Answer + Explanation:
The parable is told that one Sunday, near the end of the service, the preacher asked help in moving an urn of flowers from the platform. A young man came to the front and waited for the preacher to hand him the lovely vase filled with roses. Just as he reached up, he dropped the vase, breaking it into many pieces. Embarrassed at his apparent carelessness, the young man returned to his seat.
The preacher requested that the audience stay for a few moments after the service. The preacher told the audience:
“I can replace this vase with another one just as beautiful, but there are some sacred and holy things which can never be restored. For weeks, many of us have worked and prayed for a certain young man to attend our morning worship service. Last Sunday morning, he came and sat behind a member of our congregation who whispered and laughed all during the service. The young man vowed that he would never come again to the services of our congregation, because he could plainly see that the fellowship and the message that I proclaimed meant nothing to some of the members who attended. The disturbing actions of this member shattered an opportunity in that young man’s life and destroyed something that can never be replaced.”
The parable of the dropped vase sent arrows of conviction into the hearts of many that morning, and they left the building determined not to make the same mistake again — promising to show greater reverence in their worship to the Lord.
