One Ev’ning a Trav’ler
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 you…in!
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!