Church bells have been in use for centuries.
There are primarily used to signal worshipers that the
service is about to begin.
Some churches, including my own, also ring the church bell at
the conclusion of the service.
Some churches ring their bell three times a day as a reminder
to their members to recite prayer.
Church bells are even rung in celebration at Thanksgiving or at
weddings.
In fact, many wedding and anniversary cards have pictures of
church bells on them.
When rung in celebration, the sound of the church bell adds
to the joy of the occasion.
Psalm 98:4 (KJV) - Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth:
make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
I have been called upon to ring my church’s bell both before
and after worship.
When rung in a certain way, the bell produces a loud and joyful
sound just as described by the Psalmist.
I believe this helps prepare the believer’s heart for
worship.
In the same way, that joyful sound it creates at the end of
the service also serves a purpose.
I believe it helps prepare the believer to take what was shared
during the worship service out into the world.
The sound the bell makes is not always a joyful one though.
In Great Britain during World War II the church bells were
silenced.
They were only to be rung as a warning of a pending enemy
attack.
There is another time when the sound of the church bell is
not a joyous one.
I know this from experience as I have also been called upon
to ring the church’s bell at funeral services.
In fact, I was called upon to do just that on Saturday.
Whenever I am called upon to do this, I take the responsibility
very seriously.
I see the church bell is a musical instrument that is capable
of producing only one note.
Whenever I ring the bell at a
funeral service, I try to ring it slowly, regularly and somberly.
I do this out of respect.
I also do it for one more reason.
It is possible that someone attending the funeral service has
not yet made himself right with the Lord.
If such is the case, they need to do so while they still have
time.
Psalm 144:4 (KJV) – Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow
that passeth away.
Just as the bells were rung as a warning in times of war, perhaps
the slow, regular and somber tone of the church bell will serve as a reminder.
A reminder that our time on earth is limited.
Although limited, it is never too late to get right with God
through Jesus Christ.
For as long as we draw breath there is hope.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on
Friday, April 3, 2015.
I’ll be back here on Friday, April 10, 2015
