Emphasis Preaching Journal

I was invited to a large banquet in which a number of people were going to be honored. According to my invitation, the time of the banquet was 7 p.m. and the doors were to be opened at 6:30. At the social hour, which preceded the dinner, my husband and I joined some friends who were standing close to the doors waiting to go in. To our amazement we saw couple after couple sneak into the banquet room. We couldn't understand where they were going or what they were doing.

The doors were opened right on time. The crowd surged in. The seating places were not arranged and there was a mad dash as people tried to find empty tables close to the front. My husband and I, along with our friends, waited until most of the crowd had gone in and then we found a table close to the back. From our vantage point we could see the guests of honor being lined up. A piper was ready to pipe them in. But something was wrong. We could see the Master of Ceremonies gesturing to the front of the hall as she talked to one of the waiters.

When the conversation was over, the waiter walked to the front of the hall in order to talk to the people who were seated at tables closest to the head table. We could see him pointing to a sign in the middle of the table. With red faces the occupants stood up and started to look for other seats. My husband and I looked at our friends. Finally we knew where the couples had gone.