The Sermon

It was Sunday.

Julian had the keys to the rental car in his hand. His bags were in the trunk. He was leaving.

But he couldn't just drive away. He needed to see it. He needed to see the lie one last time, to burn it into his memory so he would never, ever be tempted to look back.

He drove to the church.

The service had already started. Julian slipped into the back, standing in the shadows of the narthex.

The church was full. Fans waved in the stifling heat.

Elias was at the pulpit.

He looked terrible. His skin was gray. He was sweating profusely. He was gripping the lectern as if it were the only thing keeping him upright.

"...and so we must resist," Elias droned, his voice lacking its usual resonance. "We must resist the temptations of the flesh. We must... we must..."

Elias stopped.

He looked out at the congregation. He saw Mrs. Gable, who judged everyone’s hemlines. He saw Mr. Miller, who cheated on his taxes. He saw the faces of people who claimed to love the light but lived on gossip and malice.

Then, he looked up.

He saw Julian standing in the back.

Julian didn't look angry anymore. He just looked sad. He looked like he was saying goodbye.

Elias looked at his notes. *Sermon on Purity.*

He looked at his hands. The hands that had touched Julian. The hands that had felt real for the first time in ten years.

* It was fear,* Elias thought. *It’s always been fear.*

Elias closed the bible.

The sound echoed through the silent church.

"Reverend?" the head deacon whispered from the front row.

"I can't do this," Elias said. His voice was quiet, but the microphone caught it.

He looked up at the people. "I have been preaching to you about truth," Elias said, his voice gaining strength. "But I have been living a lie. I have stood here and told you how to live, while I have been dead inside."

Gasps rippled through the room.

"I told someone yesterday that I chose salvation," Elias continued, his eyes locked on Julian. "But I didn't. I chose safety. I chose a costume."

Elias reached up. He unbuttoned his collar.

The plastic tab came loose. He pulled it off.

"There is no sanctuary in a lie," Elias said. "God is love. And if I cannot love, then I cannot serve Him."

He placed the collar on the bible.

"I quit."

Elias stepped down from the pulpit. He walked down the center aisle. He didn't look at the deacon. He didn't look at the shocked congregation.

He walked straight to the back of the church.

He stopped in front of Julian. He was breathing hard, sweat dripping down his face, but his eyes were clear. They were bright.

"I’m not scared anymore," Elias whispered.

Julian stared at him, stunned. A slow, incredulous smile spread across his face.

"took you long enough," Julian said.

Elias grabbed Julian’s hand. He pushed open the church doors.

"Let’s go," Elias said.

They walked out into the blinding sunlight, leaving the silence of the church behind them.