In the air

I have a couple of funny stories to tell, but what's really on my mind is Noah's trip (starting today) with the Institute of Sacred Music. Right now, the group is in the air from New York to Vienna to Sarajevo. By tomorrow sometime, they'll start their two-week adventure in Serbia touring churches, playing organs, and seeing a fascinating part of the world. When we talked last night, I wondered which faculty were going along. "Oh, Thomas Troeger and Miroslav Volf," he said. Tom Troeger taught his favorite class this year in the Divinity School, one on hymnody. And Volf...well, as a native Croatian, his presence on this trip makes all kinds of sense.

I'm excited for them all. But I have to call it as I see it: I am envious. Envy! I remember Handel's oratorio "Saul," in which the chorus repeats, "Envy! Eldest born of hell!" But I'm okay with admitting envy. I'm also grateful for the opportunities given to these young people, as I keep praying for their safe arrival into a world very far away from home. (I would be okay with some of you adding prayers for continued safety on this trip as well.)