A Coffee Shop Parable

Every morning, two old men went to the coffee shop.  They sat at the same table, they ordered the same drink (one a latte, one a black coffee).  They had the same conversation almost every day:  they argued about politics, about college football, about the latest decision by the city council.  If one didn't know better, you might get the idea they didn't like one another, but they came..day after day.  One day, a stranger sitting nearby (another coffee shop regular) got up and walked over after one of the two left.  He said to the remaining man.  I can't help overhearing your conversation every day, you guys must really dislike each other...you vote very differently, you pull for rival colleges in football, you two even argue about whether coffee should have steamed milk in it or not, but I'm also confused, you are here together every day.  "Dislike each other?"  the remaining man asked hesitantly.  "Why, I would give my life for that man.  We don't see eye to eye, but if I ever needed a thing in this world, I would call him, when my wife died he was the first at my door, and if I ever went into the hospital, I know who would be by my bedside.  Dislike him, no sir, I love him like family."  "To have that kind of patience, you two must be lifelong, or at least childhood, friends? " the stranger aked. "No", the old man replied, "we go to church together.  You see, we may disagree on a lot of things like football and politics, but there is one even greater than all of those things that binds us together." 

                                                        

That is the church....and when we do church well...the Kingdom of God grows!