May 26, 2024 The village of Zuguyizeju, Northern Region
From the time I was a small baby, my parents carried me to church in our little village. Sundays meant church and Sunday School, and church meant special music by either the choir or a soloist. My mother had a lovely soprano voice and was frequently called on for solos. In those days, there was still a vogue for music from oratorios such as the Messiah. One of my mother’s favorite solos told the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18:10-14. Even now, I can still hear my mother singing that story, and this Sunday, those memories became a sermon.
We were visiting a small village church and were asked to give the message. The question God was placing before the congregation was this: What idols are preventing you from communion with God?
After describing a number of things that have become modern idols, including cell phones, I described how our self-righteous attitudes could keep us from God. That’s when the memories of Mom’s solo kicked in. As I was telling the story, in my mind I could hear Mom singing it. The congregation was blessed by the words of Jesus, but I was blessed once more by Mom’s music. And a seventy-year-old solo worked its magic once more. “He that humbles himself will be exalted, and he who exalts himself will be humbled.”
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