“A word of explanation is due the church. This concerns my absence from the pulpit last Sunday Morning. I had not anticipated the uproar it caused among members. I know that once you hear the circumstances, though, that you will fully understand. I had really intended to be present, but Saturday afternoon a whole carload of my wife’s folks pulled into the driveway. It had been more than a year since we had sent hem, so we hurriedly packed a picnic supper and headed for the lake. We were after dark getting back.
“I remembered then that I had not finished my sermon, and on top of all this the relatives decided to spend the night with us and leave after lunch Sunday to drive on to the mountains. I tried to phone the elders, but they were not home. I left a message with their children, who promised to tell them that I could not be, at worship that Sunday morning. It wasn’t until Sunday night that I learned that you hadn’t been able to get another preacher to take the service. The few who came to the evening service were very upset over this, and they said that people had to be dismissed without a service. It just never occurred to me that some 300 people would be there to hear me preach and expect me to lead them in worship.
“And I was deeply sorry to have those few friends who came to the evening service tell me that there were four persons in the morning congregation who came to obey the gospel of Christ and be baptized into His death for the remission of their sins, but who had to leave the building disappointed and disgusted. I’ll try to keep this from happening again, but I can’t be too sure, nor make a binding promise. You see, I have some things that I want to do, and any promise I might make might hinder me in my plans to finish this work.
“Another thing that keeps me from obligating myself in a binding way is that my wife’s people said that we had shown them such a good time that they plan to return soon. After all, they are our people and you have to consider company.
“I felt sure you would understand, once you knew the facts. Everyone in our church has relatives, and all of you can full understand how embarrassing it would be to them, if we failed to show them a good time when they visit us. I told my wife to quit worrying about how the people felt for I knew you would understand, since most of you do the same thing! So as my friendly barber says, “See you in church Sunday…unless company happens to drop in on us!”
(From the Christian Sower, Warner Robins, GA. 1967)
Question: Is it any more right for you to miss worship than it is for the preacher to miss worship? Oh, you say it’s his job, What person is it that hasn’t missed work sometime or another?
