Libertine
Verified
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2001
- Messages
- 2,079
- Points
- 48
A newly-ordained minister was asked as a favour by the local funeral director to hold a grave-side burial service at a small local cemetery for an old recluse who had outlived his family and friends.
The eager young clergyman got an early start for his assignment but quickly got himself completely lost on the rural backroads. Eventually, a half-hour late, he saw a backhoe and its crew, but the hearse was nowhere in sight, and the workmen were all sitting around eating lunch.
Ashamed of his tardiness, the minister dashed to the still-open grave in his robe and vestments and found the vault lid already in place.
Taking out his prayer book, he read the service with feeling and vigour, and spurred by his guilty feelings for being so late, also preached an impassioned and lengthy sermon, giving the deceased a stylish sendoff to The Great Beyond.
As he was returning to his car, he overheard one of the workmen say: " I ain't never seen anything like that the entire twenty years I've been installing septic tanks."
The eager young clergyman got an early start for his assignment but quickly got himself completely lost on the rural backroads. Eventually, a half-hour late, he saw a backhoe and its crew, but the hearse was nowhere in sight, and the workmen were all sitting around eating lunch.
Ashamed of his tardiness, the minister dashed to the still-open grave in his robe and vestments and found the vault lid already in place.
Taking out his prayer book, he read the service with feeling and vigour, and spurred by his guilty feelings for being so late, also preached an impassioned and lengthy sermon, giving the deceased a stylish sendoff to The Great Beyond.
As he was returning to his car, he overheard one of the workmen say: " I ain't never seen anything like that the entire twenty years I've been installing septic tanks."
