New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver and the breathtaking Colorado mountains have been a wonderful experience since we left home ten days ago. Despite two nights and one to come on overnight train journeys, which made me realize that I was never a boy scout!
We somehow managed to enjoy the experience of cramped bunks and rail freight speeding by at all hours of the night and put it down to experience. This has been made up by the fabulous hotels we’ve been staying at and the wonderful welcome and warmth of the America people – and those breakfasts – Well enough said!.
We managed to attend a service on the Sunday were in Chicago. We had arrived late afternoon and a short walk from the hotel we noticed a church. We were fortunate that a 4pmservice was just beginning so we joined the congregation. How wonderful that the first hymn was “love Divine’ to the Welsh tune ‘Hyfrydol’ we felt immediately at home and at one with a congregation of all ages who sang enthusiastically and a worship band and leader who were certainly would not allow us to sing other than with joyous conviction!.
The sermon given by thelady Minister of the church was both relevant and exactly what you would expect to hear in any Welsh chapel. One difference, was the ‘Amen’ and Hallelujahs which came from hearts and voices which encouraged the preacher to even greater heights of passion and joy (It came to me that perhaps we have become far too sedate in our worship, who knows?).
During the Communion servicethat followed there was a real sense of unity as people of all ages, nationalities which including the two of us far from home remembered the love of Jesus and the joy of being part of his church.
Later in the week we travelled to the heights of the Colorado Mountains and the snowcapped hills which were a truly spectacular sight. Then again in that cathedral of God’s glory the words of the Psalmist seemed to real ‘I will lift up my eyes to the hills and know that my health and strength comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth’ Indeed God is with us wherever we may be and whose love is, as we sang in that Chicago church ‘the joy of heaven to earth come down!’
‘Hallelujah and Amen’
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