In 1997, six years after I became the Senior Pastor of Sierra Bible Church in Truckee, California, a new couple began to attend the church. They were an older couple, obviously moving to our area to retire. After seeing them in church for a few Sundays I made it a point to pay them a visit in their home.
They were nice enough, but they weren’t very talkative. They had indeed moved to the area from Southern California to retire in Truckee, George had been occupied in the grocery business, Irma had owned and managed a gift shop. That’s about all that I was able to pry from them on that first visit. Apparently pleased with the church they continued to attend but said little in their comings and goings.
Then, one Sunday they came to church with two grade school aged grandsons in tow. While grandma and grandpa attended the main worship service, the grandsons went to children’s church when the children were dismissed from the main service.
Following the worship service, as was my custom, I was greeting the morning attendees at the front door. As George and Irma were coming through the door, their grandsons came racing up after having been dismissed from children’s church. At that moment I was introduced to the grandsons. Following the introduction one of the boys reached into the pocket of his blue jeans and brought forth several pieces of hard candy, candy that had been given to them during the children’s church service. The now sticky candy was covered with lint and fuzz and whatever else it is that might reside in a young boy’s pocket. He held it forth and ask me if I would like a piece. Without hesitation, I graciously responded to his offer and popped a piece of the lint covered candy into my mouth. He could not have been more pleased, but I did not know how to interpret the look on his grandmother’s face. I then extended my greetings to the family and they left for home.
After that Sunday there was a noticeable warming in the countenance of this couple, they became more talkative and friendly. Soon thereafter, while visiting in their home once again, Irma confided in me that the day I won her heart and truly became her pastor, was the Sunday that I received the piece of lint covered candy from her grandson and popped into my mouth. That simple act had won her over. As the years went by, we became the best of friends, and were until the day that both George and Irma passed from this life into the presence of their Savior.
George and Irma were not the most outgoing people on the planet but O the lessons that this pastor learned from them as I observed their quiet and profound faith. I’m sure that they were often misunderstood because they were not more vocal and outgoing. But their lives were a sermon that spoke profoundly to me again and again over the years.
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