Godly Masquerade | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Godly Masquerade | Previous Challenge Entry
By Jacqueline Julyan
08/14/16
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Every week, without fail, my husband Daniel, would take a bath on Sunday morning. He would lay out his best lilac shirt starched and creased in all the right places, together with polished shoes that sparkled like the morning dew drops freshly sprinkled upon the morning grass.

I smiled ruefully at his humming and to my surprise it was the sound of the latest hymn we had practised last week in church. I am not much of a morning person, whether it be Wednesday, Thursday or Friday and definitely not on a Sunday.

‘Are you ready yet love?’ Daniel called me, knowing full well that I was still in bed. I always find it difficult to rise after a bad night’s sleep. I muffled, all sound covered by the heavy tog duvet, which I was not yet ready to relinquish. ‘No’ I groaned inwardly but with every last morsel of energy, I tossed the duvet to the side.

Daniel, once again, peered around the bedroom door, his tone now slightly exasperated

‘I said are you ready yet love?’

‘Yes, um …… I … mean ….. No …. Give me five minutes Daniel and I’ll be right there’.

Everything felt heavy this Sunday morning, my heart, my body, yes even my duvet and a lot of it was because of the up and coming long sermon, at this morning’s service.
Daniel still continued to check on my progress. He entered the bedroom again but this time I saw him holding the weekly church bulletin sheet.

‘Hey, you never guess what Sheila! Guess whose preaching today? …. It’s ……’

But before he could finish I interrupted him. ‘Yes, I know, Mr Fox! I looked last night at the sheet’.

‘Oh, right, why didn’t you tell me?’

The reason I hadn’t said anything Daniel, I mused to myself, is one, you would never stop praising the man, two, I detested the man who is as cunning as a fox and three, the thought of having to sit under one of his long, boring sermons makes me decidedly ill.

‘Oh ….. I just forgot that’s all’.

‘Right …. Right …… Sheila, you really must hurry up! I want to get the best seats for us today. You know how Mr Fox loves to see married couples. Well, we’ve not been married that long I know …. But well, it’s good for the church, appearances an’ all’ …. Don’t you think?’

By now there was a tangible heaviness, like a thick blanket, over my heart, so I made a dash for the bathroom where I frantically prayed to God. ‘Oh God! What have I done? How can I tell Daniel how I hate this man or rather what he preaches in your Church? Everything is about appearances! It’s so …. So ….. What’s the word? Yes that’s it, artificial! Please God, help me stay true to you despite those who seem to just love playing at going to Church’. Finally, I brushed my teeth and spluttered ‘Amen’, hoping against all hope that God had listened to my genuine heartfelt prayer.

Twenty minutes later we walked into the church. I stood in the hallway looking through the glass partition where you could see the pews. Perplexed, I noticed that there was only about twelve people in the Church. I turned to Brian the Usher who with a twinkle in his eye explained.

‘If you’re wondering Sheila. Mr Fox was ousted out of his own church last week. He was having an affair with one of his congregation, the wife of an Elder. So as you can see no-one turned up. Just between you and me, I never cared much for his preaching. Let us just say, even Satan masquerades as an angel of light eh?’ I smiled, relieved my prayer had been answered but not in the way I had thought.

I sat next to my husband who had now obviously heard the news and looked like someone who had had his best childhood toy snatched from his hands. ‘Never mind dear’ I said ‘They say Mr Baker, although not a renowned preacher is a fine man’.

And on that note the Church organ abruptly sprang into life and changed the quiet tempo of the Church into a renewed vigour of hope and expectation. I for one, now look forward, not only to hear this unknown preacher but to give God all the Glory for answering my prayer.

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