MARIEL

CHAPTER 2 Section 1 ~Don't You Just Love our Sunday School Teacher?~

1

Sunday, June 6th, 2004:

Phil Jameson was red-haired, skinny, and the most outspoken man in St. Michael's Antiochian Orthodox church. You either liked him or you didn 't.

Most people didn't.

However, he was popular enough to be accepted as a Sunday school teacher. He was twenty-nine years old and a lawyer. He had two twin daughters named Victoria and Hailey, and a wife named Carolyn who was wrapped around his finger. He felt he provided more than enough money for his family, so he told Carolyn she was not allowed to work even though she wanted to. She submitted, as she should.

Phil Jameson was not afraid of anything or anyone, except for one thing. Heresy. He, of course, would never commit heresy in the Church, but he had a strange obsession and fear that people would commit heresy. It is what he felt drove him to be so outspoken. He believed that his priest, Fr. Jerome, was not outspoken enough about the 'issue', and he himself would be forced to save people from the deadly sin.

The children needed to learn about this word too, in his opinion. Not only his children, but everyone's children. During his daughters' bedtime prayers, he asked them to pray that they would never commit heresy within the Church. At first, the girls did not know what that word meant, but they submitted, as they should. Like Carolyn, they were afraid to question their father.

Phil woke up that Sunday morning a bit moody. He always blamed his moods on the weather, even if the sun was out and the temperature was seventy degrees. But today, he had a good reason. He felt he had not prepared a good lesson for his Sunday school class. Certainly, he had a scripture, but he wanted to begin an actual discussion with these kids. He wanted input and thought, not coloring books and candy. Six and seven-year-old children needed to use their minds, not bury their thoughts in worldly materials. The bible never, ever said that coloring books and candy were the pathway to the Kingdom of God.

The scripture he had planned to use was a good one; one that would create a broad range of discussion. His moodiness lifted. Maybe he worried too much. God would speak through him.

The pointer rapped against the marker board. "So, kids, pay attention; why do we stick with the Faith given to us?"

Several hands shot into the air. Phil pointed to a little girl with shoulder-length brown hair and strikingly beautiful brown eyes. "Esther."

Esther Caravan flashed a smile stating that she was happy she had been chosen. "Because Jesus loves us." She held the smile, exposing several spaces in her teeth.

Phil nodded once. A strand of red hair fell over his forehead and he blew it back. "Good answer, Esther. Anyone else? Yes, Gabe?"

A blond-haired boy bounced in his seat. "Because Jesus loves us!"

"I just said that," Esther fumed.

The class laughed loudly. Phil raised his voice in shrill displeasure. "Quiet, guys. Gabe, something else, please?"

A boy with beautiful, long black hair bent over his Sunday school homework. He spoke softly. "It is our faith that is important. It's what keeps us close to God."

The class was quiet. Then, Phil said, "Good, Mariel." He spun to face the marker board. "I have our new word of the day."

The black marker squeaked on the marker board. 'Heretic'. He turned to face the kids again. "Any of you know what this word means?"

Esther's hand shot up. "Doesn't it have something to do with, um...um? Something?" She bounced in her seat, shifting her eyes.

The class, including Phil, stared at the little girl. Phil said slowly, "No...?"

"Airhead," Mariel mumbled.

"Mariel!" Phil barked. "Watch it, or I'm going to tell your Dad." He paused a moment. "Esther, heretic means that you desert the Church and write your own rules of Faith." He leaned forward. "There are many heretics in this world, kids... don't ever let them bring you away from your Faith."

Good. Discussion. Now, he had –

"- a scripture for you," he said, and opened the Bible on the table. Several kids yawned, and the others put their foreheads on their arms.

He thumbed through the pages of Isaiah until he reached chapter six. "Good, now pay attention please. This will benefit you in your adult years."

Gabe burped.

Phil adjusted his tie and bent over the Bible to read. "'Until the cities lie ruined, and without inhabitant, until the houses are left deserted, and the fields ruined and ravaged, until the Lord has sent everyone far away, and the land is utterly forsaken. And though a tenth remains in the land, it will again be laid to waste. But as the terebinth and oak leave stumps when they are cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.'"

He looked up to see the icy stare of Mariel on his face. Immediately, he blushed. "Do you have something to say, Mariel?"

The boy nodded. "You only read part of that passage. There's more to the scripture, Mr. Jameson."

Phil's face, if possible, became even redder. "Yes, Mariel, but I am focusing only on this section of it today."

Mariel did not blink. "You can't do that. You have to include the other parts or else it won't make sense."

Jameson began to shake. "Mariel, who is the teacher in this class?"

The kids glanced at Mariel.

Mariel continued to stare. "Christ."

Phil's face was dark now. "Don't back talk me, Mariel."

Mariel shook his head. "I'm not trying to, but you have to admit that Jesus would quote the whole scripture if he were teaching here. Not bits and parts."

He was angry now. "I'm going to ask you one more time to refrain from your backtalk, Mariel. Will you listen?" He felt like he was losing control to a child.

Mariel's eyes darkened. "Fine."

Flustered, Phil shuffled through his papers on the table. "Um...okay. Yes. Where was I?"

Esther raised her hand.

"Yes, Esther."

She pointed to the large, round clock on the wall. "Time's up. Liturgy's starting."

He wanted to smack her. The veins stood out in his neck as he tried to control his breathing. He let out a shaky breath. "Okay." Phil huffed through his nose. "Time for Liturgy."

Mariel stood, and then yelped with surprise when Gabe accidentally stepped over his toes. As soon as they left the room, Gabe said, "Don't you just love our Sunday school teacher?"