Ambassadors for Christ

I have just returned from the Indianapolis airport where I had the joy and privilege of reading scripture, praying with and blessing this group of travelers...right there in front of the Delta ticket desk. We read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, which provides a strong reminder that, thanks to the reconciling work of Christ, "we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us." The beauty of this trip is that these ambassadors will be welcomed and hosted by Chilean ambassadors for Christ and then return to Indiana and Kentucky as ambassadors for Christ and for the companionship between the IELCH and the IN-KY Synod among their family, friends, congregations, and all sorts of other folks.

Two symbols of this new ambassadorial creation can be seen in the photo above: a ceramic cross that will be the gift of this group to the leadership of the church in Chile and the book which has given this trip its name, "God In Between." These signs will accompany the travelers and serve as reminders of what this trip is all about.

As Melissa pointed out in her blog posting this morning, their flight leaves about 5:00 p.m. EDT today and they will arrive in Santiago, Chile about 7:00 tomorrow morning. As they travel, we pray:

O God, our beginning and our end, you kept Abraham and Sarah in safety throughout the days of their pilgrimage, you led the children of Israel through the midst of the sea, and by a star you led the magi to the infant Jesus. Protect and guide these ambassadors as they travel. Make their ways safe and their homecomings joyful, and bring them at last to their heavenly home, where you dwell in glory with our Lord Jesus Christ and the life-giving Holy Spirit, on God, now and forever. Amen

[adapted from "Responsive Prayer," Evangelical Lutheran Worship]