The Calling of Emily Evans (27 page)

Though Emily would not have cared to admit it, her faith had been shaken by the exchange.

Chapter Twenty-five

The Answer

During the weeks that followed, Emily spent hours studying her Bible.
I must know for myself that Christ Jesus is God, she decided. It
is essential to my teaching—to my whole life. If it is not so—then my
faith—my devotion—is all in vain.

As Emily studied, she took notes, slowly filling many pages. It was true, she discovered, that Scripture referred to Him over and over again as the Son. He himself made numerous references to the Father.
So,
thought Emily as she reviewed those scripture passages,
they are
two distinct beings.

She really never doubted that. Now Big John’s next question haunted her.
How could He be the Son of God, and yet God himself?

Was He a created being, as some groups taught? Was He a lesser God, as others taught? How could one explain Christ as God without the concept of the Trinity?

Emily struggled on.

“What evidence do I have,” she murmured, “that Christ is God?” and she dug more deeply into the pages of her Bible.

He does have power,
she thought as she read the story of the healing of the lepers. But she quickly reminded herself that His followers were given power to heal as well. Hadn’t Peter healed the lame man at the temple gate?

But Christ’s power was different,
she mused. With His own power He had raised himself from the dead.
A live man doesn’t have such
power,
Emily reasoned,
much less a dead one.

It sounded like a solid argument.

But Emily needed more.

Again and again she found words like these: “I came from the Father and to Him I shall return.” They were spoken from the lips of the Christ. He also stated, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” And He told His followers that He had existed from the beginning.

Then Emily began to discover some special evidence. Jesus Christ forgave sins. It was only God who could wipe man’s sin from the record books.

Emily found too that the creation references interchanged God and Christ as the Creator.

But it was as Emily gathered the scriptures pertaining to the worship of God that her heart began to sing with joy.

Scripture was very specific. God would allow the worship of no other being than himself. He was a “jealous God.” Man was to bow down to one God and one God only.

God’s chosen people had learned that lesson through great tribulation and loss of land and even death. They had finally been broken from their idolatry under the rule of the Babylonians. God would not tolerate the worship of false gods.

Yet God allowed, yes,
demanded,
the worship of His Son, Jesus Christ. The religious leaders could not accept the position of Christ as God, and had rejected Him as an imposter.

“If they would have just understood the reality of the Trinity,” Emily said to herself, “they could have accepted Christ and stayed true to the Father as well.”

In the book written to the Philippians, Emily found the apostle Paul’s statement: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Emily added page after page, as her notes grew, of accounts where Christ was worshiped, accepted worship, and was approved for worship by the Father.

“They have to be One!” cried Emily.“There is no other explanation. God would not share this honor with another, lesser, being.”

It was enough for Emily. She still could not explain the Trinity. Three persons—yet One. But she was at peace in her own heart. Christ Jesus was not an imposter. He was not just a son of God. He was God himself. One in essence, one in Spirit—one with the Father in purpose and being.

Emily let the tears fall unchecked.

“My faith has been restored,” she whispered to herself as she lovingly laid aside her Bible. Then she quickly added, “No, not restored. Strengthened.”

After a great deal of thought and prayer, Emily approached Big John with her findings and some simplified notes. She handed them to him with an earnestness new to her.

“This is what I have discovered to support my beliefs,” she said simply.“I do hope that you will study them. They are grounds for a living faith. Jesus Christ
is
God. The Trinity is a reality. I still can’t explain it in human terms, but I know that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit do exist—as one.”

The big man took her notes with no comment, then muttered something about the weather, his arthritis and his difficult sister. Emily felt it was all bluff. She smiled warmly at him, purchased her small bag of cookies and left the store.

Emily’s cupboards now were truly bare. She had used the last of her eggs the night before. All she had left were a few cookies that she doled out carefully whenever she had guests, a few teaspoonfuls of sugar and enough tea for a skimpy pot.

“Lord, I don’t know what to do,” she confided.“I can’t beg. But I don’t think you want me to starve. I hate to do it, Lord, but I guess I’ll have to visit somebody. I—I determined that I would never do my calling just to get a meal—but this time…”

Emily decided that though the day was cold, she would get her team and drive to the Reillys’. Not only would Mrs. Reilly welcome her and feed her well, but she would send her home with more eggs and milk as well. That would keep Emily going for several more days.

