Commencement

by Lawrence Cherry

  As everyone sat down to dinner, Tim was astonished at the amount of food on the table. Not that he wasn’t used to sumptuous meals and lavish dinners, however he had never seen so many of the entrees placed on the table at one time. Tim was more used to having service workers and waiters bring out dishes for service at different times during the meal, which was more in keeping with his aristocratic upbringing. He was also a little hesitant to partake of the cuisine as well, for he had never eaten much “soul food” in his life. The meal consisted of collard greens cooked with smoked turkey wings, ham cooked with string beans, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, potato salad, biscuits and pan gravy. It seemed like everything the stereotype called for and the only thing that was missing was the watermelon. It made Tim feel a little uneasy, but mitigating this was the warmth he felt coming from the two families themselves. He had never met any people as warm and as accepting as Allen’s mom and dad. The Pastor was a bit uptight, but he was amiable enough. The coldest of them all was Tamiko’s mom, Mother Rose, who didn’t seem to like Tim and only managed to convey a cool civility at best.

  “Mother Rose, you really outdid yourself today! These greens are something else!” exclaimed Vernon.

  “And you know I’m going to keep bugging you to give me the recipe for these biscuits, Rose. They’re better than the ones from Emily Ann’s!” said Lena.

  “And you know this ham is tight! Is that how you kid’s say it now-a-days? ‘Tight’?” gushed the Pastor. Everyone chuckled.

  “You all are too kind, really”, blushed Mother Rose. Then she looked over toward Tim who was merely picking at his meager plate of macaroni, ham, and string beans. “But I see that there’s someone who’s not too fond of my cooking.”

  “Oh, no, really. It’s delicious. It’s just that sometimes I have stomach issues. It’s just the stress from work and not being able to eat properly all the time”, explained Tim.

  “If it’s been bothering you a lot you should see a doctor”, Lena suggested.

  “I don’t think it’s that serious. I just need some rest, that’s all. I’m scheduled to take a short vacation in December. Hopefully, once I get some rest, I should be okay.”

  “Are you sure?” asked Lena.

  “Yes. I used to get this way in college all the time around exams. Remember, Allen?”

  “How could I not? I even got puked on once.”

  “Was that necessary?”

  “You brought it up.”

  “What’s going on at work that’s got you so worked up, young man?” asked the Pastor.

  “You know how it is out there now. They downsized some positions and now I have more responsibility. It’s been a challenge, but I think I’m finding my way. At first it was just crazy, but now things are beginning to slow down a bit and the admins have been helping me to keep things organized”, explained Tim.

  “I don’t see how you do it, Tim. You’re doing the work of four people, and with no help from that lazy vice president, uh, uh…what’s his face? Winston?” asked Tamiko.

  “You mean, Preston”, Tim sighed.

  “Yeah, Preston. Honestly, I don’t know how you put up with it all. And I thought my situation was bad!”

  “I don’t know, Tim. If my job was causing me to be physically ill, I’d think of finding another one pretty soon”, advised Lena.

  “I’d love to Mrs. Sharpe, but in our current economic environment, I don’t think I’d have much luck.”

  “No job is worth risking your health, chile. And anyways you never know how the Lord will work. He blessed Allen finally!” said Lena, spilling Allen’s secret.

  “He did!” exclaimed Tamiko with delight.

  “Allen, how come you didn’t tell us?! This is great news!” cried Tim.

  “I’m going to be a janitor at the Sheraton. Not exactly Wall Street”, said Allen dryly.

  “At least it’s something. Work is work in my book. Ain’t nothin’ to be ashamed of”, said Vernon.

  “And who knows what the Lord will do for you there? What does the word say? All things work together for the good of those who love God.1 It may not seem like it, but this is in His plan for you. Allen, you keep reading the Word and praying. Let the Lord lead you. He didn’t bring you here just for nothin’”, added Lena.

  “Speaking of the Word, Pastor, I know that God was working through you today! I could feel the Anointing breaking yokes! Praise God!” sang Mother Rose.

  “I was going to preach one thing, but I believe God put something else in my spirit to preach. I felt like Jeremiah. It was like ‘fire shut up in my bones’.2 I like to think that God was speaking through me to someone who needed to hear that”, said Pastor Bynum.

