January 23, 2015 (Friday)
A 1939 movie starring Myrna Loy and Tyrone Power was entitled, “The Rains Came.” That title was running around in my head as the rains came yesterday. Now the cold comes. The rain was welcomed; the cold..not so much. Hopefully, the predictions for a nice day on Sunday will come true, so that the frail and elderly can make it to church.
I recall when I was pastor at Kosse, we woke up one Sunday morning to a rainstorm, complete with lightning, thunder, wind and some flooding. My phone rang, and it was one of the younger members, a deacon, who suggested that we call off church services because we had so very many older people in the congregation. I told him it was too late to get the word out, and we would just see what was going to happen at church time. Well, with their umbrellas, walkers and wheelchairs the elderly and disabled came to church, but most of the younger members didn’t make it.
Sometimes church attendance is as Forrest Gump described life: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” (I often quote him on that). But in every church, there is a core of faithful people who are always there, no matter what. If any of those folks is missing, we know something is wrong.
In every church, in every clime,
When there’s some work to do,
It very likely will be done
By just the faithful few.
While many folks will help to sing,
And some of them will talk,
When it comes down to doing things,
A lot of them will balk.
“We can’t do this, we can’t do that,
Excuse us, please, this time.
We’d be so glad to help you out,
But it’s not in our line.”
So when a leader casts about
To find someone “who’ll do,”
Although he’s done it oft before,
He asks The Faithful Few.
Of course they’re very busy too,
And always hard at work,
But well he knows they’ll not refuse,
Nor any duty shirk.
They never stop to make excuse,
But promptly try to do
The very, very best they can
To smooth the way for you.
God bless, I pray, The Faithful Few,
And may their tribe increase;
They must be very precious to
The blessed Prince of Peace.