April 2008 Pastor's Corner
Since pastors always have to plan their sermons 6-8 weeks out, I've been thinking about Memorial Day this week. I've realized that, while we honor the men and women who have died for our country, that some of the honor belongs to the civilians – the wives and children who bravely waited for their husbands to come home, the parents who received that horrible visit or telegram, and the young man who skips the Indy 500 to honor a grandfather who died on Normandy Beach as a teenager. As I was reading, I found the story of the writing of "He Leadeth Me". A pastor, during the Civil War, preached a sermon that nobody heard because they were all too busy whispering about the war raging a few miles down the road. He went home, and wrote this song to show his congregation that God leads us no matter what the situation.
We often find ourselves in situations where we feel there is a war raging, that God has left us, that everything is crumbling around us. Sometimes it's true – but we must remember that through it all, God leads us.
You can read and hear "He Leadeth Me" at Cyberhymnal.
