Church Folk - Michele Andrea Bowen [73]
Theophilus took the pulpit podium during the final strains of the song, directing the organist to keep playing softly after Mrs. Jarvis finished. Then he said, "Church, there ain't nothing the Lord don't know everything about—especially the needs of the human heart. If you believe that, raise your hands high in the air and let the Lord know you need Him. Let the Lord know you want to talk with Him and walk with Him and know that you are His own. Anybody in here this morning need to be with God like that?"
A third of the congregation raised their hands and started praying out loud to God. Caught up in the spirit, Theophilus lifted his own arms high in the air, telling them all, "Church, if you feeling what I'm feeling, you got to give it up to God and start praising Him. Come on! Let's give the Lord shouts of praise up in here!"
Soon the whole congregation was praying and praising, with some speaking in tongues and swaying and calling out "Jesus! Jesus!" Essie had to hold on to the front of her pew, the spirit was running through her so strong. Mrs. Coral Thomas got out in the aisle and started walking back and forth, crying and saying, "Yes, Lord! Yes, Lord!" as D.S. cried and thanked the Lord for his blessings. He kept saying, "I don't know how I would have made it, if you had not brought me through, Jesus." And Theophilus had to hold on to the pulpit, bending over it, acknowledging God's power in his life. The passion, the power of the Holy Ghost were so strong that he set his sermon aside and let the Spirit guide him through the remaining portion of the service.
"Y'all have to know that the Lord don't play after this morning, don't you," he said.
"No," Coral Thomas answered. "The Lord sho' nuff don't play."
"And you know that if God stopped by here this morning, setting off Holy Ghost–filled fire like He did, He means for us to abide by the leading of His spirit."
Mr. D.S. Thomas said, "Yes, Lawd! You talkin' now, boy."
Folks in the congregation started laughing and Theophilus continued, "Now, Lord knows I had a sermon all prepared to preach today. But this morning, the Lord is leading me to open this church up for some testimonies." He tossed the pages of his sermon into the air, back over his shoulders, and just let them scatter on the floor. "Now, church, who has a testimony burning in their heart?"
At first nobody made a move. Theophilus let his eyes roam around the sanctuary, trusting God to let them alight on the person who had the most to say, who just needed a little encouragement from the pastor. Sure enough, when his gaze fell on Mrs. Jarvis, he knew that she had testimony they all needed to hear today. Walking out of the pulpit, he took her by the hand and led her straight to the podium.
Mrs. Jarvis was so full of feeling that she didn't even know if she could get the words out. Sensing her agitation, Theophilus continued to clutch her hand, willing her the courage to begin.
"Giving honor to God and asking all of you to pray my strength," she began, "I want to share with you just what the Lord has done for me. Now there ain't a soul in here who don't know that Jarvis died. And you all know that I always said my Jarvis was a gift from God. That I believed with all of my heart that one of the ways the Lord had blessed me was to let me experience the love of my dear departed husband, Zechariah Jarvis."
Folks in the congregation looked at each other with the same question on their faces and lips: "Mr. Jarvis's name was Zechariah?"
"Jarvis left me to go home. And Lord, Lord, Lord! That thing just about killed me. I been married sixty-five years and I can truly say that each year, from day one to year number sixty-five, were pure joy. Pure blessed joy. And when Jarvis passed on, I thought I would die of a broken heart."
Several of Mrs. Jarvis's close