The late Christian editor and author Joe Bayly (1920-1986) was once a member of The Blue Church. He lost three children, and out of that grief wrote a little book about death,The Last Thing We Talk About.
I never met Joe Bayly, but his legacy lives on. I came across what follows some time ago on the web site, “PreachingToday.com.”
“Joe Bayly, a Christian author and minister, had a rebellious son named Tim. Joe tried to reach Tim with arguments and rules, but he still rebelled. Tim eventually left his home, left the faith, and lived a prodigal life in an old house in Chicago. Tim’s rebellion broke Joe’s heart.
Late one night, Joe got a phone call. “This is the police,” the voice on the other line said. “Your son was arrested for a DUI. We have him here in the town jail.” Joe got out of bed and drove a half hour to the jail where his son was being held. When he got there, they told him that his son wasn’t there. Joe thought he had driven to the wrong place, so he drove to the next town, the next town after that, and the next town after that.
Finally, around 4:00 a.m., Joe decided to drive to the old house in Chicago where he knew Tim had been sleeping. The door wasn’t locked, so he stepped inside and looked for his son. In the faint light of the darkened room, he saw him asleep in a sleeping bag that was strewn across an old mattress. He walked over to the mattress and stood over Tim. Then, moved with compassion, he bent down, lightly kissed Tim on the cheek, and left.
In the months that followed, Tim started visiting his parents. He returned to church and recommitted his life to Christ. He even announced he was going into the ministry. Today, Tim is a pastor in Indiana.
Years later, Joe finally asked Tim what made him want to come back home. Tim looked at his dad and said, ‘Don’t you know? Remember that night, years ago, when you got a call that I was in jail? Dad, that was my friend. It was a prank. When you came to the house, I only pretended to be asleep. I was wide awake. I knew you’d driven all night in the cold, and I wondered what you were going to do to me. And all you did was bend down and kiss me on the cheek. Dad, the kiss brought me back.'”
Told by Peter Hiett, in his sermon “The Most Neglected Commandment in the Bible.”
“Love does no harm to its neighbor.
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:10