I promised a story about ice cream tonight… we’ll see how it goes…

The Entertainer.  Always playing loudly and just a little too fast.  Never quite finishing the entire song.  But it was the music of ice cream.  And she knew that it was time to run out to the sidewalk to see the ice cream man as he drove by.  Her chubby hands grabbed a dollar and some change and  she ran barefoot to the street.

But when the ice cream truck pulled up to her house, she realized that this was not her usual ice cream man.  In his place was a man who smiled with his eyes in a way she had never seen in an adult before.  At first, she remembered her mother’s warnings about talking to strangers.  But somehow, she knew this man was not a stranger.  He called her by name as he stopped the truck and got out.  How did he know her?  She had never seen him before.  He went to the back of his truck and opened the lid to the freezer.  Her brown eyes, wide with wonder, could barely take in all that was in front of her.  There were more types of ice cream than she had ever thought imaginable.  Every flavor and color and shape and size you could imagine.  And she knew that this was an ice cream man like none she had ever encountered before.

He smiled as he saw the look of awe on her face.  It was clear that he enjoyed surprising and delighting her.  He reached in and pulled out an enormous ice cream treat that she had never seen before.  How could he possibly know what she would want?  As he handed it to her, she wrestled to find the money that she had shoved in her sundress pocket.  He just looked at her and shook his head and said that he had already taken care of it.  He had paid the price for her.

She carefully tore away the paper from this magical treat as if it was a priceless treasure.  Her pudgy fingers grasped the stick with all the strength she could muster up, fearful of dropping this beautiful confection.  And then the first lick.  MMMMMMMmmmmmmmm….a flavor like no other she had ever experienced.  It was rich, and flavorful, and refreshing and satisfying.  The texture was smooth, the coolness soothing in the hot summer sun.  Every lick made her want more.  Soon her whole face was covered with ice cream as she fully enjoyed each bite.  The sweetness continued to melt its way over her fingers and hands, dripping onto her clothes and landing on her cute little toes.  And though some would call her a mess, she had never been happier.  She smiled up at her new friend who laughed in sheer delight of her new found, exuberant joy.

Every day after that, her heart would jump as she would hear the familiar song play, announcing that her ice cream man was coming.  And every day she would bring a new little friend to experience her discovery.   And this precious man would never let any of the children pay with the pockets full of change they would bring.  He would always tell them that he had taken care of it.  And then calling each one by name, he would reach into the freezer and pull out a treat – each one different, each one perfect for that child.  He would stand and that enormous grin would break out on his face every time as he waited for their reactions.  And each child’s response was unique.  All an expression of their own personalities, but all with the same component of unbelievable joy.  Some were very careful not to make a mess.  Others dove in recklessly.  And each brought that same smile to his face that defied any description.

Every new day brought new children, all so different in culture and background and demeanor.  And once each child had tasted the ice cream creations, the song that was a little too fast and oh so familiar would bring them running to the ice cream man and all he had to offer. 

If you didn’t figure it out already, this story is not just about ice cream.  It’s a picture of Jesus (the ice cream man) and the amazing thing he offers us for free.  Life – satisfying, delicious, sweet life.  I want to be the little girl that not only fully enjoys the ice cream, but goes and tells my friends so that they can experience the wonder of all that he has to offer.  I want to wear the stickiness of the sweet ice cream all over my face and hands and clothes so that the when people see me, they see the effect that my “ice cream man” has had on my life.

Hear the song?