A district minister arrived one Sunday
morning in a small rural town. The local minister asked the district minister to help with
a local problem.
"Everyone here thinks they are just
perfect!" said the local minister. "Could you preach a sermon that will bring
them back to their senses?"
The district minister was a gifted speaker,
eloquent with words and knowledgeable about the Scripture. He spoke for nearly an hour,
convincing everyone that they too were sinners. Finally, the district minister was sure he
had set everyone straight.
To reaffirm that they were all thinking
alike, the district minister finally asked: "Is there anyone here who thinks they are
perfect?"
Everyone was looking at the floor, thinking
quietly. Slowly, one man in the back stood up.
The district minister asked the man,
"And why do you stand, sir?"
The man said, "I am not perfect, but I
am standing in memory of my wife's first husband who was."
