At our church we work hard to be "guest-friendly." We want to created an atmosphere where anyone will feel welcome when they visit one of our worship celebrations or small group activities. However that commitment was challenged this past Sunday morning when we had an unwelcomed guest. Yes, you read it right. We had a guest on Sunday that we hope will never return.
This guest was first noticed between our early and late worshp celebrations. Three men came to my office to declare that we had a problem. I followed them into the worship center to see for myself. At first I did not see him. Then suddenly he flew from his perch near the front of the worship center to a spot near the back. That's right, he flew.
Now . . . I like birds. In fact we feed them in our back yard. But this flying critter was not welcome in our worship center for obvious reasons. However, with only minutes before our next worship celebration was to begin, there was little we could do. It was fitting that our praise band began the worship service with an upbeat rendition of "I'll Fly Away." They already had planned this song. The Lord surely has a sense of humor.
The little guy made several passes through the air during our time of worship, but as far as I could tell never seemed to be moved by the message. I prayed hard for him, but it was not for his salvation. I simply wanted him to find his way to freedom. Later, due to some crafty work by a couple of our members, this unwelcomed guest was escorted outside. Thanks, guys!
We are still "guest-friendly" but prefer people. Have a good day . . . and invite a guest to join us next Sunday.
Bro. J
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