Dairy of a Sunday church wanderer (3)

 

Hello everyone, my name is Ubulaba and I am just a Sunday Christian and a wanderer who have no church to call home. Nothing to be proud of, someday, I hope to change.

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image gotten from gettyimages

I woke up around 8am this Sunday morning with a very big yawn. My head felt light and my body was heavy. I struggled to stand up but my legs were too weak to bear the weight. I was overwhelmed internally and externally with the stress of yesterday’s work. 

It was another Sunday and to be honest, I did not feel like going church. I thought to myself, ‘a little five minute sleep would me some good’ so I snoozed the alarm and crawled back into my duvet.  A little sleep, a little slumber with just two pressing of the snooze button, sleep had taken two hours of my life.

 

***

I hurriedly had a quick bath, did a quick make up and had a quick breakfast with two tablets of Paracetamol. I ran back to my room after finishing from the kitchen. I quickly searched for something to wear. My favourite black skirt was a bit rumbled so it was a big NO, the blouse I had in mind to wear did not seem to match with my other skirts. The way out was one of my beautiful wine dresses,  I searched all over my room but I could not see it. After searching everywhere I remembered that I took it to laundry house two weeks ago.

My entire wardrobe was completely scattered on my bed and on the floor. I checked the time, it was already 11am.

‘Woa! It is not by force to go to church’, I consoled myself as I pushed the clothes on my bed to one side and decided to sleep on the other side.

As I rested my head on the pillow, I found one of my long time gowns I had not worn in a while; a fitted kneel length white cotton gown with long chiffon flowing  sleeves and a short slit down at the back. I put it on and I realized it still fitted me well. I wore a white fanciful hat and heels to go and I carried my bag that I already packed the previous day. I took a look at the pamphlet that the woman who preached in a vehicle gave me last week to be sure of the direction. 

Like the wanderer that I am, I ordered for Uber and I went. I could only wonder and ponder if it was worth my wander.

***

‘Brethren!!! Humility is foolishness’. The preacher preached

‘Ride on Pastor!!!’ The crowd echoed.

HA!!! I exclaimed.

The usher who was registering my name in the attendance record saw me exclaimed, chuckled and gave me smile. I came in really late and imagine hearing that humility is foolishness. Ha!!! I have always heard of churches that preach heresies and that day I found one.

I wanted to go back but most churches around had closed so I just decided to stay.

‘Brothers and sisters, see humility is foolishness’. The pastor repeated again.

I was so vexed within me. How will he say something that Jesus admonished us to be is foolish. I didn’t know much about the Bible o, but the little I knew was capable of making me take the microphone from him and tell the whole church that he was preaching heresy. What even vexed me more was how the congregation consistently screamed; Ride on pastor, hmmm…, ha!!!, Loooooord, mercy!!!.

But the woman who invited me to church in the bus did not sound like this foolish heresy pastor o!!! Or maybe I was in the wrong church.

‘If humility is not foolishness, why will a son of God, Jesus Christ, leave all his glory in heaven and come to the earth, let’s quickly check our Bible text, time is gone already, Philippians chapter 2. Like Jesus o actually, made himself a no body, e no give himself small rep’. The preached continued. This time, he was no more on the pulpit.

 

Everyone laughed. Aside the pastor razz vernacular, I did not see reason for the laugher. All of them were just foolish.

‘Guys, aside having no rep, this man took upon  himself, the form of a servant, so if you possibly see him, you will not even know he is a freeman, you would think, he is a freaking servant, and with that , he was still obedient unto death. Even the sons of G.Os, richest men, big CEOs are even more proud than their fathers who are the owners of the wealth, you will hear them in even small matters ‘Do you know who am I?’. Yet Jesus who was in the form of God, form o! It was not robbery or pride for him to share glory with God, he was equal with God yet he was humble, foolish,  brethren.’ He added.

‘After all his foolishness to the point of death, yet God rewarded him greatly. God highly exalted him, the Bible rarely makes use of extra adjectives but when it does, it requires extra pondering. To exalt, means to raise up, so God highly raised him up. He was up before, then God raised him up, then God further raised him up. My Bible tells me, he was given a name above every other name, that at the name of Jesus, every kneel should bow, of things in heavens, things in earth and under the earth. Seeeeee, no man who humbles himself is left beneath. He is taken higher!!! God gives more grace to the humble but the proud ehn, he deals with them’

‘No wonder Apostle Paul, God uses the foolish things of the World to confound the wise’

‘Tell your neighbour, if humility is foolishness to the world, I would rather be foolish. I refuse to be wise to the world sense and lose my heavenly blessings’

I understood thereafter and I was glad that I stayed till the end to know it was not a heresy being preached.

For the first time, this was the church that did not give me a first time package, something I always looked forward to.  

As I was about leaving, a beautiful girl of about 5 years old tapped me and smiled,

I looked at her and smiled back. She embraced one of my legs and said

‘When I grow up, I want to be a beautiful pastor like you with the hats and heels’.

‘I am not a pastor dear.’ I laughed hard.

Thankfully her parents came for her before she could ask any further questions. I smiled. I could only wish she becomes better than me, not a wandering Christian still struggling to find a relationship with God.