[The Good Shepherds]

Straight to the Point
Las Vegas, NV; 5/7/2021


“Evil surrounds us in this world.  It hides in every dark shadow in every dark alleyway.  It takes cover behind every leaf of every tree.  It tempts us with it’s false promises of instant gratification.  It lures us in with riches and power beyond our wildest dreams.  Evil is obvious.

“But evil is also cunning.  Evil is present in the light.  It is right in our faces.  It is in our own reflections.  Evil walks freely in the daylight.  It courses through every brick of this church.  It threatens to tear down what we’ve taken years to build in mere seconds.  The temptations are present in this very building.”

We find ourselves surrounded by the delicately built and decorated Las Vegas chapter of The Church of the Good Shepherds.  Everyone is standing to testify to this truth spoken by Father Gerald Shepherd at the helm of this tribe of spiritual warriors.  His wife sits in a wheelchair on one side of the stage.  Virginia Mae Putnam standing with crutches on the other side of the stage.  Brother David stands to his father’s right side, studying the ornamental decoration of the church, seeing it has been finely crafted with gold and stained glass.  He almost finds the sermon to be somewhat of a background music to his search for… who truly knows?

Gerald: That’s right my brothers and my sisters, sons and daughters.  Evil knows no bounds.  And I think we often forget this when we stay in fear of the shadows, and trust all that has been brought to light.  We judge others based on their sins, but it was the Lord who said that we should forgive them of their tresspasses, so they can forgive us of our own.  What truly matters is not the sin, but the person who is sinning.  The person’s ability to recognize that sin, and to ask for forgiveness.  Their passion for strength to overcome those sins.  Is it not said that he who is without sin may cast the first stone?  Please, if you are without sin from birth until this very moment, I beg of you to stand before me right now!

Gerald looks out across the entire congregation.  Shy of a few small children, and others who look as if they are the perfect models of young Christian teens, no one stands up.  Gerald gestures toward the youngest child.

Gerald: Brother Michael, do you not wish for thy neighbor’s latest and greatest technological advancement?  Harold’s iPad?  Renee’s Xbox Series X?

The small voice peeps out a “Yes, Father.”.  Gerald nods his head, and the young blonde child takes a seat next to his mother.  A few other small children sit back down.  He then looks to a young auburn-haired girl in her finest garment for church.

Gerald: Sister Ruthie, do you not go to school and look at the girl with ragged clothes, free of name branding and sullied, and think to yourself that she is beneath you?  Do you not look at the boys with your leg flower attempting to control your thoughts?

The girl snickers and looks almost defiantly at Gerald as she questions “Leg flower?”  Gerald continues to nod his head.  “You yourself are not free of sin Father.  Why do you stand?”  Gerald looks around and he nods his head.  He pulls a chair up from behind him and he takes a seat.  He looks out into the crowd from his seat, which David pulls a seat up next to him, ready to strike down this young girl for speaking out.

Gerald:  You’re right, child.  I am not free of sin.  I have sinned more times than I care to count.  And it shames me.  But I am human enough to admit it, and to take my own advice when brought up.  Thank you for reminding me.  Yet, you have not denied my claim.

The girl looks around and takes a seat, not enjoying the taste of humble pie.  Gerald looks around as everyone in the building is seated, shy of Virginia, who is not able to with the cast around her hip and left leg.

Gerald:  We all sin, and we all expect to be forgiven for these sins, able to act upon His eternal promise to enter His Kingdom.  Why should we not expect the same of our fellow man?  I beg you to tell me differently.

David:  But Father, what should we expect of the unrelenting, unrepentant souls who don’t expect forgiveness because they deny His true existence?

Gerald looks over to his son, the only person who dares to defy his words this evening.

Gerald:  Then we must use force against the infidels.  We are asked to guide these souls into His everlasting Light.  It becomes our responsibility as Shepherds, our birth given name, to shepherd the flock who is lost.

David:  And those who continue to defy, deny, and rub their sins in our faces?  Are we to just stand by and allow it to happen?  Do we turn a blind eye, or do we strike them down with His most Holy vengeance?  Better yet, do not answer, Father.  I will take it from here.

Gerald has no time to argue with his son as David stands up.  He walks to the podium.  There are two candles before him, and as we get closer, we see there are pictures of Fenris and his brother Aron sitting in front of the candles.  David pinches out the flames one by one with his bare fingers.  He looks out as Gerald looks back at him, begging him to stop.

David:  In just two short days, my father and I will go into battle against two, which my father has opted to pray for this evening?  Tell me, when did we start praying for the wickedest of men?  Why do we not honor the likes of Hitler?  Vlad the Impaler?  Atilla the Hun?  Jeffrey Dahmer?  The Pope?  Why should we pander to men who have decided that they are full of sin, and they are, and never will be, sorry for their decisions?  Much like Fenris and Aron, they rely on cowardice and backhanded tactics to get the better of us.  They are unapologetic for their blatant disregard of our Lord, God.  As a matter of fact, I believe that they still pay homage to the old false idols of the Vikings.  Who in God’s good name still does that?

David looks out as Gerald prepares to speak up.  However, David is already on a roll and does not wish to stop.

David:  These men are perfect examples of today’s culture and exactly where it has gone wrong.  I dare not disparage my father’s name, but I will argue that mercy is not the answer.  We should not beg them to see the light.  We should shine it so brightly in their eyes that they go blind from it’s glory!  We should show them the err of their ways, and we should be relentless until we do!  They want this fight, well then, by God, they’ve got it!

Congregation:  AMEN!

David:  They want to defile and “normalize” sin, well then we ought to cut the head off the snake right now before it slithers into the minds of our city, our neighbors, our children, our wives… We reside in the land of the Snake, the City of Sin.  Sunday, upon the Lord’s Day, we will send a message to these snakes.  We will no longer tolerate this!  We are waging a war on wickedness, and it starts by taking its capital city! Starting with Fenris and Aron! Who is with me?!

Congregation:  I am!  I am! I am!

David looks around, having riled up the community that is used to thriving on hatred and anger to reach an end to their means.  He smirks wickedly as he looks over to his father, who looks mixed in his feelings on the matter.  David is so blinded by his own battle cry that it is easy for him to view this as approval from his father.  He waves and walks into the crowd to shake hands as Gerald stays seated, watching it all.