Sam Rayburn was a Democratic politician who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives for 17 years, and is regarded by many as the most effective Speaker of the House in American history. Allow me to share with you some of his most memorable statements:

"Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations."

"No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut."

"You'll never get mixed up if you simply tell the truth. Then you don't have to remember what you have said, and you never forget what you have said."

When Harry Truman was thrust into the presidency at the death of FDR, Sam Rayburn gave him some fatherly advice. "From here on out, you're going to have lots of people around you. They'll try to put a wall around you and cut you off from any ideas but theirs. They'll tell you what a great man you are, Harry. But you and both know you ain't."

Later on, when Sam Rayburn discovered that he was quite ill, he announced to the House of Representatives he was going home for medical tests. Some wondered why he didn't stay in Washington where there were excellent medical facilities. He supplied the answer when he told Congressman Jim Wright, "Bonham [Texas] is a place where people know it when you're sick, and where they care when you die."

I like that last statement because I think it's true of the church. We live in a world where people often don't care what happens to others around them. Everyone is too interested in getting what they want to even notice what is going on in the lives of others. But the church is a place where people

"rejoice with those who rejoice,
and weep with those who weep."
(Romans 12:15).

It's a place "where people know it when you're sick, and where they care when you die."

God knew that we need a place like that -- a group of people who share the same commitment to God that we have, a place where we will be loved unconditionally, a place where we can find shoulders to lean on and arms to comfort us in times of trial.

I hope that each and every one of you have a church family that serves that purpose in your life.

"We must continue to hold firmly to our declaration of faith. The one who made the promise is faithful. We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things. We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming."
(Hebrews 10:23-25, God's Word)