Emphasis Preaching Journal

A Scotsman discovered that he had accidentally put a sovereign in the offering plate, intending to put in a shilling. The service ended, he was reluctant to approach the altar, but had no such bashfulness about approaching the head usher and trying to get his money back. "No way!" the head usher said (he had been to America and tried to keep up with American slang). "It's the Lord's now that it's been put on the altar of God." The parishioner tried to take his loss philosophically. "At least," he mused, "I'll get credit for a sovereign in Heaven." "No ye won't," the usher said.