THE choir sang, the people clapped, the youth smiled and the elderly trembled with anticipation. “What’s the excitement about?” asked the stranger who’d come to this church for the first time. “You don’t know?” asked a member of the church sitting next to him. “No!” said the stranger, “Tell me what’s going to happen next?” “God’s going to preach!” said the member.
“God?” “Yes, the priest!” And in many churches across the world a new god reigns, the pastor or the priest! “Put on the TV, put on the TV!” screams the housewife as she runs from the breakfast table. “Looks like her favourite soap is on?” smiles the guest. “No her god!” says the husband with a cynical smile on his face. “Husband!” shouts the wife from the TV room, “Is there any important business deal you have this week?” “All of them are important!” says the husband wearily.
“Then come and touch the TV screen!” “Touch the TV screen?” asks the guest, perplexed. “Yes her god says that we should do that,” says the husband as he trundles across the room with the guest in tow and touches the screen. “Why it’s a TV preacher!” says the guest. “Her god!” says the husband when they go back to their cold breakfast.
And through TV new gods reigns in homes too, gods who travel in Mercs, own limousines and live in five star hotels. These gods love adulation. “Hi Tom!” “Tom?” “Yes aren’t you Tom?” “I’m Rev. Tom!” “But I’m your cousin Bob!” “Hi Bob!” “Hi Tom!” “Not Tom, Rev. Tom!” And as I see these new gods who’ve entered our churches and homes, I wonder sadly when they stopped lifting Jesus higher and instead started projecting themselves.
And suddenly I feel someone sitting at my feet. “Take off your shoes Bob!” “Jesus!” I cry, “What do you want to do?” “Wash your feet Bob!” “Jesus,” I say to Him afterwards as he dries my feet, “You don’t mind me calling you, just Jesus do you?” And the Lord smiles and whispers, “Just call me Jesus..!”
—Email: bobsbanter@gmail.com
