own words. Where there is a scripture reading, find a favorite psalm and gospel verse or two to “plug in” (Don’t forget to bring your Bible. You will be glad you did). Remember to save a place for a bit of offertory prayer and a prayer of thanksgiving. Finally, make sure you finish up with a prayer for your travels. I know I always like to pray for safe traveling. God will protect you.
If you are adventurous, skip the part where you pick up a bulletin or service worship document and wing it! You and your family, large or small, sit down and write your worship service together. Remember some basic elements, such as a prayer of centering, you, and the family. This will focus everyone on what you are about to do. Then a prayer of praise. God wants us to praise him for who God is, the father of all creation, both large and small. Add a prayer of glory for our God, a wonderful Father who has given us life. Then find a scripture or two. Psalm 23 is a great one to use while traveling. Then, add a reading from Matthew for the master teacher or John for the God who loves all of us fully. Follow up with prayers for all your friends and neighbors, for repentance and reconciliation, and then perhaps the Lord’s prayer. There is no need for an offertory this time, but a brief prayer of thanksgiving for all the gifts God has given us is in order. Finally, pray that you return to the drive safely and continue your safe trip. This may sound like a lot, but the worship will probably last about 25 or 30 minutes. Remember, if you cannot find God, ask yourself, “Who moved?”. I pray that you all remain safe during your travels and return to us here refreshed and renewed.
Francis (Frank) Remkiewicz is an area resident and contributes a monthly column focused primarily on faith and religion. He can be reached at fremkiewicz@gmail.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
