The Ordinance || Harry Styles

One

NORA

God. A three letter word. A fearful being. A loving Father. Those are a few of the many descriptions of a man that some would say lived a long time ago but still lives on in many of us today. Some say he doesn't exist. Some say he is the most significant human being who ever lived. But what is God exactly? We are told he is not only a man, but our creator; the one who has given us life, second lives even. He is the one who gave us breath and the one we use each and every breath to worship. He brings peace and love to each of his children. He is a guiding light to those lost in the dark. He is the epitome of beauty and grace.

To quote I Corinthians 7:2, "...let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband".  Sounds pretty straight forward, right? Well according to the Prophet of The Ordinance, God also states in Matthew 13:12, "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance". I know what you're probably thinking, "An abundance? Abundance of what?". Well according to the Prophet of The Ordinance, an abundance of wives. Yes, you heard that correctly. One of the primary beliefs of The Ordinance is God shall bless man with many wives so he shall be plentiful.

I have been told this every Sunday morning for seventeen years. I was born into The Ordinance.  My mother, Evelyn, married my father, William, both members of The Ordinance and within weeks found out they were pregnant with me. Also not long after their nuptials, my father married Susan and then two weeks before my birth he married my mother's best friend, Cynthia.

My mother was the most angelic, tenderhearted human being I have had the pleasure of knowing. She was such a kind spirit and had a brilliant mind. She thought outside the box and had an infinite plethora of  knowledge. If you wanted an answer to any question or even little useless facts, you went to her. She was witty and cunning paired with the most beautiful brown eyes and curly hair, she could make any man stop dead in his tracks at the sight of her. I swear time moved just a little slower when she was around, she had that effect. I think that is one reason my father married her so quickly after finding her. He had to snatch her up before some other fool did.

My father tells me every day that I remind him so much of my mother. Not only because I am an exact replica of her, but because I have her mind and heart as well. I wonder how God could take her away from me. When I would ask my dad, he would just stroke my cheek and reply "she must have betrayed God, sweet pea, because He only takes those who don't follow his word".

I would always question this because she wasn't a bad person. She would never harm a hair on another person's head. However, he would always say that even one betrayal to God, no matter how big or small, purposeful or not, could cause condemnation. What could she have done to deserve such sickness? Why did she deserve to rot slowly from the inside out?

"Nora," my brother, Nathan, shakes my shoulder from beside me, "Are you paying attention?"

I look up at him and shake my head. "I'm sorry, what?"

"They just announced a new prophet is getting sworn in."

I turn my attention to the front of the church. Our Prophet stands there at the podium in his white robe adorned with a gold cross right below the neckline.

"As you may know," the Prophet begins to say, "I have recently become ill and can no longer fulfill God's wishes for this church, because of that, a new prophet has been chosen. This young man has not been chosen by me but by God himself. As you all know, God blessed me with visions starting at a young age. These visions come to me randomly and without sequence or instruction. I received a vision a few days ago after the arrival of the three new families and in this vision, one of the new men, Eli, was clothed in the exact robe I am wearing right now so that is God's way of saying Eli shall take over as Prophet as of today". The Prophet extends his hand out to the crowd and beckons Eli forth.

A man, who I assume is Eli, stands up from the front row and walks up to the podium and stands next to the Prophet. He is asked to place his hands on the bible and repeat every word the Prophet says. As he recites the creed to be sworn in, I look around at all of the gleaming, smiling faces of the hundreds of members sitting around me. Most are crying from sadness that Prophet Paul is stepping down but with a mixture of happiness that Brother Eli is now our saving grace.

Once sworn in, Eli takes the podium and gleams saying, "It is my pleasure to serve you all. My family and I are new here to The Ordinance and to this town and hope you will take us in and treat us like family. I will not let this church down. God has chosen me to do a job only few are capable of. I will be your guide, your right hand, your brother, your mentor. Whatever you need me to be, I shall be. Thank you for opening up your home and your hearts to me. Today's services are now completed and every one can make their way to the yard for Sunday dinner. And remember, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good".