THE LITTLE OLD MAN WITH THE FLOWERS

Sighing deep within my soul I was relieved, once again, that I delivered God’s word. As I sat in the back of my car as I often do, to gather in solitude my thoughts and transitioning myself, through the Holy Spirit, to earthly matters after I had preached a sermon at a welcoming church. However, there was a bit of disappointment at my arrival at this church. My husband, Kent, was the driver, and my daughter, Constance, was in the front passenger seat. My daughter was staring at me to check on my spirit and my mental state to see if I was pleased with the service and the welcoming committee.

When a woman or man of God is invited to go to a church to give a waiting congregation a message from God, it is essential that the guest preacher is to be properly received and welcomed. There should always be a welcoming or hospitality committee to make sure they have everything they need to be comfortable and everything should be done in decency and order for the guest preacher. This gives a smooth transition for the guest preacher to deliver God’s word to His people.

Hospitality or welcoming committees, are to greet the guest preacher, and escort them to a private, clean chamber. If there isn’t a quiet place for the guest preacher, then you must offer them the pastor of the church’ chambers. The pastor of the church should always greet the guest preacher, unless told otherwise. Then the pastor of the church must politely leave the guest preacher alone to be with God so they are able to meditate on the word or pray and be transitioned by God’s Holy Spirit as an instrument to God to deliver the message to His people.

There should be cool water in a pitcher with clean glasses, or bottle water, and orange juice in case the guest preacher has a blood sugar disorder. There should be a bowl of fresh fruit, especially bananas, which would help regulate the blood sugar and potassium after they have preached the message. Hot tea should be offered also, for there are many preachers who prefer this before they preach for the soothing of their throat. And of course, there should always be a proper offering for the guest preacher prepared in advance for them. The pastor of the church should always be present unless they have made it vividly clear to the guest preacher they will not be there. After the guest preacher has delivered the message, they often greet the congregation. This, however, depends on the capacity of the church. Never delay a guest preacher for selfish motives. They are oftentimes exhausted from preaching and if the gifts of the Holy Spirit have moved in the service they need to be restored and regenerated by God. Therefore, let them go without restraints. The hospitality or welcoming committee should always escort the guest preacher and their team to the door exit. And if they are lodging in a hotel, there should be a transportation service that takes them back to their hotel or the transportation they arrived in. This all depends on the arrangements of the church. Everything should be pleasant and smooth. There should be lots of love, hugs, and holy kisses, because we are all of the brethren, the kingdom of God.

However, I did not experience any of this at this church I had just left. I was confused about my treatment but relieved that I was going home. The waiting congregation was absolutely beautiful. Oh, how I loved them and still do. I knew Jesus was with me but there was a numbness in my spirit I had never experienced before. In actuality this had never happened to me before, only this church. The message was truth and power. I was truly a yielded instrument for the Holy Spirit, but there was a lack in every area of my arrival.

As I sat in a daze with my polarized, oversized sunglasses in the back seat, protecting my eyes from the glare of the morning sun, that beautiful Sunday morning, and to black out all of the darkness I had just encountered. Suddenly, I saw to the left, a fragile, little old man just standing there. My husband, Kent, was just about to start the engine and my daughter was watching the little old man because he was so close to the car. He stood there looking all around as he was bewildered. He was so small and frail. I removed my oversized sunglasses to get a closer look at the little old man. When I removed my sunglasses he looked down at me as to recognize me. He took his index finger and pointed at me quickly and firmly, as to say “You’re who I’m looking for.” My husband rolled down the back windows for me and the little old man peaked his head into the window as the window gradually rolled down. He looked at me sternly, fixated, eye to eye, and said to me, “If anyone hasn’t told you that they love you lately, I want you to know I love you.” And then he reached into the window and presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I said, “thank you, sir”, and then he looked at me and walked away.

God in heaven certainly has a way of blessing His servants. Although there was no welcoming or hospitality committee, no cool water, no juices, no fruits, no offerings, no pastor, no thank you, and no goodbye, but God in heaven told me, “well done my good and faithful servant” through a little old man. If he was an angel, I don't know. But God used this old man to show me His love although I felt completely unloved.

You may have been rejected, neglected, subjected to this type of behavior in church or out of church, preacher or not a preacher, but God wants you to know, also, that He loves you with an everlasting love, even when love has not been shown to you. God doesn’t just love us, He loves us with an everlasting love. Many of you have done good work, hard work, for the Lord, for the kingdom of God, for Jesus, and you have gotten no rewards. Many of you have done work for your communities: hard work, good work, loving neighbors, but you’ve gotten no rewards. Many of you have given so much of yourselves, helping others, doing services for all men, as in mankind, but no reward, no gratitude and no love in return. God wants you to know that He is going to bless you for the good works you have done. Your good works have not gone unnoticed. He sees it, in heaven, what you have done and He is going to reward you shortly for your good works. You must believe it! Yes, God gave me flowers that day but He gave me so much more knowing that He was there with me and that I was not alone and He never left me, as He promised. Jesus promised he’d never to leave us nor forsake us. Although there was no love shown that day from that church to me and many of you have experienced the same thing, God wants you to know that He loves you. Please do not be discouraged. He will give you back all that you have given to His people. He will reward you. God showed me that He never left me and that He loved me through a little old man with the flowers. Amen.

“ The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:...” (JEREMIAH 31:3)

“Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord;... “ (JEREMIAH 31:16)

“His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (MATTHEW 25:23)

Glory Be To God,

Reverend Helen Trower