Church bells and Lord’s prayer

I grew up with a similar experience.  Medieval monks are credited with the custom of ringing a bell three times during the Lord’s Prayer.  The idea was to alert people in the area surrounding the monastery or church that the Lord’s Prayer was being spoken in those buildings and they could join in from a distance.  The bell peal at the beginning, middle and end of the Lord’s Prayer helped those distant prayers keep pace with those who were praying the prayer inside the buildings.

Today that custom of ringing the church bell three times during the Lord’s Prayer has largely lost its practical function in our society, but it still adds beauty and dignity to our worship.  And, like the ringing of the bell at the start of the worship service, it is a reminder to the church’s community that corporate worship is taking place.  One of our hymns puts it this way:  “Bells still are chiming and calling, Calling the young and old to rest” (CW 529:1).  Jesus wants to give the weary rest for their souls (Matthew 11:28), and so we invite sinners to find rest for their souls through the gospel—even inviting them by the ringing of church bells.