The Yellow Rose (44 page)
“Going to church,” he chirped and grinned at her.
“That’s right. Going to church.”
“Let him ride with us in the wagon, Moriah,” Mary Aidan said.
“All right. You watch after him. But he’ll have to sit with me in church. I don’t trust you.”
“That’s right. I don’t trust you either,” Clinton announced. He had come up and squeezed Ethan’s shoulder. “You sit on my lap when we get to church.”
“No, I don’t trust
you.
” Jerusalem smiled. “Ethan will sit with me.
Now, let’s go.”
Moriah climbed into the back of the buggy with the twins, and Jerusalem and Clay waited until they were settled and Jerusalem was sitting beside him. “Let’s go to church,” he said, smiling. He slapped the lines on the back of the horses, and they started out at a brisk trot.
As they left the yard, Moriah glanced back and saw Zane driving the wagon with Quaid sitting beside him. Clinton was in the back, and his voice carried even over the sound of the horses’ hooves. Brodie sat across from him, and Moriah settled back for the ride back to town.
Moriah had not slept well that night, for somehow this first Sunday of 1843 was a momentous time for her. As the distance passed—she could not remember where or when exactly—she remembered her father Jacob talking about going back to old places. She must not have been over five or six years old, but she had been sitting in his lap on one of his rare visits home, and he had been talking to someone—she didn’t remember who. He had said, “You can go back to some place where you used to live, but it won’t be the same place. You could walk over it and find an old path, and you can say ‘Why, sure I remember this,’ or you can look in a valley that used to know you, but it don’t know you no more.” The words seemed to swim together inside Moriah’s head, and she refused to think of what it would be like when they got to the church. She knew Rice would be preaching. Julie had said that she wanted to be with the family on her first day back, and promised to meet them there. But there would be other eyes watching her—hard, critical, judgmental eyes. As the buggy moved along, crushing the frozen grass under its spinning wheels, Moriah Hardin straightened and made a vow to God that she would let no sign of weakness show in her.
You’ve been good to me, God, to bring me back, and I won’t dishonor You by showing shame.
When they pulled up in front of the church, Fergus Nightingale III was waiting. He came forward and removed his stovepipe hat and said, “Good day to you all. A fine day for church. I haven’t been in so long I’ve forgotten how to act, so, Clinton, you keep an eye on me, and if I misbehave, put me right, eh?”
Clinton grinned. “I shore wish you’d get a big dose of religion, Fergus. An Englishman like you needs it to cheer him up.”
As soon as Moriah stepped to the ground, she found Julie waiting for her. Julie was wearing a more subdued dress than she usually did, a plain light brown dress that showed beneath the long wool coat she wore. Her eyes were bright, and she came over to hug Moriah.
“I’m glad to see you, sweetie. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you, Aunt Julie.”
“We’re late,” Clay said. “It’s all you primpin’ so long, so let’s get on in there.”
They heard the sound of singing as they approached the simple white church, which was nothing but a rectangle with a small steeple on the top.
The windows were closed, but Moriah could see the worshipers inside.
They were singing a hymn that had long been a favorite of hers, “Rock of Ages.” It brought back memories of the years she had sat in church beside Jerusalem. Now as Zane opened the door, Jerusalem was close behind her, holding Ethan. Moriah turned and said, “Let me have him, Ma.”
“All right, daughter.” Moriah took Ethan and whispered, “You be a good boy now,” then stepped inside. The church, she saw, was full, and her eyes fell on Rice Morgan, who was standing in front of the congregation leading the song. He had a fine, clear, tenor voice, and when he saw her, he smiled brilliantly and stopped singing.
“Well, I hate to interrupt a good hymn, but we need to make room for our latecomers. Some of you folks on the front are gonna have to move over. Make room for the Taliferros and the Hardins.”
Moriah knew that her face was flushed, but she held her head high, and Jerusalem stepped up beside her.
“Well,” Jerusalem whispered, “we’ve got a place right down front.
Come along, daughter.”
