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Once upon a time there lived a fair young maiden who thrived on peace and harmony. She was shy, loved her pet cat and always did her homework. Odette (not her real name but used for the purpose of remaining anonymous) was the eldest of three all close in age — she would lead her brother Otto and sister Ophelia on the long walk to school each morning when it was not raining. In winter there were many days with thick, heavy fog almost down to the ground but that did not matter at all as the children were together and would talk amongst themselves. They wore blue woollen mittens which kept the chilblains at bay. Towards the end of the journey they passed a strip of shops which had a couple of those old fashioned coin vending machines outside the Milk Bar — for all the Adelaideans, like a Delicatessen or Deli as we affectionately call them. A bit of a distraction as they grew older yet they were fascinated with the selection of colourful items of which some were gumballs while others were little plastic bubble type containers with all sorts of things inside such as plastic snakes, toy cars, rubber balls, and the like. More on this later. That was the same shop that the little girl sometimes entered to buy cigarettes or "smokes" for her father who smoked them constantly in the car which made her stomach awfully queasy. There were times poor Odette actually vomited from car sickness even though her window was wound down for fresh air.
After primary school there was "big" school for Odette which was further afield and required walking each end to the bus stop. That trip cost 20 cents each way and there were no multi trip tickets back in those days. Our little girl made friends once with an elderly gentleman who liked to have a chat and even gave her money now and again to buy something nice at the school tuck shop. On reflection he must have not had any grandchildren who lived nearby and, out of all the many children on the bus travelling to school he chose her for some reason; perhaps she reminded him of his daughter when a little girl, Odette pondered? She was not afraid of him as he had a very kind face and there were plenty of people on board the bus. He probably asked her about school but she cannot remember his name, what they talked about or what he looked like only that there was no fear at all. She never told her parents about this or the time when she tried to put a small silver can ring top into the vending machine that people used to pull off their cans of fizzy drinks and drop on the pavement. In case you are wondering, it worked as they were the same size as the coins needed to operate the machine. The shop owner came racing outside one day to chase the children away and they never did this naughty act again. They were good children who did as they were told but left unsupervised, well it is not really any surprise they had a momentary lapse of good judgment.
Childhood memories are a mixture of good and not so good interspersed with a jumble of happy times and other times when tears were shed. It is good to share some of these amongst others we see every week as we get to know one another. Coincidentally (or was it?) the same time I began to write this piece we listened to an inspiring sermonette from an elderly gentleman in our congregation who briefly spoke about his childhood including war memories, waiting to meet his siblings returning from duty once WWII was over. He was the youngest of 8 and was born after his brothers left to serve their country. He recounted the jubilation on the streets, the "unbridled celebration" as a "magnificent spectacle" between all those joyously "dancing, kissing, singing, and hugging". This was a major highlight for him as a young lad only paralleled by the first time he ever heard the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture which gave him goosebumps then and thereafter. This stirring musical piece was commissioned and written in 1880 to commemorate the successful Russian defense against Napoleon's invading Grande Armée in 1812. Legend has it that Pyotr hated this workpiece giving a scathing critique and assessment of it as “very loud and noisy and completely without artistic merit, obviously written without warmth or love,” such were the very words penned by Tchaikovsky himself. Even so, so many since then think of the 1812 Overture as brilliant, a masterpiece of resounding enthusiasm, bold and impossible not to take great notice of. Our sermonette giver immerses himself in the supreme musical delight of celebrating the end of war through Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture: https://youtu.be/gUmu-dmF4us If you are wondering whether the Russian musical genius had a favourite, it was his creation of Sleeping Beauty.
