Delroy placed his Bible on the pulpit and stared out at them. He was surprised at how intimidated he felt.
It wasn’t the number of them that was intimidating. While on board the USS Wasp, he’d often spoken in front of more than two thousand men at a time during different functions. The intimidating thing was that Delroy was conscious of preaching at his daddy’s church. He looked out over the congregation and felt his mouth go dry.
“Daddy, do you think I’ll ever get to preach from your pulpit?”
“Why, little man, if you want to preach so much an’ you feel God’s hand on your heart, why I’ll put you up at that pulpit this Sunday.”
“I don’t know about that, Daddy.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t know if I’m ready.”
“Well, if I know one thing about preachin’ God’s Word, it’s this.”
“What?”
“If the Lord wants ya’ll to speak His Words, why I swear you ain’t got no choice. You might try to close your mouth an’ swallow them words right up, but God, He’s gonna find a way to squeeze on you till you pop like a balloon an’ just tell ever’body you know what it is God wants you to say.”
“You think so, Daddy?”
“I know so. You know somethin’ else?”
“What, Daddy?”
“God wants ya’ll to say what’s in your heart so much that you’re just naturally gonna have to tell ever’body. ‘Cause that’s who God’s Word is for. Ever’body. Ever’ man, woman, an’ chile. Now if ya’ll pass up a chance to talk to people in a group, why, it’s gonna take you a long time to go from do’ to do’ with them words.”
“Brothers and sisters,” Delroy began in the deepest and strongest voice he could manage, and his words seemed to echo right into the wood so that he heard his daddy’s words, “I bid you welcome to this church. God’s house.”
“Amen,” several men said.
“We all come together in God’s house because we want to know what the Lord wants us to do,” Delroy said. “But I have to admit something to you.” He paused and listened to the silence that followed his words. “I have to admit to you that I’ve been lost.”
Some of the women shook their heads.
“Five years ago, my son was taken from me,” Delroy said. “He died in a war a long way from home.” His voice nearly cracked from the pain that came with the memory. “I wasn’t there to hold my son. I wasn’t there to comfort him. I wasn’t there to make sure he wasn’t alone.” He left the pulpit, walked out in front of it so it didn’t stand between him and the people waiting to hear God’s words. “I forgot something that I shouldn’t have. Forgot something I spent my whole life learning.” He looked out at them, barely controlling his voice. “I forgot that my son loved God.”
“Amen,” several of the men said.
“But more important than that,” Delroy said, “I forgot that God loved my son.”
“Amen.”
“I forgot because I tried to take on the responsibility for everything that happened,” Delroy said. “I felt guilty because I didn’t talk my son out of making a career in the military. I felt guilty because I didn’t know my son was going to get killed.” He paused. “Coming here, seeing this church the way it was only yesterday, hurt me, brothers and sisters. Hurt me all the way to my soul. The things that had been done to this church were horrible.”
“Amen.”
“Coming back here after everything that’s happened in the world,” Delroy continued, “reminded me that I didn’t just step away from God; I stepped away from my daddy’s teaching too. It embarrasses me to have to admit that.” He waited a moment. “But I am. And do you know why I admit that, brothers and sisters?”
They waited expectantly.
“Because when it’s all said and done, I am my daddy’s son.” Delroy looked at them. “I am my earthly daddy’s son, and I am a child of God.”
“Amen.”
“My son died in a war,” Delroy said. “He was also a child of God. So when I was away on my ship, do you know who held him as he died?”
“God,” the congregation answered in unison.
Delroy turned and slapped the pulpit the way his father used to. The sound cracked through the church. “Brothers and sisters, I know you can surely do better than that.”
“God!” came the answer, loud enough to ring through the church.
“Do you know who comforted my son when he died?” Delroy demanded.
“God!” the congregation cried.
“And do you know who made sure my son was not alone when he died?”
“GOD!”
“That’s right, brothers and sisters. It was God.” Delroy felt the fire and passion stir in him that he hadn’t felt in years, the fire and passion that he’d never truly unleashed in his capacity as chaplain in the navy. “Now there are a lot of bad things that have happened in the world over these past few days—things that many of you are only now beginning to understand.”
“Amen.”
“I came among you,” Delroy said, “a forgotten son who was almost a stranger. A stranger even to myself. Do you know who welcomed me into this church?”
“God!”
“That’s right, brothers and sisters. Because no matter what you do, no matter where you go, all you have to remember is that you have a loving Daddy in heaven who will always welcome you back home again.”
“Amen.”
“But I’ll tell you another thing a good daddy does,” Delroy said. “A good daddy tells you when you’ve fallen short of the mark.”
A quiet descended over the congregation.
“I have to tell you that we’ve all fallen short of that mark. Take a look around and you’ll see that you’re not alone. Maybe you even think you’re in good company.” Delroy paused.
