[366 words]
Throughout the years I have heard many wonderful sermons which I have forgotten, but one sermon have I seen, and it has remained in my heart until this day. It happened on a Sunday morning when I was on my way to one of the two small congregations in Munich, Germany, on a cold, rainy day in November.
After I got out of bed, I looked through the window which was covered with ice ferns. New deep snow had fallen during the night covering the streets of the city. I tried to decide whether I should go to worship or stay home and read my Bible. I realized the congregation would miss me, for I was the only song leader they had. On the other hand I would have to walk a half block to catch the bus to the building. Finally I decided to go but only because I must lead the singing.
While I was riding the bus, I noticed two people trying hard to make their path through the snow. I recognized the people and knew where they were going. They were brother and sister Trollman, a faithful couple who attended every service. Brother Trollman was a man in his eighties who had lost his eyesight. His only guidance was his seventy-eight year old wife, who was lame in one foot. They lived in a little two room apartment, and received a little support from the government. Because they could not afford to ride the bus to the services, about three miles away, they walked the distance every Lord’s Day.
Here I was sitting in a warm bus, unwilling to go to worship, forced by my duty as a song leader, and there, outside in the cold weather, were two old people driven to worship by their love for the Lord’s Day. I was not able to do anything but blush, ashamed of myself and the weak faith and love I had proved to my Lord. I felt like an evildoer in court being judged by his own conscience. This old couple without their knowledge and without one word had taught me a greater lesson than could ever be said in words.
(An American G.I. “The Power of an Example.” The Lehman Avenue Weekly Communicator. Feb. 4, 1987)