I wonder how many people pray in the Atlanta airport subway on a daily basis? I was one of them a few Sundays ago. My connection was already boarding at gate T01 when I arrive in C46, scheduled to leave in less than 25 minutes, so odds were against me. Don’t get me wrong, I love layovers in the Great Atlanta Shopping Mall, but this time I wanted to get home.

I don’t know if God intervened, but I did make my flight.

A few weeks later, a redeye put me in the Dallas airport on a Sunday morning, when the announcement came over the PA — a non-denominational service would be held in the chapel, just a few steps away. Wow! I had hours before our next flight, so I went.

A deacon led the four of us travelers in a simple service, with all the key parts: confession and thanksgiving, Lord’s prayer, creed, prayers of the people, readings, a homily, and even a eucharist — bread only. I think it was 30 minutes, tops.

In a few days time, I’ll be headed home again. It won’t be Sunday morning, so I don’t expect to go to chapel. And my connection is easy, so I don’t expect to need ask a favor in prayer. But seems to me that it’ll be a fine time to offer thanksgiving for safe travels. For family vacations.

And a special thank you for the pilots, flight attendants, traffic controllers, gate agents, security guards, food vendors, baggage handlers, janitors, electricians, train operators — and deacons! — all those countless people in the airports. Thanks for being there, doing what you do for a living. Thanks for helping us be where we want to be, for fun.