The Power of Prayer (open to any willing to go to church)
Shepherd Book wasn’t entirely certain what had just happened. When he’d closed his eyes and bowed his head to give thanks for the day, he’d been in his quarters on board Serenity. Granted, it had been a fairly long prayer. Thanks were given for the continued safety of those on board, including River Tam. The brush with the bounty hunter had been just another in the series of adventures that kept cropping up since he’d boarded this boat on Persephone. But they were all still here, and for that, he was truly grateful.
He’d also asked forgiveness for the altercation with bounty hunter. Though it had been brief, to the point of embarrassment, there was still some guilt that it had been a physical conflict. With no chance to speak, to attempt to sway the man from the wrong path he’d been on. And there’d been a bit of forgiveness asked for the fib told to Jayne. He was sure the man knew he’d been telling tall tales, but a lie was a lie in the eyes of the Lord. It was best to confess all.
And though the rest of the crew might not understand why, Shepherd Book prayed for the soul of Jubal Early. Nasty way to die, floating alone in space until there was no longer any air to breath. There was some hope that the man would, in his final moments, come to a deeper understanding of where he’d gone wrong in his life, and that there might be redemption waiting for him. Book prayed that it was so, and he prayed for mercy for the man if it wasn’t.
So it was a fairly long prayer, and he’d been concentrating mightily upon putting his whole heart into it. But it was still more than a shock when he opened his eyes and found himself not in his bunk, but in what appeared to be a church. Not one he knew either, so he was pretty certain he wasn’t dreaming a remembrance. This wasn’t the chapel at the Abbey. Nor was it any church that he’d seen before in his life.
It was possible he was dreaming. It was possible this was a vision and he was to learn something from it. And if that was the case, that might explain why he was sitting in a pew instead of standing behind the pulpit. Though the wood of the pew in front of him felt very solid and real as he ran his hand over it. Was it real? And if it was… where was he and how had he gotten here?
As with most things, Shepherd Book realized he would have to leave it in the hands of the Lord. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t find out a few more details. He slid out of the pew and set off to explore this place, dream or not.