The Week Begns

The following Sunday came and it was time for Davy and Danny to do the service at Jones Chapel. Danny was almost giddy in anticipation. “What’s with you?” asked Davy. “You’re like a kid at Christmas.”
“Because this will be our first true test. Up to now, at  least half the people have been former Catholics or Episcopalians or something that wasn’t so Bible oriented. These people will be one hundred percent country Baptists. They don’t know anything else but the Bible. And the big thing is that they believe they know it better than anyone else.”
“But, you know they don’t.”
“Yes, we know they don’t, but they don’t know they don’t. It is going to be interesting.”
Davy and Danny were welcomed into the church and Reverend Wright went out of his way to make them feel right at home. When it came time to begin, Danny made the announcement that the service would last longer than usual and that if anyone needed to leave, please do so.
Danny did the scripture portion of the service just as it had been done before. The questions that followed were similar to the ones that had been asked before except for one. An older lady stood and said, “I assume today’s communion will have real wine. Is that correct?”
Danny responded, “Yes.”
The woman said, “I am sixty-six years old and alcohol has never touched my lips. I would not choose for it to touch my lips now.”
“Yes ma’am, that is perfectly alright and it is entirely up to you. And anyone who had rather not take the wine, please do as you wish. But, I might remind you, that Jesus drank wine as a part of every meal. And, wine was served at the Last Supper. Also, in the Bible, wine is a symbol of something good. Still, the choice is yours.”
People began looking around at each other and there was a slight murmur in the congregation. Yet, when Danny and Davy passed out communion, every person in the church took the bread and wine. The sixty-six year old woman dipped her piece of bread in the cup, pulled it out, smiled at Danny and said, “Just as Jesus would have done,” then put it in her mouth.
Danny watched as the lady made a face at the taste of the wine. “It’s an acquired taste,” he smiled.
After the communion, a lady raised her hand. “Was this the kind of bread Jesus would have eaten?” she asked.
“We tried to research and believe this is similar to what they had at that time,” responded Danny.
“No Wonder bread?” smiled a man.
“No Wonder bread.” answered Danny with a broad smile.
Davy then gave his sermon and every eye was pasted on him. After the sermon, more questions were asked, good questions. And when the service was over, outside, the questions and comments continued. Several questions, many comments, began with “I didn’t know.”
As Davy and Danny left the church, Danny asked, “What do you think?”
“Honestly, I believe they were one of the most receptive congregations we have ever had.”
“I agree. I will tell you that I was sweating bullets when that woman asked about the wine. One man stood up in the back and I assumed he was going after the tar and feathers, but he only adjusted the heat.”
“I feel good about what happened today,” said Danny.
“I do too,” agreed Davy, “I feel really good.”

That evening, Danny and Davy were going over plans for the next week when there was a knock on the door. Danny answered. It was Reverend Wright. Oh God, thought Davy, now the truth comes out.
“Guys, my phone has not stopped ringing all afternoon,” said the Reverend.
Now comes the tar and feathers, thought Davy, but then he noticed the Reverend was smiling.
“The people loved it!” he shouted.
Davy, half out of relief, half out of joy, shouted, “The people loved it.”
Danny, not wanting to be left out, shouted, “The people loved it.”
The three preachers grabbed each other’s hands and stood smiling at each other. Then, the smile fell from Wright’s face.
“What is it, Reverend?” asked Danny.
“Can you. . . can you teach me how to do it?” he asked.
“Preacher Davy, you think we can teach this Baptist preacher how to do it our way?” grinned Danny.
“You know, Father Danny, I believe we can. You got a Bible, Reverend Wright?”
“You know I do,” answered the Reverend. “I got a Bible, I got a fine Bible.”
“Good,” said Danny, “Then you’ve already got the textbook.”
The man’s grin was unbelievable.
“I doubt you people paid any attention,” said Wright, “but with all the scriptures and questions and sermonizing and questions, we were in church over two hours, almost three. Some people ain’t going to cotton to that. They may not be back, but you know, if God ain’t worth but an hour a week, he ain’t much of a God is he?”
“Yes, Reverend Wright, I believe you will do just fine.