Once there were two men who were summoned to appear before the throne of their king with indications of their fealty, love and devotion to their sovereign. This ceremony was known throughout the land as “The King’s Service,” and as the two men awaited their summons in the antechamber, they quietly debated the meaning of name. The first man asserted that the “King’s Service” could only refer to service rendered to the king. After all he was the king, right? But the second man contended that the “King’s Service” referred primarily to service rendered by the king, and only secondarily to service rendered to him.
Their quarrel was politely interrupted by a chamberlain who ushered them solemnly before the king. For a full two minutes neither man spoke, nor could they, so overwhelmed were they by the king’s royal personage, splendorous attire and regal bearing.
At length the first man broke the silence and began mumbling something unintelligible as he emptied the contents of his pockets onto a sturdy oak table directly before the king. The only items recognizable in the pathetic little mound were a broken rubber band, a creased bottle cap and a crumpled candy bar wrapper. With the offering thus made, the vassal closed his eyes and began to sway back and forth singing “I worship You, I adore You, I worship You, I adore You” and continued thusly for several minutes. When he had concluded his anemic anthem, he looked the king squarely in the eye and said, “I know the tokens of my devotion are certainly not as good as they could be, but they all mine to give, I even wrote the song, and I am pleased to give them to you as evidence of the sincerity of my subservience. And…” he added piously, “I ask nothing of you in return.”
The king was silent, so the second man stepped forward, bowed low upon one knee and said, “O king, I have nothing to give You, for I have nothing even remotely worthy of Your majesty. Therefore have I come with a series of requests. Your generosity is well known in all the land, so please Lord, fill my hat this instant with gold coins and precious gems, and put a song, penned by the king’s own hand, into my hand, and I will sing it to you now….ah…provided His Majesty will lend me the assistance of His royal choir to support my feeble voice. A herald appeared and quickly presented a musical score to the man and filled his ragged cap with gold and jewels from the royal treasury, the contents of which were poured out just as quickly onto the table before the king. Quite suddenly, the royal choir appeared as if this very request had been anticipated, and began to fill the chamber with a harmonious strain that was at the same time unabashedly joyful and achingly beautiful.
At the conclusion of the glorious hymn, the first man began to object strenuously to what he had just witnessed. But the king raised his hand and silenced him with a royal wink and a knowing smile.
“My loyal subject has thrice honored me this happy day. He honored my generosity with the audacity of his requests, my worth with the extravagance of his offerings (no less his to give simply because I first gave them to him.) And he honored my glory with the sublime poetry and exquisite grace of his musical offering…” (Here the first man began to turn purple with agitation) “No less beautiful” continued the king, “because it was written by myself. Now, I have prepared a great feast, and both of You are most welcome to sit and sup with me. That is if…” he said fixing his eyes on the first man, “if you are willing to acknowledge that your offering differed from his…” Here the king pointed to the second man, “only in weight of glory, not according to whence it originated.”
The first man hesitated for a moment, but acquiesced at the first whiff of the beef brisket beckoning him from the next room. “Yes m’lord,” he said humbly. “It is as You say. It all comes from You.”
Then the sovereign turned to the second man who was quite taken aback by the king’s reproachful stare. “My steward had prepared a bushel of royal treasure, but strangely, you requested a paltry hat-full. Thinkest thou me a miser?”
“Forgive me m’lord, for besmirching your beneficence.”
“Done. Alright then.” said the king, taking them both by the arm. “Off we go gentlemen. I trust you’ve had a light breakfast.”
Come empty, come thirsty, come hungry, come all
The Lord of the feast awaits in His hall
At His right hand are pleasures and grace evermore
For those eager to share what He lays up in store
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