They asked him many questions. Those who had gathered to hear him speak and witness miracles. Expectations were always high, especially when words like God, magic, science and wisdom were bandied about on the air like wheat and chaff. But his will was not to judge, not to answer blindly the repetitious questions, but to speak from his heart. And indeed, many were disappointed he chose to ignore the many questions they shouted as he waited for them to gather under the old baobab tree.

This part of Africa had known few visionaries such as he, and because of this the mighty throngs of people still came. They needed guidance he felt, their leaders were failing them, their chiefs were too misguided. People had started to lose their way, to lose their faith and they so badly wanted answers. More questions were shouted out, more laughs and taunts from the haters and doubters, but he did not let it put a shadow over his heart. Until finally he felt the time was right to speak. He tapped the arm of the man who had been kind enough to invite him, and they cleared a path to the small wooden platform so that he might deliver his sermon.

Now it could have been mere coincidence that the wind stirred before his speech, or that it drove white clouds in over them to block out the burning sun in a cereulean sky. It was indeed fortuitous, because this heckling and inciting hatred and ridicule stopped in doubt, just for a moment, but it was enough. Today the hot skies had inflamed tempers, and the long journey that many had undertaken was feeling heavy on their hearts. So he stood awhile in thought, he'd prepared nothing as was his custom, he would speak directly from his heart. His words were truth as he saw it, but truth is like the spider's web. It starts off small and grows in a unique intricate pattern, near the centre of the original words is a delicate but strong lace like bond, but as you go further out it gets less with bigger holes in it. The more mouths that speak that truth, the more eyes see it as their truth, and so bigger holes appear in it. As such, though the pattern will essentially hold together, more people fall through those holes and the less are drawn into what was the original word. That was always his concern after they left him. How would his word be interpreted and what truth from here would spread far and wide?

" My Friends," he started, arms thrown wide in greeting, "may Mother Africa bless you and take you to her heart. Walk with me a while so that I may talk to you."
This was a deviation from the plan, and the many who had organized the event were immediately worried. They liked things detailed, meticulous, no surprises, no deviations. They preferred to feel in control, and this was both their success, but alas also their downfall. For being so well planned and rehearsed, they were not ready for what life (and the Preacher) had to throw at them. For all their preparation, they panicked and were lost in the crowd as he climbed down from the platform and started walking towards the river.
Call it blind faith, call it inquisitiveness or just sheer stubborn will that as they'd travelled this far to hear him speak they weren't going to lose him now. But they all followed, haters, doubters, faithful and all those in-between (which were very many) of all ages and faiths. He talked as he walked.

"Today good people I want to tell you about how God sees us. He does not see one man above another, nor does he think a man above a woman, or an adult above a child. He sees only the soul within, the spirit of life that he breathed into you as your parents conceived their child. It only needs a small spark to illuminate and grow within any shell. It was the same spark of life he animated the creatures and birds with, the plants and trees and all sentient life."
At this some nodded in approval for they believed in reincarnation and a bond between them and the rest of Gods creation. Others scoffed and jeered,
"Are we not set above such creatures and nature, were we not the caretakers?"
He normally answered no questions and held to his course, but this irked him.
"Do not set yourselves above others, for in that you give yourself even greater responsibility. You then have a duty of care to nurture and cherish those in your garden that you believe you were destined to look after. You will be held accountable at the day of reckoning, and let no human be found wanting if that is truly what your heart tells you."
This seemed to send ripples of displeasure out, and some actually shivered. They didn't like to be judged, they preferred to be the ones sat in judgement of others, what species shall live and die by their hand. They liked to be gods of their own domain, beholden to no-one.

He set a fair pace, and as he went he continued speaking whilst helping the lame and infirm along.
"Each of us has a duty to our fellow man. We are kindred spirits, we are brethren." At this point the crowd was agog as he took a very elderly white man from his old skin and bones donkey and spoke directly to him.
"Show kindness, let no life be a beast of burden, rather consider them a friend who gives their effort or their lives in service of you. So likewise, show equal faith and treat them kindly as you would a friend." With this he took off his own sandals and put them on the old man's feet and made him walk leading the poor donkey. He took leaves from the trees and fed the beast as they moved and took it down to the waters edge to drink.

