I SHALL NOT BE MOVED

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on Faith from a Place of Winter for the Years of Winter… ©

One of my favorite hymns, more a Gospel chorus, actually, is “I Shall Not Be Moved.” It comes from the lectionary Psalm for this Sunday, May 17, Psalm 1:3.

“Like a tree that’s planted by the waters, I shall not be moved.” We sang it a lot in the Civil Rights movement.

It always calls to mind a story from my friend, Ed Tucker, the famous “Friar Tuck” who drew cartoons for church publications. Ed was a Chicago boy and had a friend who took training to work for the CTA, the Chicago Transit Authority.

Their trainer asked them, “What is the one promise the CTA makes to its customers?” Sober drivers? Hardly. Clean buses? You’ve got to be kidding. On time? What universe to you live in?

“The one promise we make is this: If you are in the right place, and you stay there long enough, a bus will come.”

Friends, in the church, in the Spirit, we know we are in the right place. Now is the time for patience. Stay here. The Gospel bus is coming…

Here’s a little chorus I wrote about that. You can sing it to the tune of Folsom Prison Blues…

The Gospel bus is coming, coming after while, all the folks are singing, and the driver wears a smile, yes, the Gospel bus is coming, we need have no fear, the Gospel bus is coming, so let’s all stay right here…

John Robert McFarland

johnrobertmcfarland@gmail.com

The “place of winter” mentioned in the title line is Iron Mountain, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula [The UP], where life is defined by winter even in the summer! [This phrase is explained in the post for March 20, 2014.]

I tweet as yooper1721.