Today's the day when in 1785 the first balloon flight over the English Channel took place. Frenchman Jean-Pierre Blanchard and American John Jeffries flew from Dover to Calais, in a gas balloon. The two men nearly crashed into the Channel along the way, however, as their balloon was weighed down by extraneous supplies such as anchors, a non-functional hand-operated propeller, not-to-mention silk-covered oars with which they hoped they could row their way through the air. Just before reaching the French coast, the two balloonists were forced to throw nearly everything out of the balloon, and Blanchard even threw his trousers over the side in a desperate, but apparently successful, attempt to lighten the ship.
Travelling light is not a bad idea. Jesus sent out his disciples on mission with this command:
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
Jesus wanted to make sure his disciples didn’t get distracted from the important business of sharing the good news by the possessions they had with them. In fact, he didn’t even want them to be distracted by small talk with passers by. Showing people the good news of God’s love needed to be their focus. And ours. Why don’t you check today whether there are any possessions or habits that are distracting you from sharing God’s love with others?
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