Chapter 13

     “Fine, I agree that it’s an impressive creature, definitely has the shock and awe down to an art form-but, we really need someone who can speak to play Gabriel the angel”  Mrs. Snapper leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her chin resting in her hands, staring down a chameleon that was currently picking up the red hues of the church carpet as well as the blue of the advent banners.  The effect was stunning.  “I just can’t see how we can make this work.”
     “Well, if you wanted something that talks, maybe you should have found someone with a parrot!” fumed Mr. Skink.
    “But he would look quite impressive with a pair of wings” Pastor Basil sighed.  “There must be a way. Perhaps James or Silas can say the lines offstage-”
     “This is not a puppet show, Pastor Basil” interrupted Mrs. Snapper. “All the actors must speak their lines!”
     “Reginald can whistle a bit if he’s in the right mood” offered Mr. Skink.
     “There will be absolutely no whistling in church!”
     “Now Mrs Snapper-” warned Pastor Basil.
     “I will not hear of it!”
    While Mrs. Snapper and Pastor Basil argued with Mr. Skink egging them on, I decided to slip out in search of Jealous Plant.  I was sure that he was responsible for causing the racket in the sacristy that had spooked the geckos.  Someone needed to talk to him before things got even more out of hand.
    First I stuck my head into the sacristy, but other than the toppled stack of communion trays there was no sign of Jealous Plant.  Except...yes, there, underneath one of the trays was a single green leaf.  Jealous Plant had been here all right.
I walked out of the sanctuary and headed down the hall.  I glanced in Pastor Basil’s office.  It was its usual chaotic mess of books, papers, and odd and ends, but no Jealous Plant.  The Sunday school classroom was the same.  Even the nursery was empty.  
     Where could that plant be?  I looked out the window to see if maybe Jealous Plant was on the playground.  No such luck.  Then, I remembered the columbarium.  That’s a little garden area outside where we keep the ashes of church members who have died.  It’s really not as creepy as it sounds though.  I actually find it kind of peaceful and, more importantly, so does Jealous Plant.
     Sure enough, there sitting on a bench looking droopy and wilted in the cold December air was Jealous Plant.
    I walked over and sat down next to him.  “Jealous Plant,” I said “can we talk?”
To Be Continued
 
Matthew 18:15
“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.
 
The narrator steps away from the work of auditioning the animals for the Christmas Pageant in order to find Jealous Plant.  What happens when we step away from business as usual to deal with people who are struggling, hurting, or generally being awful?  What might we lose? What could we gain?  How is conflict management part of being the church?  

A reading of Chapter 13 by Amelia Corbett