The Old Deacon And The Kid

I read this today at www.fundamentalforums.com from a poster named Mario and thought I would post it here...enjoy!

There is a story told about a man named Bill. He had wild hair, wore a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He was brilliant, kinda esoteric and very bright. He had become a Christian while attending college.

Across the street from his campus was a well-dressed, very conservative church. They wanted to develop a ministry to the students, but were not sure how to go about it. One day Bill decided to go there. He walked in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service had already started and so Bill started down the aisle looking for a seat.

The church was completely packed and he couldn’t find a seat. At this point, people were looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one said anything. Bill got closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realized there were no seats, he just sat down on the carpet. The people became tense.

About this time, the minister realized that from way at the back of the church, a deacon was slowly making his way toward Bill. The deacon was in his eighties, had silver-gray hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket watch. He was known as a godly man— very elegant, very dignified, and very courtly. He walked with a cane. As he started walking toward Bill, everyone was saying to themselves, “You can’t blame him for what he’s going to do. How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor?”

It took a long time for the man to reach Bill. The church was utterly silent except for the clicking of the man’s cane. All eyes were focused on him, and it was absolutely silent. And then, the people watched as the elderly man dropped his cane on the floor.

With great difficulty he lowered himself and sat down next to Bill. The deacon worshiped alongside him so he wouldn’t be alone. When the minister continued, he said, "What I’m about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget." The deacon surprised the whole congregation by choosing to worship alongside Bill. He was not concerned with worshiping in the same pew in which he’d probably worshiped for years. The tradition of the place of worship did not matter. Instead, the deacon worshiped, and he did so in spirit and truth.

When Jesus told the woman that the true worshippers must worship in spirit and truth, he made no claim as to the right place to worship or the right dress for worship. In a way, Jesus reminds us that worship is not confined to these four walls, that true worship takes place whenever we see and feel the work of the Holy Spirit in and around us.