  “It sure spoke to me”, said Allen.

  “And you don’t know how glad I am about that, Allen. You know if you have any questions, or if you need someone to pray with you, I’m always available.”

  “Thank you, pastor. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

  “And what about you, son?” Pastor Bynum asked Tim.

  “Who? Me?” said Tim taken off guard a little.

  “Yes, Tim. Do you think you’d like to come back and join us again?”

  “Uh…okay, sure”, he said a little diffidently.

  “I’m curious, Tim, what did you think of the pastor’s sermon?” asked Mother Rose.

  “Look, I’ll have to be honest…I’m not really into religion. I’m an agnostic”, admitted Tim.

  “Oh, really?” said mother Rose, her eyes narrowing into little slits.

  “While the Reverend, I mean, Pastor, made some salient points, I’m not sure if there is a God”, Tim said explaining himself.

  “I’m curious Tim. What is it that makes you think there is no God?” asked Pastor Bynum.

  “I mean there is the existence of injustice, the suffering of the innocent, war, natural disasters, and famine. If there was a God, why would he allow all of these things?”

  “Just because He allows these things doesn’t mean He’s happy about them.”

  “So, if He doesn’t like it, why doesn’t He make them all go away? After all, if He is as all powerful as you claim He is, can’t He just stop it and have us all live in peace and fellowship with one another?” asked Tim.

  “God doesn’t make anyone do anything. He leads us to Him and we either accept or reject His will. The reason why there is so much suffering is because so many people would rather reject God than accept Him. But for those of us who choose Him, one day Christ is going to come back and set up His kingdom down here on the earth, and we will all live in peace and fellowship with one another just like you said.”3

  “But according to Christianity, there has to be this great apocalypse where everyone dies and then after death we’re all sorted into different groups, with some people going to ‘heaven’ and some going to ‘hell’. And why would a good God want anyone to be in hell?”

  “First of all, when we go to be with Christ, we will be very much alive. Life consists not in the flesh, but in the spirit of a person. Our spirits will be very much alive and God will put us into a glorified body like that of Christ.4 Secondly, with regard to your question about hell, do you think a loving and just God would allow someone like Hitler or Bin Laden to just do whatever evil they were big enough to do and think they could go to heaven? That would make every Christian’s faith and work in vain and God’s law would be a meaningless lie. God loves us, but he hates sin and there are consequences for sin, just like there are consequences for breaking the law. And if you die in sin without repentance and acceptance of grace, you are forever lost.”

  “Still it’s a lot of ‘pie in the sky’. What about this life? Isn’t that what really matters? It’s not like there’s definitive proof that heaven or hell even really exist.”

  “My son that ‘pie’ in the sky that you speak of is still pie. The next life is going to be just a real as this one, but it’s going to last a lot longer. Our time in this world is only pre
paration for the one that is to come. It will determine where and how we live in the next life. The only thing we should be concerned about right now, is if how we are living is preparing us for eternal life or for eternal suffering. And I don’t have to see a heaven to know that there is one. His Word says it and I believe it. You have to have faith and you have to believe. What does he say? ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’”5

  “Preach pastor!” exclaimed Mother Rose.

  “But that’s just it. A lot of what is required in Christianity, and most all other religions really, is a blind faith in the unknown. Just like you spoke of today. I don’t think I can believe in anything like that. It’s like asking me to believe in Santa Claus.”

  “So you want God to prove to you that He is God?” asked the Pastor.

  “When you put it that way it sounds a little scary”, replied Tim with some reservation.

  “He can, you know. And if He does, I don’t think you’re going to like it. In the mean time, I’ll just keep praying for you Tim.”

  “Don’t worry yourself too much, Pastor. You know what the Bible says, ‘a sinful generation seeketh a sign and none shall be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.’6 I’m just glad to see Allen making the right choice. Who knows? Maybe we’ll see him up in the pulpit someday.”

  “I wouldn’t make any bets on it, Mother Rose.” said Vernon doubtfully.

