Guest Minister

Guest Minister

After a few of the usual Sunday evening hymns, thechurch's pastor slowly stood up, walked over to the pulpit and,before he gave his sermon for the evening, briefly introduced a guestminister who was in the service that evening.

In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guestminister was one of his dearest childhood friendsand that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church andshare whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service.With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpitand began to speak.

"A father, his son, and a friend of his son weresailing off the Pacific coast," he began, "when a fast approachingstorm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves wereso high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, hecould not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into theocean as the boat capsized."

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eyecontact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since theservice began, looking somewhat interested in his story.

The aged minister continued with his story,"grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciatingdecision of his life: to which boy he would throw the other end of the lifeline. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew thathis son was a christian and he also knew that his son's friend wasnot. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrentof waves."

"As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!' he threwout the life line to his son's friend. By the time the father hadpulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son haddisappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body wasnever recovered."

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting upstraight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come outof the old minister's mouth.

"The father," he continued, "knew his son would stepinto eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of hisson's friend stepping into an eternity without jesus...Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend.

How great is the love of God that he should do the same for us.Our Heavenly Father sacrificed his only begottenson that we could be saved. I urge you to accept his offer to rescue youand take a hold of the life line he is throwing out to you in thisservice."

With that, the old man turned and sat back down inhis chair as silence filled the room. The pastor again walkedslowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation atthe end. However, no one responded to the appeal.

Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the oldman's side. "That was a nice story," politely stated one of theboys. "But I don't think it was very realistic for a father to giveup his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would becomea christian."

"Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied,glancing down at his worn bible. A big smile broadened his narrowface. He once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn'tvery realistic, is it?

But I'm standing here today to tell you thatstory gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for god togive up his son for me. You see --- I was that father and your pastor is myson's friend."

Minister story glossary.