The Preacher's CofferOnce upon a time there was a famous preacher. Because he was such a good speaker, many churches would invite him over to preach. The worshippers love his sermons, because he made them feel good about themselves. He was in such high demand that he could select which church to visit, and charged a very high sum for his engagements. Nevertheless, his calendar is solidly booked, because when he preaches, he draws the crowds. They called him the "Feel Good Preacher," for he tells people what they want to hear. Throughout his life, the Feel Good Preacher traveled the world, where he filled auditoriums and stadiums with Believers and made them feel good. And due to the vast amounts he was paid, he also because one of the wealthiest preachers in the world. One day the preacher died, and found himself in a long queue to enter Heaven. God was standing at the gate of Heaven, and when each Believer enters, he was rewarded with a coffer. The coffers are in different sizes, some big, some small. Inside the coffer were special gold coins that can never be melted by fire or stolen by thieves. Old Mrs Smith got three gold coins in an old wooden coffer, and was jumping with joy. Bernie the janitor received five gold coins is a steel coffer. None of his friends knew what he did to deserve them, but God did. The nasty Stella, whom nobody liked, even received two gold coins in her velvet coffer. Then came the Feel Good Preacher. God's face lit up (even more than it already was) when He saw him. "Ah you, the Feel Good Preacher. When you speak, I even stop to listen - you make me feel so good!" said God. "Bring him his coffer." To his delight, the Feel Good Preacher's coffer was the biggest of them all. It was a giant chest made of solid wood with the sides reenforced with steel. It was the size of a car, and was so heavy that he needed a legend of angels to help him carry it to his room. After much heaving and puffing, he finally got his coffer to his room. There he opened it, and saw in his dismay that it was empty. So he came running back to God, crying, "God, God, my coffer is empty." "Of course it's empty," said God. "I've paid you in full, on earth." | |
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