Story: Urgent Care on Sunday

3 folks, their gender not important, walk into an Urgent Care facility one Sunday. Each seeking relief for an annoying ailment.

As their names are called they retreat behind the door and into the examination room. Each one greeted by the same receptionist and cared for by the same doctor. 

After being examined and with the remedy to their ailment jotted down on the paper in their hand, they were escorted back into the general waiting area and into their life. This time free of pain - at least in one part of their body. 

As the first patient reappeared from the back room you could hear him lecturing the urgent care physician. 

" You should be in church every Sunday. Church is so important. If you don't go you'll surely die and spend eternity in hell! It doesn't matter the good deeds you do. Without church you'll burn!"

The doctor thanked the patient for the advice, politely said goodbye, and returned to the back. 

The next patient was called and upon meeting the doctor starting saying, " I overheard what that old fool was telling you about church. The nerve. Now I believe in going to church and all but what you really need is to meet Jesus. If you have a good relationship with Jesus then skipping Sunday is ok. Jesus will understand and not hold it against you."

The doctor and patient chatted throughout the rest of the visit. And their conversation, like the first, spilled out into the waiting room. "Remember, all you need is Jesus! Love Jesus and you can do what you got to do!" 

Once again, the doctor waved goodbye and went back to his office. 

The last patient walked in and hesitantly looked at the doctor and, aware of the conversations, wanted to say something. You see there was truth in both perspectives but how do you tell someone about that? How can one explain the balance of living in both worlds? How do you say that church is important and knowing Jesus is important and missing church is not the end of the world but it is important and not seem crazy? 

"Is God prompting me to say something to the doctor?" The patient thought silently. "I don't want to drag the Doc down anymore. He's heard enough today. Besides I'm here about getting my knee fixed." 

"So, Doc. You see my knee here? It really hurts..." said the patient to the doctor. And the patient never talked about Jesus or Church or anything else other than the injured knee. A missed opportunity to bring clarity to some confusion. 

And to this day the doctor has never stepped foot inside a church.