“Went to a funeral this weekend,” I told my friend Jack, who walked in fiddling with the brown beret he’d just removed.
“Sad business, funerals,” he offered gently—uncharacteristic for Jack. Like a Jack I’d never known.
"Being a graveside service, the preacher had to keep things short," I reported.
“Good for him. When it’s forty and windy, nobody wants windy preachers” (Jack was back).
“Saw something that made me wonder a bit, though."
"What's that?" inquired Jack.
"After the service, the pastor offered the crowd a copy of the Gospel of John in an easy-reading translation."
"Good for him. But why the wonder?" Jack asked. "That's the kind of thing we should be doing at funerals.”
“Two of the takers were what I’d consider—well— unlikely.”
“Meaning?”
"Last people on the planet I'd expect to take a gospel home with them. One was a lesbian, and the other was a guy who’s been in and out of prison.”
There was a gleam in Jack’s eye as he countered, “I seem to recall a guy in the Bible running around imprisoning Christians. Happy to see them killed, really. Not what I’d call a likely convert. But he ended up writing most of the New Testament. Then there was that drunken slave ship captain back in the 1700s—language that peeled paint off a wall. The guy ultimately gave us the song, Amazing Grace. And who would have believed the ruthless ‘hatchet man’ for president Richard Nixon would end up born again? The way I see it, God has a long history with unlikely people—they're some of His favorites."
With that, Jack plopped the beret back on his head, nodded slightly, and with a twinkle in his eye, let himself out the door.
Got any “unlikely” folks in your life?