THE MEETING. PART SIX: PREACHING
Aimee couldn't shake what Deputy Bill Michaels had said. "They deserve it, don't they?" Aimee knew that Hynes deserved to die for his crimes. In fact, every man in that building had earned their punishment, hadn't they? Michaels sat there silently, letting his words sink in. Aimee didn't know how to respond.
"Of course they deserve it," she said finally.
"And Vincent Hynes deserves to die," Bill said.
"He does," she agreed.
"Then why is your husband in there right now?" he asked. "Surely your daughter's killer doesn't deserve forgiveness. Does he?"
Aimee didn't reply. Her intended response didn't sound very Christian to her.
Bill looked down at the Bible that Aimee had carried with her. Her finger was still holding the place where she had been reading when the reporters ambushed her.
"What were you reading when those guys found you?" he asked.
She glanced down at the book. "Luke fifteen," she said. "The parable of the prodigal son."
"Interesting," Bill said, looking back at the prison. "Tell me, did the prodigal son deserve to be forgiven?"
Aimee thought for a moment. "No. He didn't. He squandered everything he had been given and only went home when he had no where else to go."
"But his father forgave him."
"Yes, he did."
"Why?"
"I guess because he was his child," Aimee said. "He loved him. He wanted to forgive him."
"He was waiting to forgive him," Bill told her. "He sat there just waiting for the chance to go out and embrace his son again. He didn't care what the boy had done or where he'd been. He just wanted to love him."
Aimee looked down at the book again. The parable was so familiar to her. She had read and heard it more times than she could remember, but this was the first time it seemed to speak directly to her.
"And here we are," Bill went on, "outside of a building full of prodigal sons that Father is just waiting to embrace."
Aimee looked back at the stone walls and barred windows. Did one of those windows belong to her daughter's murderer? Was the Father waiting to embrace him? Aimee couldn't believe it, but the words of Jesus' parable told her that it was so.
Inside the visitation room Alex had just finished reading Luke fifteen to Vincent Hynes.
"I don't get it, Reverend," he said.
"Look what it says," Alex said. "There's rejoicing in heaven over a sinner who repents. Elsewhere Jesus says that He came to call sinners to repentance and that He didn't come to the world to condemn it, but to save it. He wants to save you, Vincent. Like the father in the parable, God's just waiting for you to come home."
"How could he?" Hynes asked. "How could He even stand to look at me?
"He can't," Alex said. "He couldn't look at me either before I repented. He cannot look upon sin. But it's because He loves you that He wants to save you. The Bible says that if you're in Christ, you're a new creation. He makes you new so that He can look at you!"
"What does that mean?" Hynes asked. "In Christ?"
"Oh boy," Alex said, looking at his watch. "I don't know if we have time to go into all that. It takes some people years to grasp that concept."
"I don't have years, Reverend," Hynes reminded him quietly.
"Right," Alex said, feeling stupid. "Well, being in Christ basically means being a Christian. Giving your life to Him, putting everything you are into His hands. He then cleanses you and makes you an entirely new creature, one He can fellowship with."
"But he sure can't do this with someone like me," Hynes said. "Can he?"
In response to that, Alex turned the pages in his Bible to the book of Romans and began to read some other Scriptures to him.
As he took Vincent Hynes through the "Roman Road" he thought to himself that it was actually going well. It was working. He had been able to detach himself from the fact that the man he was speaking with had murdered his little girl. Alex was just preaching another sermon, and he had been able to say the right words without thought to his own feelings ant motives for... well, for ten years.
"Of course they deserve it," she said finally.
"And Vincent Hynes deserves to die," Bill said.
"He does," she agreed.
"Then why is your husband in there right now?" he asked. "Surely your daughter's killer doesn't deserve forgiveness. Does he?"
Aimee didn't reply. Her intended response didn't sound very Christian to her.
Bill looked down at the Bible that Aimee had carried with her. Her finger was still holding the place where she had been reading when the reporters ambushed her.
"What were you reading when those guys found you?" he asked.
She glanced down at the book. "Luke fifteen," she said. "The parable of the prodigal son."
