Unworthy Opportunity

The story is told of a young American student who visited the Beethoven Museum in Bonn, Germany. The student became fascinated by Beethoven’s piano that was on display there. It was a thrill to think that Beethoven had composed some of his greatest works on that piano! The student asked the museum guard if she might play a few notes on it. To help persuade the guard, she also slipped him a lavish tip. The guard agreed and the girl went to the piano and played the opening of the Moonlight Sonata.

As she was leaving she said to the guard, “I suppose all the great pianists who come here want to play on that piano.”

The guard shook his head and said, “Paderewski, the famous Polish pianist was here a few years ago, and he said he wasn’t worthy to touch it.”

Source: a sermon by Mark Opperman, on SermonCentral.com (http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=122150&libronix=1)