There is a little boy who is under the weather. His mother has to leave the children for the afternoon to go somewhere. The little boy tries to entertain himself while she is gone, reading his favorite book, watching the fire, making up stories, but he finds that his book has lost its magic, the fire has lost its happiness, and the stories have nowhere to go. His brothers and sisters, who are all in good health, do not seem to miss their mother so much. He grows more and more restless until he finally gives up waiting and falls asleep.
When he opens his eyes, there is his mother's face, bending over him. Now everything is worth doing again, even though he still is not well. He sleeps well all night, knowing she is home, and present. In the morning he is well.
Now the message of the story, and of the sermon, is that we are like that boy. We are not well, there is something the matter with us and we cannot be well until we have the one person who we want most, God. When he comes in, the books remember their magic, and the fire remembers its happiness, and the stories have somewhere to go. He's the one we must have.
