by Dave Schultz
Parable
Upon a certain day, several servants were summoned by their Lord,
who offered them freedom should they bring him Truth. All accepted,
but were also warned that “All those who fail shall be lost forever.”
The five took bread and figs, and saddled their horses on Sunday.
On they rode, pondering, “Is Truth found in thought, deed, or feeling?”
Then they stopped by a small church, where they heard glad voices singing.
Each of the servants had a different reaction to the singing.
“They are mad,” thought the first. “How would I carry this back to my Lord?
Strange words like grace and glory, hard doctrines like redemption?” Feeling
overwhelmed, she decided these were delusions, then accepted
defeat, since “In a mad world, there can be no truth.” Still, on Sunday
she wishes and wonders, while wandering empty landscapes forever.
The second servant loved their joy, and wanted to join forever.
But caught up in music, he never met the Source of their singing.
He assumed it was for their own comfort that they sang on Sunday.
He found no time to hear commandments, creeds, or the word of the Lord,
but thought, “Emotions are truth. Whatever feels right should be accepted.”
When described aloud, all he could claim to know was transient feeling.
The third servant liked that church too, sang praises and left feeling
blessed. But faiths that met on different days had different takes on forever.
Scared to weigh their claims, too dull to judge which truths should be accepted,
she thought, “All truths are equal. One vague force hears all kinds of singing.”
Unable to define this force, she could not return to her Lord
with any real answer--having failed to take a stand for Sunday.
The fourth hated hymns, but thought of a bar that was open on Sunday.
To him, those raised voices had merely been people who were feeling
happy, and inspired an answer, should he again meet his Lord:
“Just enjoy pleasure. Be happy now, life won’t last forever.”
He stayed there, drunk, pleasuring his body but not his soul, singing
bawdy shanties, enjoying the useless fate he had accepted.
The last servant heard the true words of God. She knelt and accepted
Jesus as Savior. She prayed daily, worshipped many a Sunday,
and when she was ready, strong in faith, she rode home again singing.
She told the man no more her master about faith more than feeling,
joy past finding out: “Jesus, the Way, the Truth, the Life, forever.”
She shared the Gospel, prayed with him, and led him at last to the Lord.
Though not released by their Lord, the four faded away forever;
and though set free, the accepted servant still sees him each Sunday:
in their common church, feeling God’s grace, knowing the truth, and singing...
