Pulling Together

Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God; ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. 1 Corinthians 3:8-9 (KJV)

A friend told me recently that she had visited Nashua, Iowa, USA. "Why?" I asked her, "What is so special about Nashua?" She replied, "That is where the 'Little Brown Church' is located. It is also where in 1857 William Pitt was inspired to write the hymn, 'Church in the Wildwood'." At that time, however, no church existed on this site in Nashua. The "Little Brown Church" wasn't built until 1864. Most frontier churches were painted white, but due to the high cost of white paint during the American Civil War years, the little church in Nashua became the "Little Brown Church".

To me, the most interesting part of my friend's story was not the circumstances surrounding the building of the church or the inspiration for Mr. Pitt's song. My friend wanted to see the "Little Brown Church" because her parents had been married there. She wanted to look in the record books to see her parents' signatures. She also wanted to see the bell in the bell tower. There is a wedding tradition which has carried on for four generations in the "Little Brown Church" that after a couple repeats their marriage vows, they are asked to ring the bell. Each couple is told that ringing the bell is a reminder that from now on they have to "pull together".

As I was walking from the parking lot to my church the next Sunday morning, I started thinking that it would be wonderful if every church had a bell in a bell tower like the one in the "Little Brown Church" to act as a visible reminder that as Christians we all need to "pull together" in doing God's work.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for making us labourers together with You. We pray that You will guide us and help us to "pull together" as we spread the good news that Your Son, Jesus the Christ, was born and died on the cross for our salvation. In His holy name we pray. Amen.

Judy Welch (originally shared on the PresbyCan Daily Devotional page in 2007)