All of my life I have heard one situation after another described as “from the sublime to the ridiculous.” In a way, I experienced that kind of a situation.
On Sunday, July 15, 1973, anticipating an interesting day, we boarded a bus at our hotel in Copenhagen, Denmark. Plans were to travel northeast to Elsinore and cross into Sweden. About the middle of the morning, we stopped to visit Kronborg Castle that was completed in 1585 and achieved fame because Shakespeare chose it as the setting for “Hamlet.” At the end of the tour of the castle, our group was escorted to its beautiful chapel, and I was given the privilege and honor of conducting a worship service.
One week later, on Sunday, July 22, 1973, we left the Kvikne’s Hotel in Balestrand, Norway, a small town on the Sogne Fjord about 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Our first scheduled stop was at the Old Stave Church at Borgund. This church dates back to about 1150 A.D., and it is one of the better-preserved medieval churches in Norway. After viewing the old church, I was scheduled to conduct a worship service. However, our guide informed me, due to the large number of tourists, the church was not available; the worship service would be held later in the day when available space was found.
After leaving the Laerdal Valley, we turned into the Hemsedale Valley and crossed the Hemsedale Mountains on our way to Oslo. At noon, we stopped for lunch at a country hotel north of Oslo. Our guide asked us to remain on the bus for a moment. When he returned, he told me, if I would use it, the hotel bar was available for the worship service. Entering the bar and with all seats taken, I conducted the worship service. It could be said, in a week’s time, we went from the sublime to the ridiculous. But we seized the opportunity and made the most of a situation.
