The Father and His Son’s Friend

One Christmas morning at church shortly after the choir had finished singing their Hymns and giving praise to Jesus, the Pastor of the church approached the pulpit. He greeted the congregation and then said “I’d like you all to meet our guest Minister this morning. He is a very old friend and he has a message for us today.”  Now he signaled to his friend and he approached the pulpit.

He was an old man, probably late seventies or early eighties, and he walked gingerly towards the pulpit. He set an old Bible on the pedestal before him and began to speak.

“I’d like to tell you all a story about a man, his son and his son’s friend. They all met one day at the marina in town and prepared their boat for a day of fishing. The weather was a little cloudy but it seemed a waste to not take advantage of the day so they set sail out the inlet.

After several hours on the sea, the weather started getting rough and the Father had a difficult time keeping the boat level. The waves were great and crashing violently into the sides and over the top of their boat. The Father, eventually lost control and he, as well as the two boys, were cast into the waters.”

There were two teenage boys sitting in the congregation who, before the old man began his story, were quite bored and not really paying attention. As the old men went on, they sat up now showing  interest in the story. The old men went on.

“The Father, trying to get his bearings, made his way back to the now capsized vessel and found a rope floating in the water. The two boys were bobbing up and down in the heavy surf and drifting further and further from the boat.

Now, the Father had a horrible decision to make. He only had one rope and the two boys were quite a distance apart. He knew his son was a Christian and had long ago accepted Christ into his life and would surely go to Heaven. He also knew his son’s friend did not believe at all in God.

Making his mind up, he called to his son saying, ‘I love you son and I will treasure you forever!’ He then tossed the line to his son’s friend. His own son, eventually disappearing from their site.

They were eventually rescued. The Father had sacrificed his own son to save the soul of a non-believer.

Is this not what God had done for us? Jesus was God’s greatest gift to all of us and we should remember this and pay worship to Him for the rest of our lives here.”

The church had become silent. The Pastor then approached the pulpit and thanked his old friend. He then said to the congregation, “I think we have heard our lesson for today. Go with God and remember his gift.”

As the congregation rose and began to leave the Pastor and his old friend mingled among them. The two teenage boys then approached the old man and said, “Sir, your message was great. We all believe the gift of God as we’ve read it so many times in the Bible but, don’t you think your story was a little untrue in this day and age? After all, who would make such a great sacrifice today?”

The old man bowed his head, looked down at his old Bible, and then said, “Boys it may seem far-fetched but, just so you know, I am that Father and your Pastor is my son’s friend.”

God’s gifts keep coming!