In the World but of the Word, John 17:13-19

"They were Yours and You gave them to Me…I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one…They are not of the world…sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth."
John 17

In the world but of the Word…

Some lessons stick. This one stuck! It was a story illustration told many times by my Mom and Dad while they were teaching the Word to children.

You would not have thought it of much value. In fact, it sat practically unnoticed in the pawnshop window. Was rather crudely constructed with its misshapen hull and its tilted mast. The paint job was obviously applied by inexperienced hands. “Primitive” might be the word for it. The kind of toy that rests on fireplace mantels or atop antique chests among a home filled with collector’s furnishings. It was unique…a “one-of-a-kind” sort of thing. Most folks passed without noticing it at all. But not everyone…

One afternoon a young boy was walking past that window following his mom to the store down the block. Suddenly he stopped. “Mom! Mom! There it is! There is my boat! That man in the store has my boat!” And though she had errands to run and stuff to do, his mother stopped, turned back, and led him into the store.

“Sir,” said the little boy. “The boat in your window is my boat. I made it in our garage. I cut it out with my Dad’s saw and I drilled the hole to put the sail on it. And I painted it all those pretty colors. It was raining so I took it out in front of our house and sailed it in the gutter where all the water was running. But it went too far down the street and I lost it. That boat in the window is my boat! Can I have it?”

“Son,” replied the clerk, “that boat actually belongs to me. A man brought it into the store and sold it to me. I know you might have made it, but it is the store’s boat now. However, I would be willing to sell it back to you, if you want it.”

Not to be discouraged, the young boy told the man to hold it for him and he would be back in a little while to buy it. He did not even attempt to negotiate a lower price. It was worth it, because the value of the possession, though too high for others to understand, was not in what it was, but in who had made it.

Later that afternoon, the boy was seen leaving the store with the boat gripped tightly in his arms. A couple who was passing by overheard him saying to the toy, “You are mine. You are twice mine. I made you and then I bought you back. You are all mine!”

And to the casual observer, you and I are not too much to look at. In fact, most folks simply pass us by, unnoticed. But the Lord sees us and loves us deeply. And those who pause to listen will hear Jesus say, “You are mine. You are twice mine. I made you and then I bought you back. You are all mine!”

In the world but of the Word…

See you Sunday, Church!
Pastor Tom