Church Folk - Michele Andrea Bowen [17]
Both the women and the men laughed when he said that.
Theophilus wiped his face with the handkerchief again and smiled at the congregation.
He looked right at Essie when he said: "I'm glad to know you all know what I'm talking about with those walks. Even I, a preacher, want to sing some songs a preacher isn't supposed to know about when one of the brown flowers in this congregation does that good ole Mississippi walking."
Now Theophilus backed away from the pulpit podium and moved out front, the Bible in his hand, to make more direct personal contact with the congregation. He didn't need the microphone. His voice was strong and projected easily across the small sanctuary.
"Mount Nebo, I didn't come here to get you all upset with me. But I have no choice other than to preach from my heart."
"Then get on with your sermon, son," a man sitting in one of the middle pews said. " 'Cause I'm gone be gettin' hungry directly and want my soul fed first."
Everybody started laughing and Theophilus relaxed some more. He did as he was asked.
"Church, I think the reason we men can't figure out how to love these sweet brown flowers sitting up in this congregation right, is because we just don't understand how God could call us to commit ourselves to a higher level of humanity through our relationships with women. Sometimes we men get off track and act like these relationships interfere with serving God—like women get in the way of man and God. But I'm here to tell you that God didn't mean for that to be so. The passion that is stirred up between a husband and a wife—if treated with the respect God intended for us to treat it with—helps us become filled with a love for the Lord, our brothers and sisters, ourselves, and life in general, that makes us better in every way.
"You see, church, this kind of love ignites the senses and it makes you glad to be alive. And that kind of stuff flowing through your soul can inspire all sorts of wondrous things. It can make you want to be closer to God. It can make you want to be closer to people. It can make you want to stir up life in the people around you. And a lot of you know that it can make you want to create new life—new life like that baby doll sitting over there in her daddy's lap looking all sweet and precious this morning."
Folks in the congregation turned to look at the baby and her daddy as she just cooed and smiled as if she knew that she had helped Theophilus along with his sermon.
Theophilus smiled at her and said, "That's right, sweetie pie, tell us all about how we should be living."
Essie's heart felt warm and tingling as she watched Theophilus talking to the baby from the pulpit. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of father he would be. She imagined he'd be the kind who showered lots of hugs and kisses on his babies—bringing home bagsful of candy they didn't need, just so he could see bright smiles on their faces and hear the squeals of delight in their voices. These thoughts warmed her heart even more and she looked up at the pulpit and gave him a smile that was so sweet and lovely, it made her face light up.
Theophilus saw Essie smiling at him and felt good all over. His voice boomed out, even stronger: "A thinker named Alan Watts wrote in a book about men, women, and nature, that the coming together, the shared passions between a man and woman, was one way of experiencing God. Now don't get me wrong, church. I didn't say the way but one way. You all have to remember that. You see, Mr. Watts seemed to believe that passion, or in our case, good loving, was indeed part of the gifts God gave to us—and that this passion was sacred."
The congregation had grown quiet, and Theophilus could tell that they were listening and thinking about what he was saying. He now sat down on the altar steps, adjusting his robe around his knees, then