Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Atonement (01/22/26)
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TITLE: The Priest, the Rabbi and the Waitress | Previous Challenge Entry
By Steve Rosas
01/29/26 -
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“Hey, did you hear the one about the priest, the rabbi and the waitress?” she added.
Everett, the priest, responded “Let me guess, the waitress outsmarts them both.”
“Since you guessed the punchline, I guess I don’t have to bother telling the joke. You two go back to your usual table and I’ll bring some coffee.”
They heard Lois cackling in the background as they found the way to their table. Despite their 20-year friendship, it still gave Everett pause to think that an Episcopal priest and a Jewish Rabbi could have maintained such a close relationship. Everett has often found that understanding David’s “Old Testament” point of view has deepened his understanding of God.
“What is new at the synagogue lately?” he asks David.
“We are preparing for Yom Kippur, our most holy day.”
“I thought that Passover was your most holy day.”
“Passover is important, but Yom Kippur is the time that we purify ourselves. It is a cleansing of all sins committed over the last year. Do you not seek atonement in your faith?”
“Yes, but we believe that it is achieved through the sacrifice of Christ. In fact, the word atonement is not even found in the translation of the New Testament that I use.”
“How is it that the word that encapsulates our most holy day does not even appear in your New Testament?”
“We believe that the death of Jesus provided the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins.”
“In my understanding, atonement is not the same as forgiveness.”
“What is the difference?”
“Let me explain it this way- Say that I loan you my pocket watch and you lose it. What would you do? “
“I’d apologize and but you a new one.”
“If I accept your apology, that is forgiveness. If you replace the watch, that is restitution. Atonement is something different than either one.”
“What do you mean?”
“Say the watch I loaned you was a gift to me from my grandfather. Now what would you do?”
“I could never replace the watch. It is one of a kind.”
“Exactly.”
“So, if I could not replace it, how would I achieve atonement?”
“You would come to me and express your failure to safeguard the watch. You would confess that it was not an accident, but the result of your carelessness and your lack of appreciation for the value of that watch.”
“Would I still pay you for your loss?”
David shrugs “Maybe, maybe not. You might offer to give me money, but more than likely, you would try to find something that you own that means a great deal to you, and you would give it to me.”
“Like my autografted Derek Jeter rookie card?”
“Yes- that would likely be an adequate atonement. I would accept that.”
“So, there would be some payment? Some compensation?”
“Not always. Say that you did not have anything that would come close to the value of my pocket watch. You might simply come to me and say ‘David, I am not a good friend. I let you down in a manner that is unforgivable. I will try to be a better friend, but I will never forget my failure.’ Your atonement would be the act of remembrance.”
“I think that I’d rather give you the baseball card.”
“And believe me, I would rather receive it. However, God is less impressed by rookie cards that we are.”
“Holy Heavens” interjected Lois “Excuse my French, but you two are going to drive away my customers with all this religious talk. Are you ready to order or do you need more time?”
“Give us 2 minutes, and we’ll be ready to order” promised Everett, chuckling to himself. Lois had a way to bring them down to earth.
As Lois filled their coffee cups, he was once again grateful for the insight that he had gained from David. No, he wasn’t going to begin an annual fast at the church to seek atonement, but he would like to help his congregation reflect on the unpayable debt that has been forgiven by God.
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