A wise old Bishop gives a wonderful gift to a small and struggling Church; and some wise advice for all of us to follow. If more of us lived as these people did following this gift, the world would be a very different place.
As with so many of these inspirational stories, there’s no indication of author or authenticity. But neither are necessary to be able to benefit from the story.
The Bishop’s Gift
Once a church had fallen upon hard times. Only five members were left: the vicar and four others, all over 60 years old.
In the mountains near the church there lived a retired Bishop. It occurred to the vicar to ask the Bishop if he could offer any advice that might save the church. The vicar and the Bishop spoke at length, but when asked for advice, the Bishop simply responded by saying, “I have no advice to give. The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you.”
The vicar, returning to the church, told the church members what the Bishop had said. In the months that followed, the old church members pondered the words of the Bishop. “The Messiah is one of us?” they each asked themselves. As they thought about this possibility, they all began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that that one among them might be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each member himself might be the Messiah, they also began to treat themselves with extraordinary care.
As time went by, people visiting the church noticed the aura of respect and gentle kindness that surrounded the five old members of the small church. Hardly knowing why, more people began to come back to the church. They began to bring their friends, and their friends brought more friends. Within a few years, the small church had once again become a thriving church, thanks to the Bishop’s gift.
About Paul Sibley
Andrew Gosden (now 18) has been missing from his Doncaster home since 14 September 2007. The search continues.
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Nice! I was contemplating posting a link to this over at iMonk’s blog in his recent article on church planting, but I’m too intimidated to comment over there. I don’t disagree with his article, but I also think constant church planting misses the point of the story you’ve posted here.
Thanks Kay. It is quite an intimidating place over at imonk; he has some great stuff there though. I’m inclined to agree with you; Church planting is good, but it needs to be balanced with maintaining what we already have. This little story does illustrate that quite well.