A friend sent this.
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There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak....
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
“But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
“Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again.
The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.
The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.
Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you are done with them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan declared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
“Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"
“How much? He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.
A blessed Resurrection Day to everyone.
It is a wonderful story. Touching. Intended to be so to support religion and a religious agenda. Kinda silly though but indeed some people believe in it. Actually believe there is a devil down in the bowels of the earth or something. But what many believes simply do not understand is that these silly childish and patently false stories make it impossible for thinking people to embrace religion. It's like listening to one of those late night AM talk shows were they talk about aliens landing on earth and abducting humans. I wonder too who believes that stuff?
ReplyDeleteAnon6:26, you're on a Christian blog. Most of us believe "that stuff." My husband and I are highly educated (both of us have master's degrees in science) and firmly believe God is not a "silly childish and patently false story" for thinking people. Please be respectful.
Delete- Patrice
You know I was raised that if you had nothing nice to say, you said nothing. Why is it that you feel compelled to belittle the beliefs of others? Where's all that tolerance everyone talks about?Had you had an ounce of character, you would have kept your opinion to yourself.
DeleteAnd yet you express an opinion...
DeleteMy father is 89. He and my mother were raised by couples who were good friends in a small town in middle America. They married in their mid twenties, after dad was out of the service. We were casual church goers when I was growing up and only part time. Mom and dad retired and lived in three communities in three different states during the next 26 years, attending various churches -either Presbyterian or Lutheran. After 60 years of marriage and 88 years "together" mom passed away. Dad did not make the funeral, but ended up hospitalized. He had been in the hospital for about 2 weeks when my brother, who lives in the town, got a call telling him dad was "unresponsive". He and his long time girlfriend rushed over to find him "unresponsive" for over 2 hours. His girlfriend is a nurse and has worked with the elderly. Dad's pulse was very slow, blood pressure low and respiration very slow. He finally did wake up, in tears. He looked at my brother and said "Your mother was here-it was so good to see her. Then she left and I wanted to go, so badly. She told me it was not time and that she would be back.."
DeleteMy dad would not make up a story. He has always been the serious type of 'no messing around' person.
You might call faith an "opinion", but sadly, you really have no idea.
And for those of you who think this being posted because it is April 1st you are also mistaken.
May ALL who read Patrice's blog have a wonderful Easter. He has risen!
No offense intended, anon 7:27, but even as a Christian, I am struggling to see why your father's story proves anything. Personally - and again let me reiterate, I am a faithful Bible believing Christian - I have always believed such accounts of "near death experiences" are nothing more than intense hallucinations. I don't believe the idea that we can communicate with dead relatives is Biblical. In fact the Bible warns against such attempts. Whatever your father saw, it was not proof of anything.
DeleteI was not trying to "prove" anything to anyone. He would never have tried to or thought he could communicate with anyone. There are things that happen in this world that can not be rationally explained. I know of others who have had interesting experiences (and I bet other readers have) also.
DeleteHallucinations or answers to prayers? I don't know, perhaps someone else does....
Amen.
ReplyDeleteIf we're wrong (we aren't), we've lost nothing. If anonymous is wrong (he/she is), there will be an eternity of hell to pay. I prefer to be silly in the ignorant eyes of anonymous, who can't imagine anything wiser than himself, than be forever damned in the sight of Almighty God. Have a pleasant and blessed Resurrection Day, Patrice.
ReplyDeleteThe Bible actually says that The Messiah is the Passover lamb. It is not possible that the sign of Jonah/3 days in the pit or death (which is a prophecy he had to fulfill to be the Messiah) takes place from good friday to easter/ishtar SUN god day. This is easy to confirm. Read Exodus 12, read the gospels. The Bible is not catholic. That is why they tell stories like this instead of actually reading the truth about The Messiah in the actual Bible. To be the Messiah he had to actually fulfill prophecies. One of which is rising from the dead after 3 days. Easter bunnies and eggs are horrifying pagan rituals specfically commanded by God in the Bible not to do. May you and others wake up to the Truth. Read the actual Bible instead of listening to stories about it that are lies. My best
ReplyDeleteWell, and I'll understand if you don't choose to publish this, and NO disrespect intended. But, it seems to me that, in this story, Satan is characterized as a "deplorable" and Jesus supports common sense gun regulations...
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Happy Resurrection Sunday.
ReplyDeleteDock Guy
We read this before our Easter lunch, Thank you for sharing:):)
ReplyDeleteI would like to gently point out that God doesn't have to make any bargains with the devil. He is King over all, even the devil and all his demons, and can do as He pleases with all. He didn't have to make a deal with satan for our souls, not at all. The price Jesus paid was to satisfy God's justice and show God's mercy and grace.
ReplyDeleteI truely do not understand why people attack those who hold beliefs different from their own. This story is a wonderful parable and we all can learn from it without injecting politics.
ReplyDeleteFitty
AMEN
ReplyDeleteIf you hadn't prefaced this by saying it was in New England, I'd have thought it might have happened in one of our Quaker churches ...
ReplyDeleteEspecially given the "and I'm done" ending where the preacher walks off the pulpit.
Boom, and mic drop! Great parable! Happy Easter to you and yours! (One of the main reasons I continue to follow your blog is because of the Christian content, so don't let any of the naysayers bother you, ;) because it sure doesn't bother MOST of us!)
ReplyDeleteIt says I don’t have a profile... how do I get one or make
ReplyDeleteone ???
Guess freedom of speech gives all the right to beat the blog writer into the ground if they want. Did not think we would ever see the negative replys posted on this site, when the blog writer has the choice to not post them. Once these people get their foot in the door, it will get worse.
ReplyDeleteWell I favor free speech over censorship. Having a differing opinion and expressing it is not "beat the blog writer into the ground". Yes there are indeed people who write offensive things or swear or call names. But simply expressing a view without berating anyone or being angry or talking down is not "bad". Anymore than the many who support a comment and they express their opinion to support that comment.
Delete