Umbrella Sermon | AdventAI

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 31, 1915

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 42, No. 34.

"Umbrella Sermon"

A PREACHER in one of the leading cities of the United States has a church that is "pretty well surrounded with the motion picture theaters," and hence his "Sunday evening meetings are not very well attended." So he announced to preach an "umbrella sermon," saying, "We will draw practical and religious lessons from the umbrella." He was to be dressed with raincoat and hat, and carry an umbrella over his head, as he preached the sermon. At the close of the sermon, a man and a woman, selected at random in the congregation, were each to receive an umbrella—the man to be presented with the one used on the platform.

Such a service would certainly be very unique, to say the least. And it says a great deal for the lack of spirituality in these times; for while this particular service is a little out of the usual in its freakishness, similar things for the purpose of drawing crowds to the church are by no means uncommon. It is not essential that a minister shall have a large congregation in order to have a good meeting. If he personally knows the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His salvation, even though very few people may come to hear him, he can benefit them. Christ gave one of His greatest discourses to a lone woman by the side of a Samaritan well. But He brought so much into her spiritual life in that conversation, and awakened such strong hopes in her mind, that it was only a little while until the Master, through her personal testimony, had a congregation desirous of hearing the great message of salvation.

The people of this time may want amusement, and the minister may be tempted to give it to them; but the age is amusement mad, and the thing the people ought to have is not amusement, but a message that will awaken them to a realizing sense of their lost condition.