One Ev’ning a Trav’ler

Ward Choir Sings

by Jeanelle Averett

 

One ev’ning a trav’ler

Was lost in a storm

A search party found her

‘Come in and get warm’

 

In a little brown church

Where she’d long ago gone

There singing-–a choir

With red choir robes on

 

Some voices were piercing

While others were deep

Oh Savior please help us

Retrieve thy lost sheep

 

Oh how joyful the noise

That filled up the night

Surrounding the choir

With a marvelous light

 

Self-righteous church goers

The traveler grinned

This phony bunch sings like

They never have sinned!

 

Just look at that tenor

All goody two shoes

His lyrics are sober

But he still drinks his booze!

 

And what of the bass’s

Most holy refrain?

He sing’s God’s name sweetly

Then takes it in vain!

 

And there’s the Soprano

Up high on her perch

It’s women like her

Made me swear off of church!

 

On Sundays she’s Christ like

All proper and prim

But the rest of the week—

She is nothin’ like Him!

 

The rescuers listened

Until she was through

We know this church choir

We think better than you

 

Just look at the tenor

He gives away shoes

To the homeless, the needy

The sick and abused

 

And what of the bass’s

Most wonderful voice

When he sings about Jesus

Our spirits rejoice!

 

And there’s the soprano

She’s coming to church

When we think of the years…

That our search party searched…

 

It’s a defective picture

Your fault-findingpaints

We’re a hospice for sinners

Not an archive for saints

 

We seek out the damaged

Imperfect and flawed

Inviting the stricken

To come unto God

 

For all men are fallen

And sickened from sin

And that is the reason

We beckoned youin!

 

That is the reason

We were out in the squall

To bring you to Jesus

To answer His call

 

So if you are willing

There’s a seat saved for you

Beside the soprano

In our church choir pew!

 

Christopher D. Cunningham is the managing editor for Public Square Magazine and contributor to Third Hour. He loves emphatically celebrating the normal healthy development of his sons Albus and Whitman, writing about the Church of Jesus Christ, finding the middle ground on most controversies, and using Western Family generic brand lip balm. Christopher is a proud graduate of Brigham Young University-Idaho, and a resident of San Antonio, Texas.