One very cold Sunday morning in northern Canada a couple of contractor friends headed off to a job site for a few hours.  They planned to meet their families at church at 11:00.  Job completed, they were rushing down the highway near the building when they noticed a car by the side of the road with the windows frosted up.  Realizing that some one must be in the car,  they pulled around and went back.  The man inside had left home to run a short errand, his gas line had frozen and he was stranded.  He tried to flag down passing vehicles but no one would stop.  He was not dressed for the cold so could not stand out for very long periods and was shivering inside his cold car.  The contractors told him to get inside their warm truck, got his car started while he warmed up and then asked him if he wanted to go to church with them.  "The one you can see just down the road."  

The man they had helped gave them a puzzled look, "Why would I want to go to church with a bunch of people who drove by and left me to freeze to death by the side of the road?"

"Right.  Come on, let's go get some breakfast."

After breakfast the two men headed back to the building to meet their families.  They arrived just as the service was over and people were streaming out.  One of the elders noticed them and asked them  why had they missed the service.  He was told that it was none of his business.

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This story was experienced and told by Steve Hill (www.harvest-now.org).  It sounds so much like the story of the Good Samaritan, doesn’t it.  People passing by in order to get to their religious duties done, unaware of desperate needs around them.  It also illustrates how the outside world sees the church.  Are we so self absorbed that we ignore people, the very ones to whom Jesus sends us?