“Don’t worry, Brothers and Sisters,” The long silent man spoke, “They shall not pass. Go and may God go with you. He is with me and in His strength I will guard this way.”
The members of the small church started at hearing his quiet voice. It was rare to even see him save during Sunday service. His quiet cottage was on the edge of town and his flock of sheep was almost unnaturally calm. No one save the pastor of the small village ever visited him there though the children often talked to him when he watered his animals. In short he was almost a phantom to them, a shadow that passed through their lives without notice.
“William, do you know what you are saying?” The pastor said quietly. “It is better that we-“
“Turn yourselves in for having a hunger for the Lord?” William shook his head. “No, friend, I cannot allow that. Studying the Word is no crime. And there is no mercy in this new baron’s heart. He has decided that the village will follow his false gods or no gods at all. He will not hear the truth and certainly will not allow it to be spoken. The people need this church and thus here I shall stand.”
“Thank you, William,” The pastor turned away, his eyes beginning to water.
“Fear not,” William smiled. “The Lord has given me victory this day.”
The pastor took his flock down the stairs and through a tunnel that had been made for such a time as this. William bowed his head for a moment of prayer. Father, please strengthen your church here and build it up in spite of the opposition that they will face. And grant that they may have a measure of safety and peace. I go now where you have called me, Father. Please help me to be faithful to the task you have set before me. His heart quieted, he stepped outside the church and prepared himself for what was to come.
The shepherd did not have to wait long. The baron’s men rode their steeds into the churchyard. The leader’s horse flared its nostrils as the man cruelly dug his heels into its side. William recognized the man from earlier visits by the baron’s underlings. This soldier seemed to take pleasure in the misery he inflicted on the farmers. The shepherd would not count on any compassion from him. The others were a blend of professional soldiers and conscripted farmers; they were here solely to enforce the baron’s will not from any personal malice. They eyed him curiously as they waited for their leader to speak.
“Where is the rest of your lot, peasant?” The leader spoke. “We know there are more of you. The baron wants all you cretins to come to the castle. You’ll know who your master is then. His god is the one you’ll serve if you know what is good for you. This church of yours is to come down today.”
Will ignored the man’s posturing. As if someone like him could ever dictate when God’s church would end. He said quietly “For Your glory, Lord” and shifted his weight slightly.
“You’ll do no harm this day,” The shepherd said in a low but clear voice. “Go back and tell your master that it is the Lord’s will that this church, His people prosper. Your god who is nothing but wood has no place here or anywhere else. The Lord has given me these people today. They will suffer no injury from you or any that serve you. He has promised this and His words are always true.”
The baron’s man grinned evilly and spat on the cobblestones. He directed two of the soldiers to move up.
“I love defiance in my prey,” He said. “It makes the screams all the sweeter as they beg for their lives. Get me a finger, lads.”
The men started forward with their swords drawn. They had killed peasants before and figured this would be no different. It put a few coin in their pockets no matter how it came there. The shepherd had a simple staff what harm could he do. The man on the left raised his sword for an overhand swing and put all his weight behind his downthrust. At least it would be quick, he thought.
The staff whirled through the air and caught the falling sword. The soldier felt himself slammed backward to the ground. His helmet went flying off his head and for a second he sat there stunned. The power in the shepherd’s counter was like nothing he had ever felt before. The shepherd spoke again.
“I have taken this courtyard in the name of the Lord, my God,” Will stated. “No one shall take it from me for I do this in His strength not my own. My battle is already won for He has fought it for me before you were even born.”
The second soldier had seen the shepherd’s first stroke and was determined not to underestimate him. He reached for his dagger. The second blade would give him an edge. As his hand neared the hilt he saw a blur of motion and felt a rush of pain. The staff had seemed to only brush his knuckles but they felt like they had been smashed by a mace. He looked up and saw Will’s eyes. Stern yet compassionate, they pierced his heart to the core.
“You can walk away now, son,” The shepherd said. “There is no shame in it. Go home and be with your family. God loves you and I hope one day you will see that.”
The second soldier backed up slowly and nodded. Ignoring the rants of his leader, he grabbed the reins of his horse and began walking the animal home. The first man took a look at the second, shook his head to clear it and sheathed his sword. This was one job that wasn’t worth the promised coin. He too left the courtyard, wincing as he took each step.
The baron’s man wasn’t used to resistance and it showed in his piggish face. The shepherd should be on his knees screaming, not staring him determinedly in the eye. Being a bully, he didn’t take such a stand well.
“Don’t just stand there, men,” The leader cried. “Have at him!”
The remaining men began to charge en masse. Cruel steel slashed at the shepherd from all directions yet not one blade drew near. Will’s footwork was flawless and the staff danced all about him. Indeed the staff seemed to increase in speed with every passing moment and then Will began to sing. His voice once gravelly now rang true as he began to tell of the wondrous power of His God and King. The trees began to pick up the chorus and the cobblestones echoed the refrain as the song grew in majesty and grandeur.
“Silence the fool!” The baron’s man cried.
The men indeed tried but were repulsed at every attempt. The shepherd was a blur, his staff like lightning. One by one the men fell by the side. A simple touch of the staff would strike like a battering ram and thrust them from the fray. The soldiers were starting to waver. This wasn’t like scaring a village of peasants.
The song increased in beauty and power the longer it was sung. Indeed it was clear that it was not just Will doing the singing. Though the soldiers saw no one else around, there were voices joining with Will’s as every second flew by. They sang of hope restored and forgiveness found and the glories of the Lamb who was slain. The men who faced the shepherd started to break and run.
The baron’s man tried to rally them with threats and abuse. He called them cowards and worse. The men continued to slip away. They had enough of the strange shepherd and his mighty God. The leader turned to the shepherd who now stood alone and unopposed.
“This means nothing, little man,” The man began.
“Then you have learned nothing,” Will said sternly. “This church shall outlast you and your master. Go back and tell your baron what you have seen here. Give him this message from my Lord, the one true God of heaven and earth. Any authority you have came from Me. I loved this church so much that I died for its sins. How dare you think that you can destroy it. Abandon your idolatry. Cease your striving against Me and My people. Repent of your sins or perish.”
The brutish man considered Will’s words. His men had abandoned him and he would not take on this odd little man alone. At the very least he needed new orders from the baron. He could hear the song of this Lord though the shepherd had now fallen silent. Something very mysterious was going on. He turned his horse away from this now forbidding courtyard. He would relay the shepherd’s message. And hope never to be sent back here.
Will stood there in the silence, his head bowed giving thanks. A single soldier limped slowly up to him and waited patiently. The shepherd felt no threat from this man as he opened his eyes. It was the second soldier that had fled earlier.
"Sir," The soldier began hesitantly. "Tell me of this God who loves me, please. I need to know more of Him."
"Sit down and listen," Will said. "And I will tell you of my Savior, Jesus, and the new life only He can bring. Through Him you will have a peace that surpasses all understanding and a love that you can never be separated from."
The soldier listened intently as the shepherd spoke. His heart quickened in his chest. And as the young man joined those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, the shepherd again lifted his thoughts to praise his God and King. "You never cease Your watch over Your people, My Jesus, my God. Buildings may crumble and persecutions will come but Your Church shall never fail."
Copyright 2010
James J. Gawne Jr.
Copyright 2010
James J. Gawne Jr.
