A Real Life Sermon

Last Sunday in church, I had difficulty concentrating on the sermon. The man sitting next to me was a constant distraction.

And my heart went out to him.

His breathing was labored. The machine he held in his lap contained oxygen … oxygen that was flowing through a tube and into his nose. On a regular basis, the sound of psssss filled the air as the machine pumped the oxygen.

I had a real-life sermon sitting next to me … one without words.

I knew this man. First his wife died … and then his son. I had never heard a word of complaint from him. Until he became so incapacitated, he handed out bulletins at the door … always with a smile and sometimes a hug.

He really needed to just sit. It was a struggle for him to stand. But it was the 3^rd of July and we were singing patriotic songs. So up he came. When he sat down, he didn’t sit squarely on his chair. He was now crowding me.

I wasn’t about to ask him to move.

But we stood one more time as the scripture was read. Up he came again. This time he landed in his chair.

As I sat there, I knew I might not see him again. He’s had some really bad days. And I thanked God for people like him … people who wonderfully represent the name of Christ. I prayed for him … and for me … that I might grow up to be like him.

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” Phil. 2:14-15 (NLT)