By Kate Wells
It was a typical Wednesday night service at church. People sat quietly waiting for the service to start while Martha Groggins sat at the organ playing softly and elderly Mr. Donaldson sat holding his tweed hat in his lap bobbing his head up and down as if to a rhythm only he could hear.
Helen Murdock fidgeted with her purse and kept readjusting her glasses as they repeatedly slid down her nose, while Penny Ames kept looking around to see who all was there, smiling a greeting at each person who returned her glance.
It was a fairly peaceful evening and uneventful until Mrs. Harper came in pulling her Seven year old Justin down the isle with her as they made their way to the very front pew.
Justin was resisting every step of the way and his mother was obviously tired and out of patience as she plopped him down on the pew and whispered what appeared to be the threat of some consequence if he did not sit still and behave.
Pastor Dan stepped up to the podium and began with a prayer. But even before people could say, "amen", red headed, freckle faced, Justin Harper was crawling up the isle and giggling.
His mother got him by the collar of his blue plaid shirt and pulled him back into the pew with another whispered warning and then tried to find her place in the hymnal. But before she could...young Justin decided to make a paper airplane out of his bulletin.
His mother snatched it from his hand before he could sail it through the church and said loud enough for others to hear her... "young man, when we get home...you are going to get it!"
The little boy shrank back...but not for long. He soon began thumping his sneakers against the pew in front of him , so loudly that Pastor Dan stopped speaking and looked his way.
Once again, his mother declared out loud..."you are going to get it, when we get home, Justin Theodore Harper!" and the service resumed.
It carried on pretty much like that the whole evening. Thumping and bumping and crawling about while his mother continued to utter unheeded threats of some unexplained consequence that was waiting for the young boy if he did not settle down.
I guess she had had enough by the time he flipped the pencil he was playing with like a miniature catapult right into the air so high that it landed right smack dab in the baptismal tank with a loud plop.
Actually...I think everyone had had enough by that time and there was very little mercy being felt for Justin Harper as his exasperated mother pulled him toward the back of the church proclaiming loud enough for all to hear, "YOUNG MAN, THAT'S IT! YOU ARE GOING TO GET IT NOW!"
There was almost a collective sigh of relief from the congregation as they left the building.
The drive home was made in silence that was only occasionally punctuated by the reminder that young Jason was certainly "going to get it" when they got home.
When they finally arrived at their house, the little boy was marched through the kitchen door and told to sit down. He put his elbows on the table and lowered his head into his little fists as he prepared for what was coming.
His mother put down her purse and keys and approached the table, "Justin, I told you that when we got home you were going to get it..." she said, as she walked passed him to the refrigerator.
Justin just kept his head buried in his hands until he heard the clink of a plate being sat down in front of him.
"And here 'it' is", his mother proclaimed.
Opening his eyes, he was startled to see a big bowl of strawberry shortcake, piled high with whipped cream and the reddest, juiciest strawberries he had ever seen...and next to him stood his mom with a big smile on her face as she handed him a spoon.
Now that... folks... is "Grace". And that's what Jesus offers us...when we know full well, what we really deserve!
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