A minister had done fairly well in his life on Earth and was very proud of his accomplishments. One day he passed on. When he arrived at the Pearly Gates, there was much activity. They were cleaning and decorating and getting ready for someone special to arrive. The minister asked the nearest angel, "What is all the fuss about?"
The angel said, "Someone special is soon to be in our midst and we are making things ready for his arrival. It is a very special time. Now, please go sit and wait on the bench so we will be ready."
The minister naturally assumed the the angel did not know who he was talking to, so he went and waited. He waited and waited and finally, the time arrived. Trumpets played, the angels sang and the excitement built. All of the sudden, an average looking overweight man with a heavy beard and ragged clothes came into the room and all the angels rejoiced.
The minister became irate. The angels obviously made a mistake. After all the good works he had done, and all the people he had saved, and all the money he had given to charities. He stompled up to the angel at the gate and demanded to know who this individual was.
The angel said, "That is Irving the cab driver from Brooklyn."
The minister said, "What did he do that I did not do?"
The angel said, "When you gave sermons, people slept. When Irving drove, people prayed."