"No, I'll be out at the party. Meet me there, come see me later," Zack pressed on his sister. Her perfect frame followed him around the side of his new sport car--his good luck charm, as he called it. At 18 he could go anywhere and he ruled at church parties. Having money in a secure job, he could afford to put time in for his goodly future. Working for a pastor as a church clerk, though at a different fellowship, he made for a successful venture with these people of the Lord. Because of a grandparent's strict 'Obey the Lord' belief, Zack wanted more freedom to explore. Following in the footsteps of his parents, he moved around the congregation until he found a comfortable place to worship. And, the Sacred Heart community was easy and affordable. His mother, Hannah, had done much the same thing herself, and Zack planned to make his own path the same way or equal to his loving mother.
"Why don't we skip this one. Granddad is in town for another minister's conference," his sister said. "He'll have people with him we could meet." Rubbing her hand along the front side of Zack's shiny, red vehicle, she scurried to keep up with his long strides.
"I don't give a flying damn about the old man or his religious mumbles. We have something else here...same thing as Mom did. I've had all I can take of the dos and don't. I'm 18 now, I like this church," pointing to the cement church building. "We can party and raise a little hell. No persecutions, girl. Come to the party tonight...you're invited upstairs. We'll celebrate about the ministers being in town. Some great new wine coolers will be there. You can sit with that can't you?" Warming rubbing her arm, he smiled at her and the thought of it.
Zack jumped into the red car and drove forward. The amber tail lamps came on and the round, red lights flashed several times as he eased onto the main road making a left turn out into the traffic. "Mom's from Liberty, OK, and so I'm I." The red sport car pulled forward into the fast lane.
11 Years later...
"The place is jumping tonight. Look at this crowd. There must be 50 kids in here...make sure everyone gets in--no limits!" Zack held on to a little, dark haired girl as she handed him another rolled smoke." And, make sure they all get some buzzed somehow--no exceptions, no excuses!" A look of admiration leaped up at him from her face, and she started to stammer as he pulled the smoke to his lips and pulled a slow drag on the dirty end of the rolled paper. The girl again tried to talk. Zack leaned towards at her face and said, "If this is a start to tell me something, remember we believe a good doctor is the way for all minors...and as before, this means you too. Your a beautiful 16 year old young woman now. A benevolent young woman who came out of it very well and truly blessed by that loving experience. You can handle another wonderful exchange. A crown with a future for a loving family. You're very mature, and with God's loving grace, you're holding out a helping hand while walking with our blessed Lord Jesus everyday. Feel blessed and fulfilled by the Lord our God!"
Stopping at a tall wooden door, Zack ended his speak and opened the long, double wide, wooden 'Gates of Heaven' entrance he had made to represent his entering into a heavenly abode. Starting out as an 18 year old youth clerk at a very lenient church in the city, he had worked his way to be the administrative director in just 3 years. He got the promotion when he agreed to make a field trip, and returned with members of the Open and Holiness Revival congregation. After partying with their bible fellowship, Zack asked them to come and pray and eat a prayer supper with his own congregation. Open and Holiness Revival was made up mostly of former drug users and the abuser's of the altar's fruits, as pastors would say, and Zack's Sacred Heart quickly became another domination...they said 'things change'. Mixed with his personal beliefs and monies from an inner church donation, he successfully merged the two congregations together. And, thereby, a few years later, his promotion was made and into the district and a new church's administration.
With all he had accomplished, the former' brethren' were still suing him. His new 'Open to All Goodness in Love of Christ Church' was the target. The first congregation was now claiming he was in an alliance as sinners and he proliferates evil--he was the drug of Egypt!
Pushing his darkening hair away from his eyes, he stopped and looked at the ashes in the copper bowl...Zack had burned some of the church papers earlier today. Mumbling, he sat taunting the possibilities of another future consequence, "Lawsuit, well good! I can handle this one too," 'With all his hosts, against Jerusalem, 2 Kings 25:1,' there's no two kings here, there's only one, me!" Looking at the smoldered bowl, Zack sat down and finished pouting while he aped gestures at the comments delivered at him earlier that day by the former pastors. Zack had encouraged the new church to perform the former pastor's threats in church stage plays to overt any fears and motivate his member for any possible assault. Zack smiled thinking of the performance.
