J. Wallace Hamilton, one of the great voices of Methodism, once shared an old story that I want to use to open our sermon today.

"An old Chinese farmer had one prized workhorse for his small farming enterprise. For example, when it was time to plow, he hooked the animal up to the plow and it broke the ground for planting. When it was time to take the harvest to the market, he would hitch the horse to a wagon. When he wanted to travel any great distance, he would put a saddle on it and ride the horse. The horse played an important role in his life.

"One day a bee stung the horse and, in fright, he ran up into the mountains. The old farmer tried to follow him, but he couldn't keep up. He came home that night to tell the whole village that he had lost his beloved animal. His neighbors began…