The congregation hesitated, Zeebo repeated the line carefully, and it was sung.
At the chorus Zeebo closed the book, a signal for the congregation to proceed without his help.
On the dying notes of “Jubilee,” Zeebo said, “In that far-off sweet forever, just beyond the shining river.”
Line for line, voices followed in simple harmony until the hymn ended in a melancholy murmur.
I looked at Jem, who was looking at Zeebo from the corners of his eyes.
I didn’t believe it either, but we had both heard it.
Reverend Sykes then called on the Lord to bless the sick and the suffering, a procedure no different from our church practice,
except Reverend Sykes directed the Deity’s attention to several specific cases.
His sermon was a forthright denunciation of sin, an austere declaration of the motto on the wall behind him:
he warned his flock against the evils of heady brews, gambling, and strange women.
Bootleggers caused enough trouble in the Quarters, but women were worse.
Again, as I had often met it in my own church, I was confronted with the Impurity of Women doctrine that seemed to preoccupy all clergymen.
전체재생
다음페이지
문장검색