“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25 (KJV)
A member of the church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.
It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace, and waited.
The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a burning ember, and placed it on the hearth, then he sat back in his chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow, and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.
The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave.
He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember, and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow like the coals around it.
As the pastor reached for the doorknob, his host said, “Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I’ll see you in church next Sunday.”
The Old Blog in the Desert 