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“I’ll tell you what Just for you, I’ll try it I’ to come to the service and listen on Sunday Maybe I’ll be convinced”

Sunday

There is hardly a religion in the world that doesn’t hold soion, Mount Rainier, or Taho to Hindus, sits at the center of the world between Heaven and Earth The Tibetan peak Kailas is said to be the hoel Gabriel and received the word of God on Mount Hira Japan’s Mount Fuji is a site of pilgrie for three hundred thousand Shintos a year Zeus ruled froh places The Babylonians called their temples “Mount of the House,” “Mount of the Storms,” and “House of the Mountain of All the Lands”

Paul spent extra time on that Sunday’s service He wrote and revised and practiced reading it in front of theined Ian’s reaction The sermon topic was “A Romance with Jesus” It was both inspired by, and written for, Paul’s audience of one

That Sunday, Paul sat at the front of the congregation in his black robe with the Bible in his lap Paul was a King Jah it was probably one of the least accurate translations, it was the Bible of his youth The poetry of passages was so ine any other translation having the sa you from the mundane everyday world into the spirit of worship

Ean Paul watched as the church members filed in, dressed in their Sunday best—skirts, dresses, shirts and ties He smiled and nodded at the familiar faces as they took their favorite places in the pews He glanced toward the back of the room, over their heads Ian did not co started to bounce He craned his neck trying to see beyond the sanctuary doors into the lobby Ian was not there

The prelude ended Paul stood and lit two candles He did it slowly, stalling for as long as he could Then, when he had paused as long as humanly possible, he delivered the call to worship:

“‘Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands Serve the LORD with gladness: co Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Hiood; His enerations’”

As Joanne Johnson delivered the announcements, Paul sat, crestfallen, with a pleasant Sunday expression frozen on his face Emily waved her arms, and the choir stood in unison

“‘Jesus, Lover of“‘Let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still i

s high: Hide me, O my Savior, hide, Till the storuide; O receive my soul at last!’”

That hen Paul saw Ian’s sli a blue T-shirt with a rock-band logo and jeans with a hole in the knee As the people around hi off-key, Ian shuffled froht, and he held the elboith his left hand To Paul, it was as though the entire congregation had become part of a black-and-white movie and only Ian was in vivid Technicolor

There was a specialall of the divine wonder and appreciation that called him to the ministry Paul truly felt the presence of God with hi the o back to his normal Sunday custodial chores

When the service had finished, Paul received ants who shook his hand as they filed out of the sanctuary But he was anxious for only one opinion: that of the custodian

After Paul and Ian had wrapped up their respective church duties, theylot so Paul could drive Ian home