“Maybe I should even explain why I’m there,” Emily told her conscience. She pulled on her heavy coat and tied a warm scarf snugly about her neck. After running a caressing hand over Walter’s sleek fur, she checked her fire to make sure it was banked properly and walked to her door.

The thought of stepping out into the day made her shiver. She took a deep breath and pushed against the door. The frost had sealed the edges. Emily pushed harder and felt it give.

Her breath preceded her in silvery puffs of steam.

“It’s too cold for man or beast,” she said aloud, closing the door tightly behind her.

But as Emily turned to go, her foot kicked against something. Her first awful thought was of Mr. Travis. She had found him on her doorstep once before. If he were there now, he would be frozen stiff.

But it was not Mr. Travis. A small basket, bulging with contents and lightly dusted with snow over its brown paper wrapping, lay at her feet.

Emily picked up the basket, wondering what it held. She’d heard no knock at her door. She returned to the kitchen and tore the brown paper from the bundle.

“It’s food!” she exclaimed, unable to believe her eyes.“It’s food.” She found a small bag of sugar, another of flour, and went on to pull out vegetables, cheese and bread.

“Where did this come from?” she asked herself.“Whose is it?”

Then softly in Emily’s inner thoughts came a beautiful scripture verse: “My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

“Thank you, Lord,” breathed Emily.“Thank you.” And she set her basket on her kitchen table and sank to her knees at the nearby chair.

“Forgive me for doubting, Lord,” she wept.“I should have known you had it all under control—all the time.”

And Emily carefully portioned out the food that had been provided.

It would do her for many days to come if she used it sparingly.

But the following week, another food basket appeared on Emily’s doorstep.

I wonder who is bringing them?
she pondered.
Someone is certainly
an Angel of Mercy.

All through the remainder of the long winter, Emily continued to get weekly supplies. None of her congregation knew anything about the baskets when she shared with them her wonderful provision. Emily had thought that it might be Sophie, though she knew Sophie was hard pressed to care for her own family’s needs. Then she wondered if it was Carl. He was always watching out for her. But Carl was just as surprised and excited as anyone when he heard the news. The Reillys were not bringing it. They would have brought it openly had they known Emily was in such need, Mrs. Reilly told her.

Others too were surprised that Emily had been so low on provisions.

“But the cookies?” asked Mrs. Cummings.“You always had storebought cookies.”

“That was all I could afford,” admitted Emily.“I just didn’t have enough money to purchase all the ingredients for baking at any one time.”

“Oh, my,” said Mrs. Reilly sorrowfully, “if only we’d known. I can’t forgive myself for allowing you to go hungry.”

But Emily only smiled.“Don’t feel guilty,” she assured them all.“God meant it for good. I learned more about leaning on the Lord this winter than I have in my whole life. I learned the wonderful truth about faith and trusting God.”

Along with the continuing food baskets, her congregation sometimes blessed Emily with a bundle of carrots, a small bag of potatoes, some canned goods or baking, an occasional roasting chicken or piece of beef, and often—very often—with eggs and milk. And, as an added blessing, the Sunday offerings increased.

A letter from Ruth included the news that the two new mission workers who had been approved by the district at the last conference were doing well at their postings. Verna, who had quit the year before, was now married to the grocer in the small town where she had gone to serve. He was an older man, widowed with two small children.

Emily smiled.“Imagine me married to
my
grocer,” she chuckled.“Wouldn’t we have one jolly time growling at each other!”

The more serious side of Emily kept her praying for Big John McMann. But she wondered if she was making any headway at all.

Emily had begun to feel a thawing on the part of his sister. Vera McMann greeted her warmly when she went to the store. And she came for tea about once a week.

Still, the woman forbade the discussion of “religion,” and Emily chafed that she couldn’t share the reason for her faith with Vera.

“Lord,” she prayed, “I’ll love her and you talk to her.”

So Emily poured tea and chatted about the weather, the present wave of the flu, and commented on the news Miss McMann heard over her wireless.

At one point Emily wondered if it was she who was leaving the groceries at her door, but after some candid statements, Emily realized that the woman knew nothing about the food.

Emily’s visits with Sophie and her children were bright spots in her week. They never missed a service at church. On Sundays, Sophie’s sign hung boldly in her window: “Closed for Worship.” At first she had worried that her business would suffer, but she happily told the little congregation that her receipts had actually increased.