Loyalty in Action

Our guest speaker this morning, Rick Wismer of the Big Blue Bus, told a story about his new puppy. (She still has much to learn about the way the world works.) 

It reminded me that I have another dog story in my files. This story came from Dr. Cecil Kirk, late of this congregation. His story was intended for the children's time, but I think it works for adults too.

The Faithful Dog

There is a story about a boy and his dog. They lived in Pompeii in Italy which is situated near a volcano. In AD79 it erupted. Smoke and fire burst out from the mountain. Ashes fell on the city. Burning rocks came tumbling down its slopes.

This didn’t happen without warning: some people took heed and fled the city in advance of the eruption. Others had disregarded the warnings.

Those who remained in the city were trapped in molten lava. Soon the whole city was buried in ash and lava; everyone died.

Centuries passed, the city was forgotten about. Then about 180 years ago people began to wonder about Pompeii. They began to dig through the ashes, cut away the lava. After time many streets, fine buildings, beautiful works of art were discovered.

In one place they found the body of a young boy, near him lay his dog, both killed by the eruption of the volcano.

On the dog was a collar; “This dog has three times saved his little master; once from fire, once from drowning, once from thieves.”

By himself, the dog might have escaped but he remained faithful to the very end. Dogs can teach us about loyalty - they stick with you through thick and thin.

The New Testament tells us that Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. No matter what happens He will stand by us.

And Jesus wants us to be as faithful as Him. There are some fair weather friends. They talk a lot but when the going gets tough they drop away. Jesus does not want people like that. We should be like the little boy’s dog. No matter how bad things are we should stay faithful to Him.

As well as occasionally filling in at the pulpit, Rick is part of a search and rescue organization and a youth leader. This is risky work. There may be times when Rick's courage is tested, but he knows that Christ will be faithful to him until the end. 
Thank you, Rick, for the work you do and for your example of faith in action.

P.S.  Here are the answers to last week's puzzle.
Puzzle Answer: