And, Tuesday Comes

The months passed and each of the churches reached new highs. Davy and Danny had several churches offered to them, but unless they had people ready and able to lead a church, they passed. With one exception, Lacy Street.
One Sunday after the service at Camp Eden, two people lingered in the pews. As Danny and Davy were leaving, something drew them to the two people. They approached the man and woman and thanked them for coming. The woman looked at Danny and asked, “We’ve heard of the miracles you and Pastor Davy are doing, would you ever consider taking a woman preacher? A woman preacher and her preacher husband? An old woman preacher and her old preacher husband?”
It was obvious to Danny that she was talking about herself and the man in the pew beside her, so Danny played along. “Why? Do you know someone like that?”
“You’re looking at them.” the lady said with confidence.
“As far as a woman, that’s not a problem, as far as old, I guess we’ll all be there some day. The only problem may be that we do things a bit different than in most churches.”
“Father Danny, we know how you do things. We’ve been to every one of your churches. We know how you do it. My question was, would you ever consider taking on a woman preacher and her preacher husband?”
Danny had seen the couple at the churches just like the lady had said. He and Davy had seen them frequently enough to name them. They called them “The Sparrows” because the small black couple reminded them of sparrows. Like the birds, they stayed together and sort of flitted back and forth.
Danny looked at the woman and then at Davy. “My question would be can you do it our way?”
“As good or better than you can,” she said with the same confidence.
“Can you do it next week?”
“Where?”
“Here.”
“We would be awful scared here, Father Danny, we’ve never preached in front of rich folks like these before. We always preached at the soup kitchens and the places for the homeless. We never preached in a fine church like this. We never preached to rich people.” Danny looked at Davy. In all their time at Camp Eden, neither had ever considered the poor working people here “rich”.
“What are your names?” asked Danny.
“My name is Liza and this here is Ben.”
“Good to finally meet you, Liza, Ben. I didn’t catch your last name.”
“It’s ‘cause I didn’t pitch it, Father. Our last name is Sparrow.”
Danny heard Davy say “Jesus Christ” to himself.
“Well, Miss Liza, the offer is open. You and Mr. Ben do the service here next week if you want. Pastor Davy and I live right here and we will be delighted to help you.”
“Don’t need no help. You two just come next Sunday and park your butts in the seats. You’ll see.”
Danny and Davy excused themselves and left. “You did the right thing, you know that, don’t you?” said Davy.
“I think I did too. Besides, if she slips up, you and I will be right there to back them up. Still, Camp Eden, rich folks?”
“I know.”
Come the following Sunday, Saint Davy’s and Saint Danny’s Baptist Episcopal Church was packed with people sitting outside. Danny had a speaker system installed so those who could not get in could hear the service. On nice days, some people preferred to spread a blanket on the lawn and enjoy the outside. This was one of those days and blankets and people surrounded the church.
When eleven o’clock came, Ben Sparrow stood and led the Lord’s prayer. Ben moved to the pulpit as Liza began. “In the Book of Luke, Jesus said ‘Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Are there any questions?”
“A man in the congregation stood and asked “Isn’t the a lot of difference between the two? What did Jesus actually mean?”
Davy leaned over to Danny and whispered, “That was it? That was all of the scripture reading?”
Danny just shrugged his shoulders as Liza stretched her hand toward Ben who said, “Did the two men, Matthew and Luke hear something different here? Did Matthew hear Jesus say one thing and Luke hear him say another? I think not.” Ben stretched his hand back toward Liza.
“In the Book of Luke, Jesus said ‘Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Are there any questions?”
Liza again stretched her hand toward Ben.
“What does it mean to be poor?” questioned Ben. “Does it mean you have no gas for your fine automobile or does it mean you have no bread for your child? The man who has a fine car can sell his car and buy gas, then he faces a problem, what good is the gas without an automobile? The man who cannot feed his child has only one problem, to feed his child.”
Ben stretched out his hand to Liza.
“In the Book of Luke, Jesus said ‘Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Are there any questions?”
When there were none, Liza stretched out her hand toward Ben.
“Matthew heard Jesus say the words “Poor in Spirit”. Now, doesn’t this stir up a whole new kettle of fish? The man who sells his fine automobile to buy gas, has him some gas, but what good is it? He can’t eat it. I guess he could drink it but it would make him sick. He doesn’t want to do that. Now the man who can’t feed his child, is he the one who’s poor in spirit. If’n he is, he got real problems. He got a child he can’t feed and he needs some feedin’ hisself. Cause if’n he’s poor in spirit, he needs help real quick. Jesus said that man’ll go to Heaven, but that man and his child need help now.”
Ben stretched his hand toward Liza.
“In the Book of Luke, Jesus said ‘Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Are there any questions?”
Like everyone else in the congregation, Danny and Davy sat slack-jawed and not believing what they were seeing. There ws not a sound to be heard except Liza, Ben and the person asking an occasional question.
One man timidly raised his hand. “Which man was Jesus talking to?”
Liza’s hand went toward Ben.
“Now, that Brother, is a darn good question and I can’t rightly tell you. I’m old, but I ain’t that old and I won’t there, but let’s look at it. That mnan who sold his automobile and bought some gas, I figure he can trade that gas for maybe a loaf or two of bread, but that ain’t the same man. That man won’t poor in the first place, he had that fine automobile, no he won’t poor. And now he has him some bread, but that bread ain’t doin’ that man with the hungry child one bit of good, and it sure as everything holy ain’t doin’ the man who’s poor in spirit nothin’ cause them first two men, they is poor, but it’s a different kind of poor. There’s belly hurtin’ poor and there’s soul starvin’ poor. Them first two men, they is belly hurtin’ poor. Somebody, somewhere, gonna’ come along and throw out a half-eat samwhich or some half-eat pie, or somethin’ and them fellas what is belly hurtin’ poor gonna’ be fine for a while, but that fella who’s soul spirit poor, all the samwhiches in the world ain’t gonna’ do him no good.”
Ben stretched his hand toward Liza.
“In the Book of Luke, Jesus said ‘Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Are there any questions?”
For the next full hour, Liza and Ben went back and forth. Every question that was asked was answered by Ben to perfection. After Ben had responded to the asked question, his hand was stretched toward Liza. Without hesitation, Liza would repeat the two scriptures.
Danny looked around the congregation. There was a smile on every face. When there were no more questions, Liza moved toward Ben and Ben toward Liza and Ben held his hands together and said, “No, My Brothers and Sisters. There is no shame in being poor. Great men and women have been poor. The baby Jesus’ folks was so poor they had to birth him in a stable and Jesus was so poor they buried him in a grave somebody else done give him. It won’t even his grave. But, bein’ poor in spirit, that’s another thing altogether. There is other people out there, find those people. I can promise you they just as happy to help build up your spirit as you is to have them do it.”
There was absolute silence in the church for a moment until one person began clapping his hands. Almost immediately someone else joined in. In a few seconds, everyone else stood and was clapping.
Danny and Davy both stood and joined in. “Isn’t this what you call a standing ovation?” smiled Davy.
“Yes,” answered Danny, “A well deserved standing ovation.”
After everyone had moved outside, Liza and Ben Sparrow moved to the pews and took a seat. Shortly thereafter Davy and Danny came out and joined them.
“Quite a service,” said Danny, “You two were good.”
“I told you so,” smiled Liza.
“Yes ma’am, that you did. And, you were right.”
“Thank you, and thank you for the opportunity.”
“You two are the ones who should be thanked.”
Liza squeezed Ben’s hand.
“You didn’t mind doing it for the rich people?”
“Not really, but I believe we still like being around our own.”
“And what is your own?” asked Danny.
“We like doing for those who can’t do for themselves,” said Liza with a straight face.
Danny looked at Davy. How many times had they said those exact same words?
“You enjoy working with the homeless, the soup kitchens?”
“I believe that is where God has called us, or at least I thought so.”
“Why did you change your mind?”
“Oh, we didn’t. We were in a fine place down on Lacy Street. It was a nice place. Had a kitchen, a playroom for the children and a nice room you could put beds in. It was a nice place, a safe place.”
“What happened?”
“Don’t know. One day the Bishop came in said they didn’t have no money. Locked the doors right then. Ben, me and twenty folks was out on the street.”
Danny took Liza and Ben’s hands and held them. “Would you honor us by joining us outside for lunch?”
Outside, Liza and Ben received the same reception that began inside. Handshakes, hugs and some kisses.