Sermon Central
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You Can Keep Your Fork
Contributed by Paul Steen on Dec 24, 2018 (message contributor)
A woman had been diagnosed with cancer and had been given three months to live. Her doctor told her to start making preparations to die. So she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what she wanted to be wearing.
The woman also told her pastor that she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the pastor was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her. “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.
“What’s that?” came the pastor’s reply.
“This is very important.” The woman continued, “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”
The pastor stood looking at the woman not knowing quite what to say.
“That shocks you, doesn’t it?” the woman asked.
“Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,” said the pastor.
The woman explained. “In all my years of attending church socials and functions where food was involved, and let’s be honest, food is an important part of any church event, spiritual or otherwise, my favorite part was when whoever was clearing away the dishes of the main course would lean over and say ’you can keep your fork.’ It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming.”
“When they told me to keep my fork, I knew that something great was about to be given to me. It wasn’t Jell-O or pudding. It was pie - something really good. So I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, ‘What’s with the fork?’ Then I want you to tell them, ‘Something better is coming, so keep your fork too.’”
Paul said that our citizenship is not here on earth, but in heaven above. Something better is awaiting us. John wrote that in the new heavens and new earth, Jesus will bring us with him. Praise God. Jesus is our hope of glory.
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