Ring them bells, ye heathen from the city that dreams. Ring them bells from the sanctuaries cross the valleys and streams.

Is it possible this si the first time I'm quoting Bob Dylan? Probably the greatest lyricist of all time, if not the best singer, I present my first quoting of Dylan; from his song Ring Them Bells. Click the title to visit his site.

For some reason this story was in my head all day.

This Pastor that I know was the guest preacher at a church in Southern Indiana one Sunday. The service was going smoothly, his sermon was well recieved, but after the sermon the congregation stood and the janitor rang the church bell three times, before they said the Lord's Prayer together. He recalled how choppy this moment was, they had to stand in silence while this ancient janitor rang this even older bell and the echo dissipated in the small sanctuary only when they communally recited the prayer together. When they were done the service continued, but he was still a little unsure about why the dramatics were neccessary. He was greeted by the church as they left and asked to come again soon. A few months later he was called to fill in again for them and came willingly back to speak. Again the service went well and his message well recieved, yet again, just as before the whole congregation stood and waited in silence for the bell to be rung three times. Again the minister thought this was an unfortunate tradition as it distracted from the service. This time, when the church people came up to thank him he began to ask him why they had the bell ringing in the midst of their service, and it seemed none knew, until a white-haired old lady stepped up and told the story of the church bell. The church had been founded by a few farming families, and while they thought worship was important, many Sundays there was work to do in the fields, so they came up with a plan. Before the congregation spoke the Lord's Prayer together they would ring the church bell, so that any members who happened to be at work could pause for a moment and say the prayer with them. The church had rung its bell every Sunday three times for 126 years. The Pastor thought the story was a beautiful tale of community and tradition, but noticed that many of the other church members seemed just as surprised as he was to learn the orign of the tradition.

Now here is the moral of the story....
There is great beauty in tradition most often, and once explained, many of our rituals are deeper and more than they appear. But if we fail to tell the story or ask the question why, we are simply reenacting empty habits of formerly meaningful traditions. It's in the sharing of why that we find beauty and transcend distraction.

So don't forget to share the stories.
And don't ever forget to ask the question.