-
The Reason Behind An Unusual Hymn Singing ...
Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 8, 2009 (message contributor)
The Reason Behind an Unusual Hymn Singing Practice is Discovered
Sometime in the last decade of twentieth century, a young pastor who was a fresh graduate from a renowned seminary was assigned to shepherd an old church in a remote village. The church was founded and built sometime in the late nineteenth century, and that makes the church about a century old. The young pastor was surprised to notice that every time the congregation sings hymnals they face the eastern wall of the church interior, while holding their open hymnal books. This practice puzzled the pastor, which prompted him to investigate what was the origin of the baffling practice. He came to learn that there still is a living church member, a woman, who is already over ninety years of age. The pastor wasted no time to find the old woman and found her in her home. She was ill and bed-ridden, almost near to death. Normally, people of that age have unreliable memory but this old woman seemed sharp in her retention.
The pastor, after his gesture of respect and introductory words of courtesy, with gentle words, asked the old woman what could be the reason that the congregation faces the eastern wall of the church interior every time a hymnal is sung. The old lady answered in a muttering aged voice, "Young boy, I can only recall that we did not have hymnal books since I was a small girl, so we scribble the hymns on a broad sheet of paper and paste them on the eastern wall of the church interior". And it has been that way since. Sometimes, it takes an intervention of a seemingly insignificant figure to solve a problem.
From a sermon by Jofrey Bustamante, When God Intervenes, 12/7/2009
Related Sermon Illustrations
-
There Is No God. All Of The Wonders Around Us ...
Contributed by Charles R. Swindoll on Sep 28, 2004
There is no God. All of the wonders around us are accidental. No almighty hand made a thousand billion stars. They made themselves. No power keeps them on their steady course. The earth spins itself to keep the oceans from falling off toward the sun. Infants teach themselves to cry when they are ...read more
-
Quecreek Miners Kept Each Other Alive PRO
Contributed by Mark Hensley on Aug 8, 2002
Quecreek Miners Kept Each Other Alive In what the news called "The Miracle at Quecreek," nine miners trapped for three days 240 feet underground in a water-filled mine shaft "decided early on they were either going to live or die as a group." The 55 degree (Fahrenheit) water threatened to ...read more
-
Deep Within A Forest A Little Turtle Began To ... PRO
Contributed by Edwin Amundson on Aug 9, 2002
Deep within a forest a little turtle began to climb a tree. After hours of effort he reached the top, jumped into the air waving his front legs and crashed to the ground. After recovering, he slowly climbed the tree again, jumped, and fell to the ground. The turtle tried again and again while a ...read more
-
A Young Fellow Wanted To Be A Star Journalist But ... PRO
Contributed by Edwin Amundson on Aug 9, 2002
A young fellow wanted to be a star journalist but lived in a small town (not much possibility). One day the dam upstream broke and the town was flooded. He got in a rowboat and headed out to look for a story. Finding a lady sitting on her rooftop, he tied up the boat and told her what he was after. ...read more
-
Have You Ever Heard Of The Expression, "Your Name ...
Contributed by Bruce Howell on Aug 24, 2004
Have you ever heard of the expression, “Your name will be mud?” Do you know where it originated? Samuel Alexander Mudd was the doctor who set John Wilkes Booth’s leg after Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theater in 1865. Mudd claimed he didn’t recognize Booth–didn’t really know him. ...read more
Related Sermons
-
The Seven Churches Of Revelation Series
Contributed by Rich Anderson on Feb 17, 2011
What best describes our church today? Are we a church filled with brotherly love, faithfulness and a love for God through Jesus Christ?
-
Becoming A Missional Church
Contributed by Dr. Jerry N. Watts on Sep 21, 2009
Based on the Great Commission and reinforced with many sources, this speaks of returning the church body to pre-Constantine days!
-
The Objects Of Our Love Series
Contributed by Dennis Davidson on Feb 18, 2013
We are to respond to God's love by abiding in God’s love, as we do, He reproduces His love in us. This love is not in the abstract. We are to love God & His children through attitude & action. We love God & His children by keeping God's commandments.
-
The Complacent Church Series
Contributed by Dr. Jerry N. Watts on Sep 25, 2011
The Church at Laodicea is a church termed "Lukewarm" by our Lord - and obviously shows the signs of "Complacency". Many a congregation have fallen into this trap.
-
The Vision Of A Holy Heart Series
Contributed by Tim Adams on Dec 1, 2009
This sermon is to advance the old-fashioned but forgotten doctrine of holiness for producing a pure church.