Sermon Illustrations: Forgetting

Maths branch of probabilities: If you took a coin and flipped it 100 times and 100 times in a row it turned up heads (not a trick coin), what are the chances that it will turn up heads the next time too? Some people think: Wow, one in a gazillion. But the probability is still one in two. Do you know why? Because the coin can’t remember what it did last time. The coin’s future is not determined by its past.

Although she was advised by her family and friends that she would be too old to manage, an old woman had fertility treatment and gave birth to a baby boy. After she left the hospital, her relatives came for a visit. "When can we see your new baby?" they asked. "Not yet," the 70-year-old replied. They thought the baby must have been asleep so the relatives waited for about an hour and asked again, "Can we see him now?" "Not yet," the old woman answered. Another two hours passed. "Come on, surely we can see him now?" the relatives asked. "No," replied the pensioner. "So when can we see your baby?" the exasperated relatives demanded. "When he cries," replied the woman. "Why do we have to wait until he cries?" the relatives asked. "Because I've forgotten where I put him."

Note received from a parent for school absence: “Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the veranda, and when we found it on Monday, we thought it was Sunday.” Anne de Chastonay

A man kept losing his golf ball. His friend said to him, “Hey, I know a guy who is 94-years-old but has amazing sight. He’ll be able to see your ball.” So they invited the old man to the next game and when the golfer lost his ball, he asked, “Can you see my ball.” “Yes,” said the old man. “But I can’t remember where I saw it.”