It was a line in the Beatles’ song “Eleanor Rigby”. Their depiction of the character of Father McKenzie represents another facet of loneliness — one that affects someone who works diligently for an audience that simply isn’t there.
Father McKenzie writing the words
Of a sermon that no one will hear
No one comes near
Look at him working, darning his socks
In the night when there’s nobody there
What does he care?
Why is he so lonely? Maybe sermon preparation has something to do with it or maybe there is no longer an audience for the Word of God. Certainly, a study of the prophets of Israel reveals a similar story.
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord God, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
Obviously, that’s enough to make one sad and lonely. Give it some consideration.
Gary