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Zoe
Someone had had the gall to interrupt Cathy. Zoe bristled at this offense. She followed the sound to see a petite lady in the front row struggling to come to a stand and felt less aggressive. It was difficult to be annoyed with a woman this frail.
Zoe sneaked a peek at Gramma to see if she knew what this interruption was about. It was clear that she didn’t. Whatever was happening, Gramma didn’t know about it and didn’t look enthused. Zoe shifted uncomfortably on the hard seat. She’d come to church, she’d sat still and listened, and now she was ready to go home.
The woman slowly turned to face the small congregation. Then she took a shaky breath. “For those of you who don’t know me, the name is Vera. The Lord’s been nagging at me this whole service.” She took an unnecessarily long pause, and Zoe wondered if she’d forgotten what she was going to say. “Someone in here knows Jesus but has forgotten about him.”
Zoe quickly looked at the floor.
“I’ve been asking God who it is, so I could just go to them privately instead of making a scene. Anyway, I’m here to tell you that he hasn’t forgotten about you. In fact, he’s been waiting for you to come home to him for a while now. And I’m here to tell you that it is time.” She stopped. “I know some people wait until they are on their deathbed”—
Oh good, she wasn’t talking to Zoe because Zoe wouldn’t be on her deathbed for quite some time.
—“but Jesus is about more than going to heaven when you die. I got saved when I was just a little girl, and I have known him every step of the way, and I can tell you that life is better with him. So don’t wait until you are dying and afraid of hell. Reach out to him right now because this life is worth living well, and you can’t live it well without him.”
Zoe’s cheeks grew hot. She had known Jesus, hadn’t she? When she was little, in that southern Maine church. But she didn’t know him now. Was this woman talking to her?
