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DISCLAIMER: The characters of The Magnificent Seven belong to CBS, MGM and Trilogy. I am not profiting from their use.
COMMENTS: Just something that I wrote in a rush of inspiration today. Many thanks to Carla and KathyB for betaing this for me on short notice!!!
Feedback and suggestions are welcome!! Enjoy!! ~ Sue B



Well, Lord, another Easter come and gone. Guess all there is t'do now but close up the church and take the rest of the day off.

Sure was nice to see how many folks turned out this mornin', especially to hear a preacher they ain't too familiar with just yet. But from what MissTravis tells me, it's been a while since these ol' walls heard an Easter sermon. So I reckon they came for the novelty, if nothing else. Hope they liked what they heard.

Sure did me good to tell that story again, even if You an' me still ain't quite seeing eye to eye. Rebirth, a new start. It always does a man good to think there's hope, a second chance to forget the past and start over.

Lord, how I'd like to forget some of the things I've done...

Reckon I'll just get these hymnals all put away.

Don't know how all the others made it here today, but it sure made me smile to see them all sitting in the pews listenin' to my feeble words. Never saw JD look so bright-eyed sittin' next to Miss Casey, though I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he didn't pay my words much mind. And Casey looked so pretty, even if she wasn't in a dress. The way those two kept grinnin' at each other, and tryin' not to let the other one see, well that made me feel young again. JD's too young to be thinkin' much on second chances or rebirth, or wanting to wash away the things he's done.

Lord, let him never find out.

Hmm, this hymnal's about ripped in half. Wonder if that can be fixed.

And there was Vin too, sittin' next to Miss Nettie. Figured he'd be here. Early hours don't bother him none. I reckon he likes being up and about when there's noone else even awake yet, so he can keep to himself. But you couldn't ask for a better man to take your part when you need it. For someone who ain't much for bein' around folks, Vin sure don't mind stickin' by someone who needs help. Wish there'd been someone to stick by him when he was framed for that murder. He sure don't deserve to spend the rest of his life on the run.

Lord, let him live to know freedom again.

Now who spat tobacco on the floor? Dang it all...

And Chris, it did my heart good t'see him come on in with Mary and Billy and her family. Seemed to take a bit of the pain from his eyes to sit with them, and help Mary try to keep Billy from yawning too loud or getting too restless. I know Chris don't put a lot of store in preaching, and if I'd lost my family in a fire I reckon I wouldn't either. And I could tell he was still hurtin' this morning. Probably thinking of another time when this day would mean making a toy for Adam an' smelling that special Easter dinner only Sarah could make. I like to think he's gettin' better, but there are some wounds that don't ever go away. I know.

Lord, give Chris some of this day's healin' grace.

And there was Buck right next to JD, an' I'd have to be blind not t'see him tryin' to catch Miss Millie's eye durin' the first hymn. But I didn't mind. That's just Buck. Don't reckon he's got much bitterness or regrets about his past, and he's right lucky. I known plenty of men like him, born to bad circumstances, who turned out to be bad men themselves. But Buck's mama must have been an extraordinary woman, cause her son's one of the most open-hearted, loyal men I'm blessed to know. He'd break the neck of anyone who'd hurt those he loves and give his life for his friends. Sometimes I swear he's younger than JD, the fool things he does, but then he'll go an' risk his life for someone he barely knows, just cause they're in trouble.

Lord, protect Buck in his bravery, an' forgive him when his heart rules him more than his head.

An' Ezra. Never thought I'd see Ezra at a sunrise service. But there he was, comin' in real quiet while we were all singing the first hymn and slippin' in the back pew. Probably thought I'd be mad at him for coming in late, but it warmed my heart t'see him here at all. He needs to be here, to know that he has a second chance. Don't reckon he's ever had too many of those, least that's the impression I get. Sometimes to hear him talk when it's late and we're all full of whiskey, he don't sound like he thinks too much of himself. But I think he's finding out that there's more to life than conning folks and gettin' rich, an' that he might be more than just a two-bit gambler. All he needs is the guts to leave the easy road an' its quick rewards for the harder one, whose treasures thieves can never steal, nor rust destroy.

Lord, help Ezra find the courage to gain the riches more precious than gold.

This communion cup could sure use a polish. Now where's the key to that cabinet-

Nathan was here too, with Rain. He sure looked happy, and she did too, a little confused maybe cause our religion ain't at all like the Seminole's. Nathan's been through a lot, more'n enough to turn a lesser man to hardness. But he's still more interested in healing than hurting, an' sometimes I wonder where he finds it in his heart to help folks that don't give him no mind, just because he's black. I've seen the pain he still feels-he's told me things he ain't never told anyone else, I'm sure-and I've seen the injustice of it all almost break that great heart more than once. But from somewhere he finds the strength to bear up, and help a world that don't care. I pray that someday, it will.

Lord, help Nathan someday find healing for his own soul.

An' then there's me, Lord. But we've talked before, haven't we? Well, I've talked. Ain't sure you've listened, but it does help to think maybe You have. Sometimes it feels like the weight of the whole world's bearing down on me, an' it almost drives me crazy trying to finds some way to ease that pain just a little. Done things I regret now, things I'll live with til the day I die. There are days I think the memories will drive me mad. Then I howl at You and wonder if You're even hearin' a word I say. But then I look around here, at the friends now standing with me an' the folks looking to me for help, trustin' me with their lives an' their souls. And I feel that ol' world lifting off, just a little. Maybe You are there, after all.

Lord, give me the strength to bear my burdens and keep searching for Your truth.

It felt like you were listenin' today, and helping me tell these fine folks about rebirth, and a second chance at life. This little town was dying before, Lord, and now it's comin' back, maybe to stay. Maybe it'll become home to lots of families, and be here long after us ol' folks have gone to our reward. Maybe they'll even remember those of us who were here at the start, helping out. I hope so. Guess then our sinful pasts won't matter so much. They'll all be forgotten.

But that's the point of today, isn't it?

Well, best get on over to Nettie's. If I'm late for Easter supper I won't ever hear the end of it. Just have to get the old place locked up. Maybe by next year it'll be a little more fixed up, with a new roof an' polished floors. But the folks didn't seem to mind if the church was a little beat up. Just like its preacher, I guess. But I don't guess it matters much right now.

With any luck, one day we'll all shine like new.

END

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