The day that Joellen joined...
Illustration
The day that Joellen joined our congregation she asked if she could sing in the choir. "Of course," I replied. "Every voice is welcome." But, I thought to myself, Joellen isn't likely to have much of an impact in the choir. She was a very slight young woman who had been plagued by tuberculosis as a young child, and now lived with bronchial asthma. She couldn't have weighed more than 95 pounds.
The following Wednesday I overheard the choir rehearsing. Something was different, but I couldn't tell what it was. They sounded better than ever before. Later on I shared this observation with our choir director. She enthusiastically agreed that the choir sounded great. "It's that Joellen," she said. "It's hard to believe that such a powerful voice can come out of such a small body."
Since then I've noticed many examples of something big coming out of something little, and I always think of Joellen. The Bible gives us many examples, like lowly Ruth becoming the great-grandmother of King David; or David himself, a slight little shepherd lad, becoming the Goliath slayer and later a mighty king. Such examples seem to be the best illustrations of the kingdom of God.
So it would be for slight little Bethlehem of Ephrathah, "one of the little clans of Judah." From her would come One who would be known as "The Prince of Peace."
- Kaul
The following Wednesday I overheard the choir rehearsing. Something was different, but I couldn't tell what it was. They sounded better than ever before. Later on I shared this observation with our choir director. She enthusiastically agreed that the choir sounded great. "It's that Joellen," she said. "It's hard to believe that such a powerful voice can come out of such a small body."
Since then I've noticed many examples of something big coming out of something little, and I always think of Joellen. The Bible gives us many examples, like lowly Ruth becoming the great-grandmother of King David; or David himself, a slight little shepherd lad, becoming the Goliath slayer and later a mighty king. Such examples seem to be the best illustrations of the kingdom of God.
So it would be for slight little Bethlehem of Ephrathah, "one of the little clans of Judah." From her would come One who would be known as "The Prince of Peace."
- Kaul