Moriah made her way up the front aisle, and every head in the church turned to face her. She held tightly to Ethan, and when she got to the front, the people in the first two pews had moved out, going to find another place. Rice stepped down off of the low platform and came to her.
“We have some distinguished visitors. Sir Fergus Nightingale is with us this morning for the first time, I believe. Sir, it’s good to have you here.”
“A pleasure to be here, Reverend, a pleasure.” Fergus beamed.
“And then the rest of the visitors you know except one. We rejoice to have two very special visitors.” Rice was beaming, his eyes dancing. “We’re glad to have Miss Moriah Hardin back with us again, and for his first visit we have Master Ethan Hardin, Esquire. We don’t usually applaud in church, but I think it would be fitting to clap our hands as a praise offering to God for bringing Moriah and Ethan back into the heart of their family and all of us.” He began clapping, and the entire congregation joined in, it seemed, and the sound reverberated throughout the small wooden building.
Moriah stood there, and a feeling of gladness filled her heart. She took her seat alongside Jerusalem, and when everyone was seated, Rice went back to take his stand on the platform.
“Now we will sing the doxology. Let’s make the rafters ring as we thank God for His mercy.”
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Moriah stood there holding Ethan. She felt her mother leaning against her, touching her on one side, and Clay moved until his shoulder was rubbing against hers. Right behind her she heard Clinton’s voice, then Quaid singing with enthusiasm along with Brodie.
She took a deep breath and joined in the song, and in her heart she was giving praises to God as she had not since she had been rescued from Bear Killer’s camp.
Rice led the congregation in two more hymns and then asked them to be seated.
Taking his Bible, he said, “This morning I am going to speak to you very simply about the most important subject in the world. When the Lord Jesus was on this earth, He was accused of what many people saw as a crime, at least as a disgrace. He was called ‘the friend of sinners.’”
Rice shook his head, and there was wonder in his dark eyes as his rich voice filled the building effortlessly. “If any of you here this morning feel yourself to be a sinner, then rejoice, for you have a friend, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He delighted in finding the outcasts, the harlots, the drunks, and the murderers. All that the world had spurned, Jesus found them out.
You will remember at one point in His life He was on a journey, and the Scriptures say that, ‘Jesus needs to go through Samaria.’ He had to go through Samaria because there was a sinner there, a woman that He met at a well. You know the story, but I’ll read it again. . . .”
The congregation listened as Rice went through the Gospels, reading the story of person after person lost in sin, condemned by the world, but loved by Jesus. His face glowed as he spoke of how Jesus sought out the demoniac with a legion of demons and delivered him from oppression and gave him peace and joy and life. His voice lifted as he spoke of the ragged lepers that Jesus not only spoke to, but actually touched, which was foreign to every follower of Judaism! He spoke of the rough fishermen He called from mending their nets, and the tax collector named Matthew who He chose as His apostle—a sinner in the eyes of the Pharisees if there ever was one! He spoke of the woman who anointed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair.
“That woman was the object of scorn by every self-righteous, religious Jew in Jerusalem, but Jesus loved her. And when she fell before Him, He praised her for loving Him with all her heart. I’m sure, for that time and for now and all eternity, she’ll be singing the praises of Jesus the friend of sinners.”
Finally, Rice said, “I could go on forever. I could tell you about my own life as a sinner when Jesus found me. You heard me tell it many times. It was the greatest time of my life, dear friends, and I will never forget it. But now it’s time for those of you who are not believers. Perhaps some of you have reached the lowest point in your life. The world may have turned against you, but I’m here to tell you that Jesus is the friend of sinners. He will make you, no matter what you’ve done, as white as snow. We’re going to sing a hymn now, and during this time, I want you to imagine that Jesus is here as He is in spirit. But just imagine He came down the aisle, and He came to you where you’re sitting. Picture Him reaching out His hand and saying, ‘I am your friend. Will you love Me as I love you?’ Can you imagine that? I feel the Spirit of God moving strongly this morning, and as we sing, I’m going to ask you to come and let the Lord Jesus Christ come into your life as your best friend.”
The congregation stood up, and Rice began singing an old hymn, but he had not sung more than a few words when suddenly he stopped and Jerusalem saw his eyes widen and shock run over his face—and then pure joy.