On December 18 this year there will be an occasion at the Adelaide Town Hall showcasing The Adelaide Symphony orchestra playing musical pieces of art including Handel's Messiah to delight the senses for which our sermonette giver will attend, God willing. Here is one version: https://youtu.be/IUZEtVbJT5c There are so many beautiful pieces of classical music we have the pleasure to enjoy. As part of my research Odette was asked her favourite for which she replied with the following — Blue Danube by Johann Strauss https://youtu.be/cKkDMiGUbUw and Hallelujah sung here in a modern version by Lucy Thomas https://youtu.be/4hjgkvuKES8. We all have our favourites, perhaps you will share yours with others in your congregation as the music lovers will appreciate the exchange. Music has the ability to transport us into a place of joy with incredible sounds replicated here such as Handel's "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale" https://youtu.be/oW2Faes1zhs. I really appreciate the humour and skill that went into such a delightful piece, therefore it is included amongst my favourites.
It would not surprise me at all that there will be more pieces of musical genius to listen to and enjoy after the return of Jesus Christ. For now we have classics, and the Psalms in our Bible contain hymns penned by David and Asaph among others. Asaph no doubt had great musical talent and has been referred to regularly over the years by our elderly sermonette giver who shares snippets of interest pertaining to this man's life. Furthermore, he has provided many details about music from the world as well as from our Bibles. All these are sweet memories as they are indelibly associated with the oldest member in our congregation who truly loves music, peace, joy, harmony, and life with God, much like Odette. After Christ comes He will put an end to all wars and this is close to both of their hearts (Isaiah 2:1-4). Odette shares all of this with him plus they both are "softies" with quite a few pet cats during their lifetime, and really enjoy having Garfish and King George Whiting to eat for lunch or dinner. We may have lots of things in common with brethren but how would you know unless you share of yourself and get to know one another? Of course we all have our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ our Saviour as our number one interest as well as hopefully being our "first love" as we interact and develop these precious relationships. If you haven't already done so, why not start with asking brethren if they have a favourite scripture? Perhaps they have more than one and a good discussion will occur.
As spectacular as The 1812 Overture may be to those who think it is the best piece of music ever composed, consider Psalm 150 — the fifth and final concluding Hallelujah Psalm provides us with the following spectacular imagery: "Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!" This is the final Psalm in the book of Psalms and it is perfect to conclude with such a stirring scene of which we can be part of each and every Sabbath even if we cannot play an instrument, we can certainly use our voices in singing hearty praise. https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-commentary/bible-commentary-psalm-150
The above link provides more information for the reader who may have been stirred into action by the perfection of God's Word into praising our great God through personal special music on the Sabbath to share with others, or at home, outside in all those wonderful solitary wilderness times in the countryside or at the beach, and in all our quietest moments when we are at one with our Creator giving Him praise and grateful thanks for giving us a spiritual family whom we would never have met in this lifetime, or otherwise develop loving bonds.
The parting words from our sermonette giver last Sabbath were to "keep the vision of hope as our redemption draws near" which is fittingly appropriate for the time we are living in when many are growing tired and weary, while others are losing hope or have already lost hope, become offended or just stay at home because they choose to. Our small congregation of around 20 or so, while imperfect as humans are, have always wanted to attend physically in person unless ill or contagious and are there to serve each week and eagerly await the messages we receive in order to have those "ears to hear" (Revelation 2 & 3). Our most senior congregation member is the sermonette giver in this article and has struggled at times with clear hearing due to particular acoustical challenges in various halls. His cochlear implant took some time for him to adjust to while his hearing aids previously used presented many issues. Despite these difficulties he has remained strong and not given up and we are most grateful for this as well as all the wisdom given via his inspired speaking. Last week was the most "fired up" and excited I have ever seen him since he began attending with us around 2007/2008. Len is known for his witty sense of humour, love of music, acts of thoughtful kindness, always ready to carry heavy loads for the widows and the weaker vessels, and in addition to all that, his love of bushwalking, history, geography, and especially reading his Bible. We are one grateful congregation for knowing him and hope to hear more of his treasure via sermonettes and discussions while iron is sharpened (Proverbs 27:17).