There was once a woman who was disappointed, who was disillusioned, who was depressed. She wanted a good world, a peaceful world, and she wanted to be a good person. But the newspaper and television showed her how far we were from such a reality. So she decided to go shopping. She went to the mall and wandered into a new store – where the person behind the counter looked strangely like Jesus. Gathering up her courage she went up to the counter and asked, “Are you Jesus?”
“Well, yes, I am,” the man answered.
“Do you work here?”
“Actually,” Jesus responded, “I own the store. You are free to wander up and down the aisles, see what it is I sell, and then make a list of what you want. When you are finished, come back here, and we’ll see what we can do for you.”
So, the woman did just that. And what she saw thrilled her. There was peace on earth, no more war, no hunger or poverty, peace in families, no more drugs, harmony, clean air. She wrote furiously and finally approached the counter, handing a long list to Jesus. He skimmed the paper, and then smiling at her said, “No problem.” Reaching under the counter, he grabbed some packets and laid them out on the counter.
Confused, she asked, “What are these?”
Jesus replied: “These are seed packets. You see, this is a catalogue store.”
Surprised the woman blurted out, “You mean I don’t get the finished product?”
“No,” Jesus gently responded. “This is a place of dreams. You come and see what it looks like, and I give you the seeds. Then you plant the seeds. You go home and nurture them and help them to grow and someone else reaps the benefits.”
“Oh,” she said, deeply disappointed in Jesus. Then she turned around and left the store without buying anything.
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Adapted by Susan R. Andrews, as told in SPIRITUAL LITERACY: READING THE SACRED IN EVERYDAY LIFE; via eSermons.com newsletter, Dec. 16, 2007.