Indeed, Rice was transfixed and could not move for a moment, for there coming down the aisle was
Julie Satterfield
, tears running down her face. He saw that she walked unsteadily and her hands were trembling, and immediately he stepped down from the pulpit and said, “My sister, you’ve come to find the Lord.”
“Yes.” Julie said that one word and then could say no more. She had listened to the sermon as she had to others, but the thought of Jesus being her friend and making her white as snow had moved her. Halfway through the sermon she had felt as if she were before the very eyes of God. All of her past suddenly came to her, and she had sat there stiffly, trying to ignore Rice’s words. But she could not, and now as she came, she could barely stand up.
Rice whispered, “We will pray, Julie. It’s your time. Just tell the Lord Jesus that you love Him, that you’re sorry for every sin, and He will come into your heart.”
The church was shocked and stunned. Several hardened sinners had been saved in this very church under righteous preaching, but Julie Satterfield! Several of the church members came and fell on the altar and began to pray. Jerusalem held tightly to Ethan and could not see for the tears that ran down her face. She heard others weeping.
And then Rice rose and pulled Julie to her feet. Her face was wet with tears, but there was a new light in her eyes, and Rice’s voice was triumphant as he said, “Beloved, I have to announce the death of one of our members.” Everyone stared at him, and he lifted his hand, the sign of victory. “The old Julie Satterfield has died, and now we have a new Julie Satterfield. Come and welcome her into the family of God.”
Julie stood there as people came forward to hug her and welcome her to the church. Then her sister’s arms were around her, and she was sobbing. But she whispered in her ear, “Praise God, sister.” And then Julie— Satterfield—the new Julie Satterfield—took a deep breath, for she knew that she had come home, the home she had longed for all of her life without even knowing it!
T
he weather through March of the new year had been bitter cold, but now on the first day of April of 1843, a large crowd had gathered at the Brazos River for a baptizing. Clinton Hardin had proclaimed himself to be the “feeler.”
Fergus Nightingale had been puzzled by the ritual. “Is this some sort of a theological office, my boy?” he asked as Clinton stood dressed in old clothes, faded jeans, and a white shirt by the riverside.
“Well, I thought you was an educated man, but you never heard of a feeler? I swan, your education’s been neglected!” Clinton said. He waved at the river and said, “There’s deep holes that wear themselves into this river. It wouldn’t do for one of our new believers to step off into one and get sucked away, so a feeler is the fellow that goes out and feels around to be sure that there ain’t no holes to lose nobody in.”
As Clinton was explaining the importance of his task to Fergus, Rice waded out into the main stream of the section of the river that had already been approved by Clinton. He was wearing a pair of light gray pants and a white shirt, and the wind blew his black hair over his forehead. He brushed it back and looked at those gathered on the riverbank to be baptized. All of them were wearing older clothes, and two tents had been set up for them to change into dry clothes afterward. His eyes fell on Julie, and she smiled back at him. Then he lifted his voice and began to speak. “Baptism is the command of the Lord Jesus. It is the sign for all who wish to follow Him.” He went on to speak of baptism and finally looked at the new believers and said, “These have come now to proclaim their faith in Jesus, and we as a church take them in. They are a part of the family of God, and we are charged to nourish them, to love them, and to help them stay on the straight and narrow path.” Looking over all those who had come to faith, he said, “Each one of these is precious in God’s sight.”
He held out his hand, and a line began to form, managed by Clinton, of course. He put Julie at the last of the line, and she stood there patiently watching. The first candidate, a short man who had been converted from a dreadful life of drinking, approached and waded out tentatively. His face was pale, but Rice smiled and took his place beside him. “This is Brother Al Dearing, a brother indeed.” He arranged Dearing’s hands and murmured, “Just grab your nose, Al, when you go under.” Then he put his right hand on Al’s neck, held his left hand up, and said in ringing tones, “And now in obedience to the commands of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I baptize you, my brother, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” He lowered Dearing down, completely submerged him, and then pulled him easily up. Dearing came out wiping his nose.