A person is lying on a surgical table. It's the moment of crisis. Doctors and nurses are working frantically to save a life. But it's clear they are losing their patient. Next to the operating table, the EKG shows the patient's heartbeat. It's erratic. It's fading. It is gone.

A loud, high-decibel drone sounds, and a flat line appears on the monitor. The heart has stopped. Instead of giving up, the medical team increases its activity. The head doctor calls for a crash cart. Paddles are amped up with electrical current and pressed against the patient's chest. The doctor calls, "Clear!" and shocks the patient's heart. All eyes again turn toward the monitor with anticipation, fear, and hope.

Nothing. Still, the doctor is not ready to give up. "Clear!" Again, current is sent through the heart. All eyes are turn toward the monitor. Then another, and another. The heart is beating once again. Blood is flowing. A life has been saved.

Possible Preaching Angles: (1) Evangelism; Church, mission of; Mission—When God looks at the church, he longs for us to have a healthy heartbeat. He wants our hearts to beat with his love for the lost, and he longs for evangelistic passion to flow through our veins. (2) Christ; Holy Spirit—In this story, Jesus or the Holy Spirit are like the doctor, bringing his church back to life.