The Kingdom Will Come Anyway: A Life in the Day of a Pastor--A Memoir by Robert J. Luidens

Author:Robert J. Luidens [Luidens, Robert J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Religion, Christian Ministry, Pastoral Resources, Biography & Autobiography, Religious, Personal Memoirs
ISBN: 9781725263031
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Published: 2020-02-26T08:00:00+00:00

25

There

Thankfully I managed to suppress a guffaw, recognizing in the moment that Cynthia wasn’t joking. She was as serious as could be.

I had known Cynthia for the better part of three years. I had been introduced to her by her future mother-in-law, who was a friend of ours. Cynthia had begun to date the friend’s son, Ronnie, and they were getting serious about being married. By the end of that year a diamond ring had been offered and accepted, and it was time to start planning a wedding.

A word about Cynthia and Ronnie. While each was somewhat learning disabled, they both managed to find and keep jobs, she part-time at the counter of a local store and he full-time with a construction company. When Cynthia originally approached me about their impending nuptials, her request was a bit unorthodox. “Pastor Bob, we need you to hitch us.” It was declared in a simple, heartfelt way that was as sincere as could be.

“I’d be honored to officiate at your wedding, Cynthia. Let’s schedule a time for Ronnie, you, and me to get together so we can discuss all the details.” Within a week or two I was sitting with the twosome, beginning a fairly simplified version of the kind of wedding planning and pre-marriage counseling I was accustomed to using with other couples.

By the end of the second session I found I was enamored with the twosome. They won me over by their unfiltered honesty and their unarguable desire to make their forthcoming marriage work. In spite of their disabilities, it was clear they were committed to each other and to the prospects of making a good life for themselves.

Their wedding date arrived, and the service unfolded memorably. Cynthia and Ronnie exchanged vows and rings while staring seriously into each other’s eyes. Though they did not smile much, there was a tone to the moment that spoke indelibly to the depth of feeling each clearly was bringing to the occasion. When I declared that they were now husband and wife, Cynthia nodded at Ronnie and said loudly enough for everyone to hear, “There.” Who could contest such a declaration?

In the months following the wedding I occasionally crossed paths with both Cynthia and Ronnie. When I would ask them how they were doing, responses would include, “Just hummin’ along, Pastor Bob.” “Right fine.” “He’s still got a job. Can’t argue ’bout that.” “She makes fine meals, Pastor Bob.” In no instance did I find myself wondering about their well-being.

But then came the day after my summer vacation travels, some two years after the wedding. Home from a trip out of state, I returned to work, only to find a scribbled note on my desk. It read, in a mix of print and script, “Need to tell ya stuff, paster Bob. Signed, Cynthia.” I called their home right away. Cynthia answered and said, “Be right there. Okay by you?”

“Of course, Cynthia.”

Within a few minutes I heard the church’s back door crunch open, and down the stairs to my study plodded Cynthia.

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