High Plains Holiday

He stepped over the high threshold, making a mental note not to stumble on it. It won’t be good for the new pastor to be seen tripping into his church in front of the local parishioners. James followed, closing the door behind him. The weak November sunshine barely penetrated the stained-glass windows that lined each of the two longer interior walls. One side featured six scenes from the Old Testament: The Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, the Ten Commandments, the walls of Jericho, David and Goliath, and finally, Elijah taking on the prophets of Baal while stones and water burned.

Cody glanced across the room to the other side. Just as he suspected, a Nativity Scene, the boy Jesus at the temple, Jesus turning water into wine, the healing of the blind man, a crucifixion, and the scene of the empty tomb. The Christian faith is summed up in twelve simple, crudely rendered collections of glass and lead. They were far from works of art, but Cody preferred their simplicity. They felt more accurate this way, something everyday folk could understand. I love taking faith out of the pulpit and into the community, out of Sunday, and into every moment of life. Lord willing, I’ll be able to do the same here. The organist finished the piece and immediately launched into a lively rendition of ‘Joy to the World.’ Cody smiled.

The man can play well. The rumbling bass of the foot pedals kept time while fingers plunked out a rolling counterpoint. He heard a soft thump as the musician changed the stops, and the new verse had a different quality than the previous one. Cody couldn’t see the organ from his spot at the back of the church. It stood directly above him, on the balcony, but the pipes wrapped around the upper walls transparent to the front, behind his pulpit. It seems odd that a small town church would have such a magnificent organ. Perhaps it was built specifically for this musician. If so, it was worth the exorbitant cost. I hope the man isn’t too high-strung.