Monday, March 21, 2005

Palm Sunday and the pastor's limo

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and that reminds me of a story a CEO told me several years ago.

One Sunday morning he heard lots of cars honking. Quickly he went to his front window and saw a local pastor pass by in a limousine. He immediately knew what was happening. The pastor and his congregation had built a new building up the street. The pastor was leading his flock in their cars from their old, downtown church, to a new, spacious builidng on the edge of town.

The CEO stood at his window watching the entire parade. Following the limousine, many shiny, new, or almost new, cars passed. All were honking. Finally, came the last vehicle, a beat up old car.

I was stunned when the CEO finished with his story. "That's not the way it should be," I sputtered, thinking of Jesus riding on a donkey, "the pastor should have been in the beat up old car."