  “Oh, I don’t know anyone better suited to take over when Pastor retires. That Ruth Joyner thinks her little Daniel is going to be next in line for Greater Apostolic just because the pastor let him preach at the youth service a couple of weeks ago.”

  “What’s wrong with Daniel. He feels he has a calling, he’s dedicated to the word, and most importantly, he’s effective. He really has gotten a lot of our younger people to become involved in the church. As a matter of fact, I was thinking of making him a Junior Pastor.”

  “Pastor Bynum, please. Don’t encourage him. That would send his mother off the deep end.”

  “Just let me worry about Daniel, and let God take care of his mother.”

  “I’m sorry Pastor, but I’m not as impressed with him as you are. He seems very worldly if you ask me. He’s into all that Gospel rap and hip-hop non-sense. You can’t have one foot in the church and the other in the world.”

  “And I’ve heard that Ruth is thinking of trying to set something up between Tamiko and Daniel”, added Lena.

  “Over my dead body!” exclaimed Mother Rose.

  “Well, Miko, what do you have to say about it? It’s your life”, said the Pastor.

  “Everyone can just calm down. I have absolutely no interest in Daniel”, Tamiko said flatly.

  “Why not?” asked the Pastor who was a little disappointed with Tamiko’s lack of enthusiasm. “He’s a nice boy. A nice Christian boy.”

  “He’s nice, but he’s not my type. He’s looking for a woman who just wants to sit around and make babies. I want something more for myself than just being a mom. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a mom if that’s what someone wants. It’s just that’s not what I want for myself right now, and I don’t think that’s what God wants for me, either.”

  “Amen to that. I don’t want my baby wasting her life being somebody’s baby machine. Or anything else that some no good man might have in mind for her”, said Mother Rose cutting her eyes at Tim. Fortunately or unfortunately, he was too preoccupied with Tamiko to notice.

  “And there are plenty of other men in our church to choose from”, added Lena.

  “Most of the men in our church are married, Momma Lena.”

  “What are you talking about? There are lots of young men in our church that aren’t married. Allen’s not married”, sang Mother Rose smiling at Allen.

  “Mom!”

  “I was just using him as an example! I just want you to see that there are lots of young, available, Christian men in our church, so you don’t need to be running around with any of these young pagans out here. You know what the Bible says: be not unequally yoked with unbelievers.”7 said Mother Rose, as she cast another unfriendly glance Tim’s way.

  “If Tamiko wants Allen, she better not wait too long”, warned Vernon.

  “What do you mean?” inquired Mother Rose.

  “Allen’s steppin’ out with some girl named Halle he met at the job fair.”

  “Who in the world is Halle?!” exclaimed Tamiko cutting her eyes at Allen.

  “Her name is Holly, and it was our first date. I wouldn’t say it’s serious just yet.”

  “What do you mean ‘just yet’? You’re going out with her again?” Lena questioned anxiously.

  “Just to the Election Night party at Leandra’s.”

  “What Election Night party?” asked Tamiko.

  “You guys wouldn’t know because you left early. I was going to mention it to you, but I forgot until now. After you left, when we were going to the theatre, Richard and Leandra invited us to an ‘Election Night party’ on Election Day. You and Tim are invited, too.”

  “Allen, you know I don’t do ‘parties’. Family celebrations, dinners, and praise celebrations, sure. Parties, no”, said Tamiko scornfully.

  “I’d love to go, but I just don’t know if I can fit it in”, said Tim.

  “I want to know more about this Halle person”, blurted Tamiko.

  “Does she at least attend a good Bible believing church?” asked Lena.

  “If it makes everyone feel better, she does go to church. She goes to Mt. Ebenezer over on third in the Bronx.”

  “I don’t know, Allen. I think the pastor there is a charlatan. Who knows what type of heresies that young woman may be learning. Lena, she may be a corrupting influence”, said Mother Rose warily.

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions, Rose. You think every other preacher that’s not me is a charlatan. At least this young lady is in the church”, Pastor Bynum replied.

  “Let’s not get too happy about that. There’s a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing running around in the church”, cautioned Lena.

  “Amen”, replied Mother Rose as she eyed Tim.

  Twenty-Five