The Day Grace Was Preached at First Duck Church

One Sunday morning a community of ducks waddled off to the First Duck Church to hear their duck preacher. The ducks had always "done" church in a particular way, they were comfortable with their status quo religion. What the ducks did not realize was that even though they had been told their church was a Christian church, they had also always been taught that how they walked (waddled) and talked (quacked) was the basis of their salvation and faith.

They had always kept to themselves and were suspicious of other fowl, and they rejected those who had anything to do with "outsiders." They felt they were better Christians than chickens (and geese too for that matter) because of their longstanding special beliefs and practices. One of the most unique proofs that they felt set them apart--and made them better Christians than chickens and geese--was their distinctive waddle and their unique quack. Some of the bolder ducks actually said what others only dared to think. They dogmatically claimed to be the one and only true Christians because of their waddle and quack. Their usual Sunday fare was one of two themes: 1. How much better they were than ducks in other fowl churches. 2. How God was not happy with many of them, because they were slipping in their devotion to the rules and regulations of First Duck, and consequently they needed to "get right or get "left".

But this Sunday was like no other Sunday. This Sunday they heard the pure, authentic, and unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ. The duck preacher gave an inspirational and eloquent sermon about God's grace-- about how, because of God's grace, the ducks would no longer have to live the way they lived. The duck preacher spoke eloquently from Galatians, but he also quoted Isaiah 40:28-31, explaining God, by his grace,

had given the ducks wings with which to fly--they would no longer have to waddle.

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they

will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)

The sermon was so inspiring and the preacher was so convincing that a few quacks of "a-men" reverberated throughout the duck congregation before those who responded had a chance to really think about how the message of the sermon might change their lives.

After the service was over many of the ducks discussed the sermon in front of the church. After intense conversations most of them decided that there was no way that they would start flying like geese. After all, many emotionally quacked, their families had waddled for years, and it was what they had always done. They wanted to be different. It made them feel special.

They bristled at the suggestion that their duck waddle would be discarded and left behind in favor of grace and soaring on wings like eagles. So the duck preacher's sermon that proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ was----well, it was like water off a ducks back. Most of the congregation rejected the gospel that day and waddled back home.

All too often we waddle into church, and then we waddle back into our lives, unchallenged and unchanged.

If we attend a Christ-centered church, we will hear about the gospel and about grace. We hear that God will give us what we lack, that He will fill us with His goodness and His love...but then, perhaps because we are creatures (or ducks) of habit, we simply waddle back to our comfortable ritualistic deeds and habits.

"reprinted by permission of Greg Albrecht, from his book "Bad News Religion" --published by World Publishing, 2004.

The year 2005 should be an exciting year at First Baptist Church of Ashland. A new Christ centered pastor will be hired with the focus on God’s grace. With the new pastor will come new ideas to help First Baptist Church grow not only in attendance but spiritually. If we are to grow, it is possible that change must be made. With change always comes resistance but if we allow ourselves to be filled with the spirit and do what is necessary to help, not only for the church to grow but ourselves as well, we must be willing to open our hearts to God even if it means changing some of the old tried and true traditions that we have grown so accustomed to. Perhaps, we, like the ducks, have become so accustomed to what we do, we come to church and then leave, unchallenged and unchanged. We should be able to feel comfortable in suggesting new ideas but yet accept it if they aren’t put into action. Example, putting the attendance in the bulletin each week gives each person an idea as to how the church is doing in the way of people coming to First Baptist Church. It is a gauge which everyone can use to build on.

We must be willing to sacrifice a little more in the way of offerings so we can have the means to hire the type of pastor we really want and not just settle on what we can afford. Perhaps it means giving up one Whopper a week or maybe giving up a movie rental and put what it would have cost for them in the offering each week. If each person would put in an extra $5.00 each week, they would be sacrificing $260.00 a year per person but take that times 50 people who give an offering each week, then that sacrifice comes up to $13,000.00 a year, which would go a long way to pay for the type of pastor we really want, not just settle for what is affordable. This also requires change, from what we do to what we can do.

We can either be like the ducks in First Duck Church and waddle in and waddle out or we can be what God intends for us to be and soar on the wings of eagles.

Submitted by John Bailey