"Interesting," Bill said, looking back at the prison. "Tell me, did the prodigal son deserve to be forgiven?"
Aimee thought for a moment. "No. He didn't. He squandered everything he had been given and only went home when he had no where else to go."
"But his father forgave him."
"Yes, he did."
"Why?"
"I guess because he was his child," Aimee said. "He loved him. He wanted to forgive him."
"He was waiting to forgive him," Bill told her. "He sat there just waiting for the chance to go out and embrace his son again. He didn't care what the boy had done or where he'd been. He just wanted to love him."
Aimee looked down at the book again. The parable was so familiar to her. She had read and heard it more times than she could remember, but this was the first time it seemed to speak directly to her.
"And here we are," Bill went on, "outside of a building full of prodigal sons that Father is just waiting to embrace."
Aimee looked back at the stone walls and barred windows. Did one of those windows belong to her daughter's murderer? Was the Father waiting to embrace him? Aimee couldn't believe it, but the words of Jesus' parable told her that it was so.
Inside the visitation room Alex had just finished reading Luke fifteen to Vincent Hynes.
"I don't get it, Reverend," he said.
"Look what it says," Alex said. "There's rejoicing in heaven over a sinner who repents. Elsewhere Jesus says that He came to call sinners to repentance and that He didn't come to the world to condemn it, but to save it. He wants to save you, Vincent. Like the father in the parable, God's just waiting for you to come home."
"How could he?" Hynes asked. "How could He even stand to look at me?
"He can't," Alex said. "He couldn't look at me either before I repented. He cannot look upon sin. But it's because He loves you that He wants to save you. The Bible says that if you're in Christ, you're a new creation. He makes you new so that He can look at you!"
"What does that mean?" Hynes asked. "In Christ?"
"Oh boy," Alex said, looking at his watch. "I don't know if we have time to go into all that. It takes some people years to grasp that concept."
"I don't have years, Reverend," Hynes reminded him quietly.
"Right," Alex said, feeling stupid. "Well, being in Christ basically means being a Christian. Giving your life to Him, putting everything you are into His hands. He then cleanses you and makes you an entirely new creature, one He can fellowship with."
"But he sure can't do this with someone like me," Hynes said. "Can he?"
In response to that, Alex turned the pages in his Bible to the book of Romans and began to read some other Scriptures to him.
As he took Vincent Hynes through the "Roman Road" he thought to himself that it was actually going well. It was working. He had been able to detach himself from the fact that the man he was speaking with had murdered his little girl. Alex was just preaching another sermon, and he had been able to say the right words without thought to his own feelings ant motives for... well, for ten years.
posted by Arthur Brokop II at 12:20 PM
3 Comments:
The reverend is getting over the guilt he has had only because the church imposed it on him.
The wife is being made to feel guilty because she is human and the guard is leading her to hold it against herself.
The prodigal son story goes out there to help define by stating that God is just waiting for the chance to love you regardless of what you did to his other children. Understandable if you take not of how cavalier he is at sacrificing his children anyway.
The son is angry and rather than dealing with it pretends to be a good christian because that is sufficient enough to everyone else to allow them to ignore the real issues.
The other daughter, still floating out there at the moment.
I am sorry, but your case doesn't seem to be building very well.
you have some presupposed ideas and seem unwilling to look at other possibilities
Of course I have presuppositions. We all do. Your accusation that I am unwilling to look at other possibilities is both aggressive and false. I wouldn't continue this conversation if that were the case. The reality of the situation isn't that I won't look at other possibilities, but rather that I am not given a reason to do so. This is what I am looking for.
The fact is that he is not making a sufficient case to those he would touch with this. Obviously he doesn't need to prove this point to those of matching presuppositions, so those such as me would be the target. In that regard, I stand by the fact that he is not building his case well to convince one such as me. Why? Because it is based on his presuppositions that what he is saying is true, but without foundations to bridge the gap between us.
Before you start throwing accusations around about what person having a closed mind, consider our conversations thus far. All of them. Where I attempt to converse and you attempt to teach. You have never once listened to what I have said except for behind the clouds and shields of your own presuppositions. This is definitely the pot calling the kettle black.
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