Preach It, Brother

Our church is celebrating a significant anniversary by holding a three-day "rally" this weekend. Last night, my brother was the song leader and featured soloist. He had held that position some years back. It was so exciting and nostalgic to be in that service with him. You see, he is now a minister at another local church and we do not worship together in the same building. We sang many of my old favorite hymns as well as those of the large audience. You see, many churches have left the old hymns for the new praise choruses, but not all people are happy about that. One of the former ministers was also on hand to deliver the sermon. He has always been a dynamic speaker, and we were blessed last night with more of his best. As we all were smiling, taking in the feel-good feelings of walking down memory lane, we were brought back to reality with the message of his sermon--look to the past, remember the past, learn from the past, look to the past and do better now, and stay in the future! Step out in faith. I have been reluctant to change, but have made the switch to the newer style of worship. But I'm sure many were sitting in shock during the message, thinking that Pastor Glenn would support their desire to worship as of old. Never would they have expected to hear such a sermon from their beloved former minister. I can guarantee that many of the audience were suspicious, thinking that our current minister somehow gave that topic of a need-to-change to Pastor Glenn to deliver to the captive audience. But knowing Pastor Glenn like we all do, he is a man who would not be "forced" to deliver a message he did not believe in himself. So, as we continue the rally with another former minister tonight, it will be interesting to hear his sermon and how he relates it to the past and his challenge for the future. Stay tuned.