Offering

Deaconess Amaka climbed the pulpit, walking gingerly as if she was walking on hot coals. The heels which seemed a bit high must be the reason and also the dread of falling because of it.

She scanned the congregation with her eyes; eyes which were rumoured to see things even those things hidden. Our sisters’ leader before we all got married once said that Deaconess should use her eyes to see and tell us when Christ would come so we can prepare. I remembered the joke now and smiled to myself.

Her voice without using the microphone was loud on its own, using one only sent her voice way above our heads and it practically looked like she was shouting.

“Mr. Richard, please come and pray for the offering,” She said finally.

Because I wasn’t expecting it and because I was thinking of her voice, I was taken aback when my husband started moving forward to the front of the congregation to pray for the offering. It is a tradition in our church to call on any random member to pray for the offering and so we all got prepared because we do not know when anyone would be called upon.

My husband collected the microphone from her and he said some things about the awesome service we just had, I was not listening to him, I was focused on his face and how the words flowed out of his mouth easily. Though beneath, I could feel something, like he was trying so hard to hide his nervousness.

After he made the church shout three powerful hallelujahs, he closed his eyes almost immediately, tightly shut. One could see that he was making an effort to keep them taut shut.

He then finally said, “Let us close our eyes and share the offering.”

It looked like the whole world came to a halt at that point.

Everywhere was silent and even the keyboardist stopped playing abruptly, maybe to know if what he heard was actually what he heard. The sudden hush and sighs from some people made my husband open his eyes and look around.

Then he realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself.

“So sorry please, let us pray for the offering.”

His voice trailed off as he said ‘In Jesus name’. I heaved a sigh of relief that he was back on track. Then it happened again, he said to God, “… Out of the little you have given to us, this is the abundance we bring before you…”

I opened my eyes now to look at him. What was really the problem?

The Senior Pastor took the microphone from him when he was done and made the correction since my husband didn’t notice that he said it the other way around.

Then the teasing came when the service ended, people asking where we can meet so we can share the offering. I laughed it off in my usual way but deep down I was not happy.

Our ride back home was silent, too silent for our garrulous selves. We were waiting for the first person to break it and I did when I couldn’t hold it any longer.

“What happened or rather what was happening in the church today?” I asked, crosschecking my tone and words so as not to sound authoritative or rude.

He breathed out noisily first before replying.

“I was not just ready.”

I pondered on his answer, ‘he was not just ready’ not ready to pray or not ready to be called upon to pray?

The letter of Paul to Timothy came to me then.

2 Tim 4.2 — … be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

I pondered on it all the way home.

…this story ends here.

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