Matters of Gravity

Episode #3: Why We're All Here

"Well, George has gone home."

It was the reverent Reverend Randy back from his recent calling who now called her away from reverie.

"It must be getting a bit crowded up there," she responded.

"What was that Julie?"

"I mean what with us all dying off like flies, it must be getting crowded up there in our wonderful home in the sky."

"Oh, well." He hesitated a moment. "I guess a little humor never hurt any situation, did it?" After a little further reflection, he appended, "In the sky, huh?"

"George would rather have gone back to his home on the range, I'll bet.

Even with the bratty kids and stupid wife."

"Wow. You're in some kind of mood. Did I disturb more pleasant thoughts."

"No. They were worse."

"I'm sorry. Would you like to talk about it?"

"No."

"Does death disturb you, Julie?"

She stared at him with evident contempt until he eventually withdrew his piety.

"I'm sorry. That was crude. Of course, death disturbs us all, doesn't it?"

Still she only stared at him apparently wishing him away, but finally as if to put an end to Randy's discomfiture she replied with her own interrogative.

"Do you think it was Marcia who sent him home?"

"George? Oh no. It was his time to go."

"So," she hesitated, "we each have a 'home' and a 'time' to go there?"

"Well, God determines these things, doesn't he? Not people."

She chuckled perhaps a bit sardonically. "So, if I were to pull a gun out from under this shawl and shoot you dead, I would just be meeting God's schedule for you?"

Randy saw the morbid humor and laughed too. "More or less I would guess."

"You don't think a person could have an effectual schedule for killing someone else unless God had already authorized it?"

"Don't you really think that these are theological issues beyond our pay grade, Julie? Anyway, Marcia had no such schedule made out for George.

Didn't you see how upset she was?"

"Yes, of course." She smiled much more congenially at last. "Why don't we change the subject? Tell me about how you decided when it was time to retire." Then, "Well, if you are retired."

"Oh, that story." Randy's face lighted up like Christmas morning. "I loved the ministry." Then immediately he paused; the light that had momentarily shown in his face seemed to Julie to have suddenly dimmed. "But it was time." "Time?"

"Yes. I didn't feel as useful as I had been. After Mary was called home, I think some of the joy went out of my ministry. The church council voted to have an assistant come in to help me. He was one of those extremely energetic young men that the young people are drawn to. He actually increased the size of our fold many fold."

"Too many sheep in the old fold?" Julie chuckled.

"Laugh if you like, but we do outlive our former levels of usefulness -- even in the Lord's work."

"Believe me Randy, I do know about outliving our usefulness," she said, still with a chuckle although a little more subdued. There was also her more usual benevolent smile. "It's what happens, isn't it? I too had a very significant role that has finally been completed."