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 Five
articles concerning “Preaching in Australia” have appeared
in TRUTH Magazine; and a lengthy article on this subject has or
will soon be published in the GOSPEL GUARDIAN. In checking my
manuscripts against field notes I have become aware that too
little attention has been given the work of bro. Harold Comer.
He was in Australia with bros. Binkley, Harkrider, and Everett;.
and there is ample evidence of his effectiveness in Queensland,
New South Wales, and in Victoria. The unintentional omission
brought no complaint from him, but it focused my attention on
the unsung heroes of every life situation.
The
preface of a book often expresses the author’s appreciation to
an illustrious few, and then “to the many others who made this
work possible.” Knowing my own dependence upon this less
honored class, I often wonder how many of these unnamed ones may
actually be the sinews of power and knowledge behind the
product.
The
story is told of a preacher who floundered through a sermon,
much to his embarrassment as well as that of the congregation.
And what most concerned the preacher was his inability to assign
a reason for this failure. He had been well prepared, the
subject relevant, the listeners attentive.
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But something was missing. That night
he again stumbled through a portion of his sermon, then stopped
short as he recognized the problem.
“Where
is that little old lady who always wears the old fashioned hat,
and sits on the second pew at the left?” he asked.
“Sister
Carnac?” someone replied. “She has moved from this
community.
“I
did not even know her name the preacher explained; “but her
absence has affected my preaching. You see, I could tell that
she really believed in me.”
How
many little known, seldom recognized factors enter our everyday
life to shape and mold us? How dependent are we upon a
horse-shoe nail or a tiny wire in a traffic signal? But far more
vital to us, as social creatures, are the seemingly
insignificant gestures of friendliness, or antagonism; of doubt,
or trust; of appreciation, or indifference; that affect
characters about us. Sung or unsung, each of us leave our mark
on the world through which we pass.
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