The crowd were all forming a circle about him. As they got to the river bank they spread along it's sides and some pushed nearer so that others stood precariously near the waters edge. They feared predators, they feared snakes and poisonous insects that flourised by the river. But the Preacher rebuked them,
"I'm here to speak tolerance and understanding of your fellow spirits. We all burn with the same flame yet we war against one another, we curse and fight and want something for ourselves. But what does our neighbour truly want? Have you asked them, have you yourself made an effort first hand to know or accept them and their needs or wishes? Or did you rely on hearsay and the words or actions of those you put in charge of you?"
He walked nearest the river and shook the hands of those there smiling and greeting them. Those he did so with instantly relaxed, and nobody succumbed to ravenous water creatures or dangerous insects, nobody was bitten or hurt. But alas, a few spoke poisonous words within earshot of the Preacher and he moved towards them.

"You men and women who corrupt our children and young with your bad thoughts and deeds, aren't you ashamed?"
He spoke directly in front of four soldiers who were foreign looking and menacing. The crowd stood apart from them as the Preacher approached.
"You don't know our ways, our customs, we have a right to our lands and our cattle. A right to claim what is ours."
"And what right is that friends? Show me or tell me, give me proof that I may understand your claim. Yes we have Laws to judge right and wrong, but we also have our own conscience and understanding. Prove to me this right to what you feel is yours and yours alone."
At which point the man in front of him hit him square in the jaw and the crowd gasped.
"I have the right cos I have the power, I can take what I want because I can!"
The Prophet was a young man, but he had been knocked off his feet and his mouth bled. But he had this big satisfied grin on his face.
"Thank you brother," he said.
"For what?" came the gruff reply.
"For teaching these folks a lesson. Let no man think he is above the Law nor his fellow man, for together they can rise up and exert more power than even you can lay claim to. And then the next few have more and brandish the fist, and the next until more die and all come to learn...power is not force, power is knowledge. Do you think these good people would let you strike me again when they know that together we can overcome you. They will not, for fear is in the heart of the weak, but together we are stronger. And with that the old man who had been riding the donkey stood between the soldier and the Preacher. The young man kissed his cheek and many more surged forward to stand between them and the assailants.
"So you see my friends," the Preacher said smiling to the soldiers, we learn your hearts and understand you better. We are wiser for it, but we do not share your viewpoint. Either change to understand better those around you to live more harmoniously, or find yourself driven off our lands. And with that the crowd pushed the angry men away and they fell towards the back mocked and ashamed that they had been shown up. Three left, but one stayed to listen more.

As the young man came back to the water he waded in to his knees and all watched intently.
"And now we come to today's lesson."
He smiled his big beautiful smile and many hearts melted in both men and women. For a smile is like a kiss that touches one just by caressing the air and reaching those that it embraces. It feels warm and endearing.
"I want to show you, we are not all that different. A human can work with the great pattern of life, he just has to accept that he may not totally understand the immensity of that pattern. God's plan is like a spider's web, he spun it at the beginning of time and it was intense and intricate. It held all the secrets, but over time what He made and what He planned has grown further apart. The connection is still there, held together by the fabric of His web, but the holes in the plan are bigger and we see less or right through it. Have faith it is there!"

Next a strange and mysterious thing happened. Out of the water rose a crocodile that was huge and fearsome. It came up from behind the Preacher high up into the air so that all might see, and then it opened it's huge mouth with rows of sharp teeth. And from it flew a beautiful bird still in tact, with iridescent plumage shining as at that very moment the clouds dispersed and the sun shone fierce one again. It was a blaze of colour and from it's beak it dropped a small flower from high above. All eyes watched as the flower fluttered down and without looking above the Preacher held out his palm and the petals rested gently on it. The crowd gasped in awe. The Preacher smiled, and more hearts melted. He gave the flower to the poor donkey who was drinking by the waters edge, and it instantly revived. It looked visibly better and the Preacher patted it's malting coat.
"Never doubt God's Love for all his creation for who are we to determine where His heart truly lyes? Let us together be stronger, wiser and more at one with His plan, and though we may not see it in its entirety, we might follow our hearts to know we played a small part in it."
And with that the crowd dispersed sharing their powerful smiles and talking of the wonders of his words and how they felt right. And God was pleased.




© .Garry Saunders