THE STORY THAT DOES NOT END (34 OF 34)
The Story That Does Not End (34 of 34)
Series: Acts
Robert Dawson
Acts 28
When Lloyd Ogilvie, who recently served as chaplain to the U.S. Senate, was in college he had the opportunity to sail on the Queen Mary from NY to Southampton. The Queen Mary had been a luxury liner during her lifetime and also transported troops during the War. He said the ship, though older, was still magnificent and he tried to imagine what she must have been like during her glory days as he walked the decks.
Years later he would see the old ship again but this time it would not be as a luxury liner or troop ship but a museum in a California harbor. The motor had been removed as well as most of her sailing equipment. Souvenir shops now lined the decks and the cabins had been turned into hotel rooms. While she was still being used, people visiting the historic old ship, he found himself disappointed because she was just a shell of her former glory. The slogan used to advertise the grand old ship was, “The greatest ship that ever went to sea is now the greatest ship to come and see.”
That reunion and slogan was still on his mind the next day as he greeted people leaving church after his message. As people came by and greeted him he had the opportunity to meet a lady who was visiting the church from Iowa. She made a statement that caught him off guard and sounded strangely and uncomfortably familiar. She talked about how she had followed his church, Hollywood Presbyterian Church, for years through their preaching program. With excitement she said, “I have waited years to visit Hollywood Presbyterian Church and see all the great things that used to happen here.”
Not exactly what a pastor wants to hear but the sobering reality is that every church faces the danger of becoming nothing more than a historical monument. No church is more than a generation away from such a possibility. The question for us is, “How do we ...
Series: Acts
Robert Dawson
Acts 28
When Lloyd Ogilvie, who recently served as chaplain to the U.S. Senate, was in college he had the opportunity to sail on the Queen Mary from NY to Southampton. The Queen Mary had been a luxury liner during her lifetime and also transported troops during the War. He said the ship, though older, was still magnificent and he tried to imagine what she must have been like during her glory days as he walked the decks.
Years later he would see the old ship again but this time it would not be as a luxury liner or troop ship but a museum in a California harbor. The motor had been removed as well as most of her sailing equipment. Souvenir shops now lined the decks and the cabins had been turned into hotel rooms. While she was still being used, people visiting the historic old ship, he found himself disappointed because she was just a shell of her former glory. The slogan used to advertise the grand old ship was, “The greatest ship that ever went to sea is now the greatest ship to come and see.”
That reunion and slogan was still on his mind the next day as he greeted people leaving church after his message. As people came by and greeted him he had the opportunity to meet a lady who was visiting the church from Iowa. She made a statement that caught him off guard and sounded strangely and uncomfortably familiar. She talked about how she had followed his church, Hollywood Presbyterian Church, for years through their preaching program. With excitement she said, “I have waited years to visit Hollywood Presbyterian Church and see all the great things that used to happen here.”
Not exactly what a pastor wants to hear but the sobering reality is that every church faces the danger of becoming nothing more than a historical monument. No church is more than a generation away from such a possibility. The question for us is, “How do we ...
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