A lecturer was talking to a large crowd.

He gave an old, broken violin to the crowd to pass around.

The people kept the violin moving through the rows without much concern.

After the violin made it half-way through the hall, the lecturer stopped and asked for the violin to be held up.

Then he said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, that violin is a genuine Stradivarius.”

Suddenly there was a collective gasp.

The one holding the Stradivarius now handled it differently, even though it was obviously just the same old violin.

What made the difference?

The violin’s history and the reputation of Anthony Stradivarius who had built it now made it priceless in the eyes of those who held it.

They suddenly treated it with respect, care, almost holy reverence.

Our national anthem is just an old wornout song about an old worn-out flag to an alarming number of people today.

Like that old violin, the flag may represent a nation with a lot of imperfections and a few broken parts.

For too many Americans there is no longer a gasp when they hear the song or see the flag.

The history behind the flag and the reputation of the ones who built this nation has been lost, forgotten or unknown.

If you have ever been to the Smithsonian and have seen the original “star-spangled banner” perhaps you experienced the gasp.

I believe that most senior adult Americans have not forgotten the history behind our anthem.

They will stand in awe of our flag, treat it with respect, care, almost a holy reverence.

The next time you hear our anthem and see our flag, I hope a little flood of emotion wells up and you inhale a gasp of awe for this great nation.

Next week: Praying onsight with insight

Dan Williams is the senior adult pastor at Lexington Baptist Church.