The Bishop's Gift

Once a church had fallen upon hard times.
Only five members were left: the pastor and
four others, all over 60 years old.

In the mountains near the church there lived a
retired Bishop. It occurred to the pastor to ask
the Bishop if he could offer any advice that might
save the church. The pastor 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 pastor, 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.




"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and 
be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace"  
Numbers 6:24-26

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