Childlike

Chapter 18 Pastor Matthew

Chapter 18

Pastor Matthew

“She likes you?” Chucky exclaimed unbelievingly. “How could she like you? You’re not even exciting. I’m the charismatic one! She should be liking me.”

“I wish she did,” I said. “I wish she liked anyone else but me.”

“Why do you say that? She got something wrong with her? I know she has that gas thing but I thought you got rid of that. What was it? Her gum?”

“The way she chewed the gum,” I explained. “She took in a lot of air with it, which escaped through the other end of her body.”

“So what? She quit chewing gum?”

“That’s the problem. She likes gum but she hates gas.”

“But she likes you and you hate her gas, so she doesn’t chew gum around you.”

“Something like that,” I said.

“Geez, I wish I had a girl like that. I have to beg to get one to go out with me once.”

“What about the second time?”

“That’s the problem, there is no second time.”

“Maybe you should try, not trying,” I suggested.

“What do you mean not trying?”

“Act like you don’t want to go out with them, or that you have no interest in them. Maybe they’ll come after you.”

“After me? I don’t know if I could do that. I get so excited when I see a girl I like.”

“Maybe that turns them off,” I said. “Like a dog. You loathe the kind that jumps all over you, but you want to pet the one who just comes up and gives you the puppy dog eyes.”

“So I’m a dog, is that what you’re saying? A slobbering old dog. Hmmpf, a fine friend you are.”

“Well, you’re not old.”

“This conversation’s getting that way,” he said. “I think I’ll be getting home.”

“And I to work.”

“You doing anything tonight?”

“Yes, studying for finals,” I answered him.

“Oh,” he said, dejectedly. “I guess I’ll just stay home and sleep then.”

We said our good-byes and I watched him drive off out of the parking lot as I put on my necktie. Chucky had just gotten off from his 8 to 5 shift and I was just about to begin the 5:30 to 9:30 shift. I usually came a little early to catch up on the latest happenings in the life of Chucky and to give him the full dose from the life of Joshua Nun.

“Hey Josh!” I looked up to see Bishop Matthew walking out of the drugstore, a bag of stuff in one hand. “How are you?”

“Fine! How are you Bishop?”

“Pastor, I’m a pastor now,” he corrected me. “In our new church we try to be more Christ like and he is a servant. Bishop sounds too authoritative and besides, I just teach in the new church. I have nothing to do with the money or the other business affairs. The elders take care of that. Not only do I just teach, but we have two other pastors who just teach as well.”

“You the head guy?”

“No, again we are trying to go strictly by the bible here. In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus says:

“You know that the rules of the gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them! Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

“So you see, no pastor is over any other. We are all servants of one another and of our congregation.”

“That seems strange,” I said. “Someone’s got to lead the church.”

“Christ leads the church! The living word directs us, teaches us and corrects us.”

“I see,” I said.

“Why don’t you come visit us this Sunday. Check us out. After all, God used you as a catalyst to forming our new church.”

“Well, I do have finals this week. Maybe next week,” I started.

“Come this week,” he insisted. “We’ll pray together, that the Lord will help you with your finals.”

“Maybe,” I told him, hoping to appease him.

“Good! Talk to Bobby. He’ll give you directions on how to get to the church.” With that, he slapped me on the arm and walked off, leaving behind an air of joy, his enthusiasm having worn off on me.

I didn’t get to talk to Bobby until the store had closed for the day and we both were heading out to the parking lot. It had been busy and Bobby had seemed a bit uptight with Pixie working over in the cosmetics area. “Goodnight Josh. Goodnight Bobby,” Pixie said as she walked off to her car. We both said goodnight to her. After she had gotten in her car and drove away, Bobby spoke.

“I can’t stand working with her anymore. For some reason I don’t even want to see her or talk with her.”

“Remind you of sin?” I asked.

“I suppose,” he answered me. “I don’t know why I did it in the first place. I feel so bad about it.”

“Maybe you were curious. Sex is human nature, part of our biological makeup.”

“But it’s only for marriage!” Bobby said. “Not only did I wrong God, but I hurt Pixie’s marriage.”

“I thought her marriage was over.”

“Who knows, her husband could have come back.” He said. “They might have made another go at it.”

“I see.” 

“Did you see Pastor Matthew?” Bobby asked, changing the subject. “He wants you to come to the new church. He feels that God is using you and that one day you’ll listen to Him knocking on your door and open that door and ask Him in.”

“Really?” I said, wishing that I felt as sure as he was.

“You’re the spark that started this whole thing. God chose you.”

“Maybe he chose you,” I said. “After all, you’re the one that took the brunt of this transformation.”

“No, I’m like Joseph’s brothers. They sold Joseph into slavery for evil but God used it for good. Now God’s taking my sin and doing the same thing, but on a smaller scale of course.”

“You’re not going to feed Egypt?” I asked amusingly, referring to Joseph’s plan to feed Egypt during seven years of famine.  

He laughed, and then said,“I have a hard enough time feeding myself. But seriously you should come visit our new church. You are part of it, whether you like it or not! God’s using you, Josh. He wants you in his kingdom.”

“Maybe,” I said.

He didn’t say much after that. He gave me directions to the new church and I promised to try and make it Sunday. He got into his Mustang and I into my Cortina. Then we drove away. As I drove down Cabrillo Avenue towards home, my heart began to swell and beat hard, to where I had to pull over to the side of the road. My eyes were watering as if I was watching a sad, happy love story with thoughts of Yvonne, her old church, Missy, Bobby and God flooding my mind and squeezing my soul. I sat for a moment then pushed aside these emotions, and forced my eyes back on the road.  I had lots of studying to do and no time for other feelings.