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 very worn and ragged. In his hand he
carried a worn out old hat and an equally worn
out 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
accessories.
As the
cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from
him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed
him. They were all appalled at his appearance
and did not attempt to hide it.
The preacher gave a long
sermon about Hellfire and brimstone and a
stern lecture on how much money the church
needed to do God's work.
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."
The old cowboy assured the
preacher he would.
The next Sunday, he showed 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
man and said, "I thought I asked you to speak
to God before you came back to our church."
"I did," replied the old
cowboy.
"If you spoke to God, what
did he tell you the proper attire should be
for worshipping in here?" asked the
preacher.
"Well, sir, God told me that
He didn't have a clue what I should wear. He
says He's never been in this church before.
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