Have you ever read a real life story of welcoming a stranger that brought tears to your eyes? As I was reading through our sermon series study book “Out of the Salt Shaker”, I was filled with emotion at one of the stories Pippert wrote. I share a portion of that story – without giving away the ending. I wonder if you can think of how it might have ended. If you want to know, come along to Church next week and find out. In the mean time you might like to ponder on how you might have finished the story. I’d love to hear!
The story begins…
…I met a student on one of the campuses where I worked. He was brilliant and looked like he was always pondering the ‘mysterious things of life’. His hair was always messy, and in the entire time I knew him, I never once saw him wear a pair of shoes. Rain, sleet or snow, Bill was always barefoot. While he was attending college, he had become a Christian.
At this time a well-dressed, middle-class church across the street from the campus wanted to develop more of a ministry to the students. They were not sure how to go about it, but they tried to make them feel welcome. One day Bill decided to worship there. He walked into this church, wearing his blue jeans, T-shirt and of course no shoes. People looked a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything. So Bill began walking down the aisle looking for a seat. The church was quite crowded that Sunday, so as he got down to the front pew and realised that there were no seats, he just squatted on the carpet—perfectly acceptable behaviour at a college fellowship, but perhaps unnerving for a church congregation. The tension in the air became so thick one could slice it.
Suddenly…
The rest of this very moving story is a powerful lesson of love and acceptance that transcends differences, personal preferences and expectations. Make sure you find out what happens next. I hope you are filled with the “Wow! Just wow!” factor as much as I was.
Leanne
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