I love hearing this story of a church that invited a preacher with a big reputation to come and speak to them. It must have been before the days of Google because they didn’t know what she looked like. Not only could she preach powerfully but she could sing well too. They were still waiting for the woman to arrive when it was time to start the service. There was a woman in the front of the church who looked like she slept on the streets and got her clothes from a dumpster, but who when she heard the problem said she could sing. There was no way the organisers were allowing that to happen and they made it clear she would not be singing in their church any day of the week. The speaker was over half an hour late and so they decided they would get started anyway. Again the “dumpster” woman offered her services and was again rejected out of hand. They waited over 40 minutes and finally decided to substitute another person to take the guest speaker’s place. The leader of the service got up and made the announcement that the speaker was not going to be able to make it and someone else was going to share their testimony. When the “dumpster” woman heard mention of the guest speaker’s name she got to her feet and said but I am here. She walked forward and proceeded to preach on 1 Cor12:22-27 – the weaker unmentionable parts. How embarrassing! But I bet they got the message. Do you?
