A church member who had been devoutly active for many years suddenly was
absent. One cold winter evening the pastor knocked at his door.
Actually, the pastor and the church member had been long-time good
friends.
As they watched the wood burn in the fireplace, the minister mentioned
the parishioner's absence from church. The man candidly confessed that
he had decided he was just as well off without the church as with it.
The minister didn't say a word. He took the tongs from the rack, reached
into the fire, pulled out a flaming ember, and laid it down by itself on
the hearth. He still said nothing. Both men sat in silence and watched
the glowing ember lose its glow and turn slowly into a crusty, black
lump. After some moments of thoughtful silence, the man turned to his
pastor and said, "I get the message, my friend, I see what you mean; I'll be back next Sunday." And he was.
Charles R. Leary, Mission Ready!, C.S.S. Publishing Company, 1990
tags: Church Church × Fellowship Fellowship ×