Deuteronomy 32:35 (tag: Frank Castle)
It seemed to Shepherd Book that a church was never completely clean. Oh, spiritually, of course. But with people coming in and out at all hours, because Book refused to ever lock the doors, a certain amount of clutter tended to pile up. A crumpled tissue. Hymnals left laying in the pews rather than put back into the holders. Various detritus dragged in and dropped as people passed through.
He didn’t resent it, though. It was only proof that the house of God was being used. And that it was needed. He might grumble a bit as he picked up a crumpled receipt or a dropped flyer, but he did not resent it. There was also something therapeutic in cleaning. At least that’s what he was telling himself. After all, cleanliness was next to godliness.
Of course, he didn’t think the ritual cleaning the ancient Hebrews did before a ceremony was actually comparable to sweeping out a vestibule. But there was the issue of respect for the gifts the Lord gave. Shepherd Book continued to debate internally, keeping his brain occupied as he went about the mundane business of making certain that the sanctuary was clean and welcoming to all that would make their ways through the doors.
And none too soon. After replacing the cleaning supplies in their assigned closet, Book returned to the chapel to be certain he’d not missed anything and found that in the interim someone had come in with a pressing need to pray. The man who sat in the pew near the front of the church was quiet. The shepherd hadn’t heard him come in at all. In a place that was empty, with acoustics that echoed when a body sneezed, that was quite an accomplishment.
Book did his best to be just as silent as he took a seat in the very last pew. He wouldn’t interfere in the conversations that folks had with God. That was a dialogue just for them. But he liked to be near enough to help should it be needed. It frequently was.