PRIEST ON FIRE

PRIEST ON FIRE

Who is the Sinner, Who is the Saint?

What happens when a church who should save the world, needs saving?

Is there any sin that is unforgivable?

                   

We began the day as usual; Sunday was a time everyone in the house did one thing in common- Going to Church. Daddy was always the first to wake up in the house. Daddy's zeal for serving God was something that cannot be compared to anyone else in my neighborhood. His training as a retired assistant commissioner of Police made him understand the true meaning of dedication and service. By 5:30 am we were all seated in the parlor ready for the Daily Morning Devotion. For us, waking up at this time of the day was torture, because truthfully, the cold breeze by this time of the day makes our sleep sweeter. Sister Bisi my immediate elder sister led the praise & worship while daddy told Brother Edwin our first born to take the message for the day. In about 30 minutes we were done with the devotion and good to go.    

As the whole family strolls back to the room to catch a little nap, daddy is knotting his tie and getting set to move out. Being a worker and an elder in the church, daddy made it his personal habit to always be the first person in church for the Workers Meeting, which usually commences by 7.00am. By 6:45am; daddy is already out of the house, while sounding a huge warning that everyone must be in church before Sunday school starts by 8.00am. Usually, once its 8.00am daddy is always on the look out to see the last person that would step into the church. Such person never always has a good story to tell afterwards.

Quickly I went down stairs to open the gate, as Mummy was downstairs with Bisi in the car. Slowly our Red Toyota Previa Bus emerged from the house. Brother Edwin had spent time washing it on Saturday so it came out looking like a brand new. If I didn’t know better, I could swear that Brother Edwin attended a Car Wash training institute in his former life. Daddy never allows me wash any of the cars because, according to him, I LACK PATIENCE… They (Mummy, Brother Edwin and Sister Bisi) always say am always in a hurry.  Anyway, I locked the gate, and then jumped into the car.

Going late to church was an issue, but when mummy is in the car with us, we know that we are a bit insured from any major attack from daddy.  Mummy, who didn’t really like the church daddy attended, had a way to systematic cool daddy’s anger. She didn’t really understand how a church would commence its service by 7.00am and then close by 2.00pm. According to her, a Sunday church service should not exceed 2hrs… and at most 3hrs. Anything more than that is unnecessary waste of time. Although mummy was born again, her perception of Christianity was a bit more flexible than daddy’s rigid pattern.

As we entered the church premises, I quickly found my way to the teenage church…

unknown to me; today was the 1^st Sunday of the month of March. Every first Sunday of the month has specially been reserved as a THANKSGIVING Sunday. This means that everyone one will worship in the main church. The Children, Teenagers and Adults will all worship in the same place. For me, the bad part of the THANKSGIVING SERVICE is the time consumption. Service that usually ends by 2.00 pm sometimes extends to 3.00 pm because of the various activities lined up for the day.

On this particular Sunday it was most annoying for me because I did not eat before leaving the house. Usually Mummy or Sister Bisi don’t cook on Sunday mornings because daddy is trying to instill the principle of FASTING on us, however as per sharp guys concern, I and Brother Edwin use to preserve the leftovers of Saturday’s dinner, so we can help ourselves with  it in the morning. Albeit, on this particular Sunday, I just didn’t remember to eat because I was busy playing soccer on my Ps2 Console.

Retracing my way back to the main church, I saw Daddy asking the Sunday school teacher questions about the topic treated that morning. I went to seat at the edge of the church at a point where I couldn’t be seen by Daddy from the Ministers Corner; and careful enough to avoid Mummy’s eyes also. Aside all the stress that comes from going to church, there was something that always gets me excited about church… It was … CLARA. The first time I saw Clara, I thought she wasn’t human. She didn’t look human, trust me. She looked more divine than natural. It was at the annual Teenage Sunday School Quiz Competition; I was representing my parish, while she was representing another local parish. It’s not like I am one kind of religious guru o! I was just smart and intelligent, so my Sunday school teachers loved me. I and one Collins Owolabi were selected to represent our church. At the competition, I and Owolabi were the underdogs… no one really gave us a chance to come out with anything good.  Although I didn’t take the quiz serious, when I saw that my opponent was a girl… and not just any girl but a beautiful one at that, I was sooooo… motivated to do well. A competition that was suppose to last for at most 1hour ended up lasting for about 2:30 minutes. The Moderators were tired. Clara was giving complete text book answers, while I was mixing my little Sunday school knowledge with common sense knowledge. Obviously, Clara didn’t like my style, and sincerely I disliked her confidence. After much futile attempt to get a winner, the Judges declared us joint winners. Though we both didn’t like the decision, but the fact that I didn’t lose to a girl put a smile on my cheeks. The smile got broader when we (Clara and I) were called out to take a Winners Picture together. Oh my god! Standing close to her at that point was and remains one of my most exciting moments in my entire history. With the way my teeth were shinning, I could have easily modeled for Close Up toothpaste. 

                                              to be continued next week