One beautiful Sunday morning, the pastor stood before his congregation with an important announcement.
“Brothers and sisters,” he began warmly, “our church is hoping to raise a little extra money for some much-needed improvements. So today, I’m asking everyone to give whatever they feel is right.”
The congregation nodded politely.
Then the pastor smiled and added,
“And to make things a little more interesting, whoever makes the largest donation today will receive a very special privilege!”
A few curious faces looked up.
“The most generous person will get to choose three hymns for our next service!”
Well, that certainly caught everyone’s attention.
As the collection plates made their way through the pews, people dropped in their usual contributions.
A few dollars here, a twenty there, and the occasional fifty.
But when the ushers brought the offering plates back to the front, the pastor noticed something extraordinary.
Right there, among the smaller bills, was a crisp $1,000 bill!
He blinked.
Then he looked again.
“A thousand dollars?!” he whispered in amazement.
He could hardly contain his excitement.
Turning to the congregation, he announced,
“Ladies and gentlemen, someone here has just made an incredibly generous donation of one thousand dollars!”
A surprised murmur spread through the church.
“I would love to personally thank this wonderful person. Would the generous donor please stand up?”
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then, from the very last row, a sweet little elderly lady slowly raised her hand.
The pastor beamed.
“Oh, bless your heart, ma’am! Please, come up here!”
The congregation applauded as the old lady carefully made her way down the aisle.
When she reached the front, the pastor gently took her hand.
“My dear lady, your generosity is truly inspiring. On behalf of the entire church, thank you from the bottom of my heart!”
The elderly woman smiled modestly.
The pastor continued,
“And of course, a promise is a promise! As our most generous donor, you now have the honor of choosing any three hymns you like!”
The old lady’s face suddenly lit up.
She turned toward the congregation, slowly looked around the room, and carefully examined the men sitting in the pews.
After a moment, she spotted three particularly handsome gentlemen.
Her eyes sparkled.
She pointed at each of them, one after another, and cheerfully declared:
“I’ll take him, him, and him!”