The Old Cowboy

I don't always pass on stories I receive in my e-mail, but this one is pretty dadburn good. Read and think, after you chuckle. (Thanks to my dear friend Bettie.)

One Sunday morning, an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn-out old hat and an equally worn, dog-eared Bible.

The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and fine jewelry. As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled by his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.

As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attire for worship in church." The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.

The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored. The preacher approached the cowboy and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."

"I did," replied the old cowboy.

"And what was his reply?" asked the preacher.

"Well, sir, God told me that he didn't have a clue what I should wear. He said he'd never been in this church."

Sunday Reflection

What makes for a "good" Sunday? Is it looking out at the congregation and seeing very few empty seats? Is it seeing a lot of nodding heads and hearing a loud "Amen!" or two while your preaching? Maybe it's the feeling that God really is present and the Spirit really is moving in your church after all. Or it could be that all the individual pieces fit together and the worship flow was a thing to behold. Or...OR when you DON'T get any calls from the people who were in the pews asking, "Pastor what exactly did you mean by .......(fill in the blank)."
Personally, I think a good Sunday is when you sit down afterward and think, "Now that was fun!" Don't get me wrong. I'm not taking the seriousness of worship lightly. We meet in church to give praise to Almighty God and to receive his blessing and encouragement through his word and his people, and that's serious business. But it can also be a lot of fun. It's fun to catch those moments when we're all on the same page and the gospel of God just makes sense. It's fun to watch people have to wipe their eyes when somebody's testimony or special music hits them right in the heart. And it's fun to stand at the door and shake hands with people as they venture back out into the real world or pray with them before they leave.
Today my wife, Sandi, asked me if I like what I do. Without blinking I said, "Yes!" And that's the truth. What else could I be doing that's this serious and this fun at the same time? Like I've said before, when it stops being fun then I'll stop doing it. So far, I don't see me stopping any time soon.