For the Sake of the Weaker Brother
Recently, I attended worshp at the congregation where I grew up. It is a small rural congregation, so it wasn't surprising to me that even though it has been nearly thirty years since I regularly attended there, the vast majority present were the same people who were there while I was growing up. There was the same hymnal and song book tucked under the pews. It was all very familiar. One of the familiar faces is "Harold." I'm not sure what the proper terminology is now, but "Harold" is developmentally disabled, though not severely, and he has been able to live on his own for the most part since his parents passed away. I remember how "Harold" would come to worship every week with his parents. They never missed a Sunday. I also recall how "Harold" would sing along with the liturgy, recite the Creed, and pray the Lord's Prayer, often providing an ill-timed echo to the rest of the congregation, but always singing an...