Every party was now a new phone call. More threats at him from the neighborhood. Out in the community rooms the party goers hung on his every movement while waiting for the party favor to arrive. They solely relied on him for their physical needs, and Zack, the king, wouldn't let them roam very far from it. He knew the ringing phone was a call about this glorious gathering and any possible violence coming from the building. At the last few parties, new people were coming into the place...he trembled at the thought. Advised by a favorite city monk to burn a tranquillity potash, he started to burn the 'alien incense' to ward off any bad spirits. The outside intruders stopped, but unlike him, the church member were indifferent to the fear of their conjuring's in a their faith and practice with God. In his mind's eye, he detailed the new alter he made for a holy sacrament and its plan for the group's developing faith. He smiled dreamily pretending to be carrying in a golden leaver through his open gate to heaven.
Outside the door the party noise was raising from the community fellowship room. Zack looked up to the door when something hit one of the wooden panels. Anxious, he rose up and strolled over to see who it was. Waiting to hear what was on the other side, he drew his palms closer to the door's surface placing them onto the dark wood and pressing his pointed ear on the unpolished, ruff surface. He listened intently to what was coming through the door and office plaster walls.
A commotion was defiantly coming from outside the door. He slowly opened the massive block, and peeped out the space between the door and the jamb. Smiling, he saw several fights erupting in the hallway. The party people were screaming and hollering over top of the music playing from the live musical band he had hired. Suddenly, the phone started ringing again. Zack turned to look at it. It continued ringing as he pulled back the door even further, and he started into the hallway.
Turning the corner, he walked into the open room and into a boiling brawl...they were rioting and the place was being torn apart. Everything was thrown around the room and being kicked out of anything that seemed fitting. The place was covered with food, broken plastic glasses, paper plates, and clear plastic utensils. Part of the Divine, the heavenly wall, was on the floor and plaster angels were rolling around as a part of the continual rioting. This was a serious drunken crowd. The place was in ruins. The fake cloud stage with its screaming musicians was still in place, and the gospel tunes being played accompanying the crowd throwing food at it and at each other. Zack started for the back side of the room when the sound of sirens slammed through the room's upper windows.
Looking up to them, Zack saw the patrol cars but not the police officers. Waving to his partners, he tried to make an escape up the back stairs. Running for a rear exit door, he went up the stairs and out the metal fire door. Out onto the parking lot, the four of them started towards their cars. Zack pointed at his comrade partakers and yelled, "Remember, I puts the herb in your hand, misters." Seeing several officers moving towards them, Zack sharply pointed at his chest and said, "Let me handle this, just zip it up. There's always someone who will go down for this. Some love it in there, that's final! Hear me!"
2 hours later...
Sitting on the cushioned chair in his administrative office, Zack sat back and swung the black leather chair around to face his desk. Starting again on some church paper work, he lifted the top of a marble jar and dipped a silver spoon into a creamy powder. His members relied on him for everything now. They would keep quiet about what the church. Slowly, he sat upright, rose forward to stand, and headed towards his wooden 'gates of heaven' and into his own personal Judah where he made a comfortable place for himself. Pledging to remove the vile and filth from his divinity and gates of heaven he told everyone to remain away from the church. The lesson was learned, now let's repent....
2 Kings 24: 18-20 Zedekiah, King of Judah
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah. 19. He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. 20. This befell Jerusalem and Judah because the LORD was so angry that he cast them out of his sight. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.Send us hope oh, Lord. With this we pray to you Jesus, As in Psalm 103, 'Who satisfied they mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles." Teach them words of the Great Exemplar, so they too will soar as eagles. Remember them Lord Jesus. Hold on to the children, renew in a fall. We pray...renew them if with Your own heart, one and only Jesus. Amen.
