Red, White and Blue Weddings: Red Like Crimson, White as Snow, Out of the Blue by Janice Thompson
As if he’d read her thoughts, her father turned and gave a wink. She nodded his way, then shifted her attention to the front of the room and focused on the pastor. He opened the message with a scripture from the Psalms, one of Adrianne’s favorites.
“ ‘As far as the east is from the west,’ ” he read, “ ‘so far has He removed our transgressions from us.’ ” The pastor forged ahead, his words laced with excitement. “I had another message planned for today,” he explained, “but at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I’ve gone a different direction. I’ve titled this morning’s message, ‘From the East to the West.’”
He went on to share one of the most amazing sermons Adrianne had ever heard on forgiveness, honing in on God’s ability to forget, as well as forgive.
“Turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Psalms, chapter 32,” Pastor Monahan said.
Adrianne turned to the passage and the pastor began to read aloud, starting in the first verse.
“ ‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.’
“When our sins are forgiven,” Pastor Monahan said, “God can’t count them against us. And it’s clear why, when we turn to the book of Isaiah, chapter 43.
Adrianne flipped through the pages of her Bible until she landed on the chapter in question.
“ ‘I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions,’ ” the pastor read, “ ‘for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.’ ” He looked up at the congregation as he repeated the words, “ ‘I will not remember your sins.’ ”
After a slight chuckle, he continued. “We can’t seem to forget offenses that others commit against us, whether they happened yesterday or last year. It’s so difficult for us to forget, isn’t it? And how much harder is it for us to forgive ourselves when we’ve broken God’s heart? Sometimes forgiving ourselves is the hardest thing of all.”
Adrianne squirmed a bit, and her father reached over to give her hand a squeeze.
Pastor Monahan’s eyes lit with excitement as he spoke. “How ironic is it,” he said, “that the Lord loves sinners, but hates sin? How fascinating, that the price to pay for forgiveness is so very high, but that He was willing to pay it? And how amazing, that God doesn’t even keep a record—or a transcript—of our sins. He doesn’t forgive in part. He forgives completely.”
Adrianne listened intently, thankful for the Lord’s reminder that she could not only put the past behind her, but that He would remember it no more.
“How do we receive this forgiveness?” Pastor Monahan asked. “When you come to the Lord, truly repentant, and put your trust in the work done on the cross, your sins are washed away. Erased. Doesn’t matter how big. Doesn’t matter how bad. The blood of Jesus was—and is—sufficient to wash away any trace or stain of sin.”
“Any trace of sin.” Adrianne whispered the words. ‘Though they are red like crimson. . .’
As the pastor’s words flowed forth, Adrianne couldn’t help but think the Lord, Himself, had planned this message just for her. She would learn to walk in forgiveness—for her sake, and for her daughter’s.
❧
Chris’s cell phone rang just as he and the other groomsmen finished up their lunch at the hotel. The sound of Adrianne’s voice on the other end brought a smile to his lips right away. He excused himself from the table and took the call outside.
“I’m so glad it’s you,” he said.
He noticed a bit of hesitation in her voice as she responded, “Yeah. I needed to call. We have a lot to work out.”
“Right.” He pondered that for a moment. Had she called with a particular plan in mind, or was she as clueless as he was?
“How long are you in town?”
“I leave tomorrow afternoon for Virginia Beach. Then it’s back to Managua three days later.”
“Oh.”
Was that disappointment in her voice? He hoped so, prayed so. “Are you free today at all?”
“Well, I was actually calling with an invitation.” Her voice seemed to lift a bit with her next words. “Lorelei is in a play at church tonight. She’s singing a couple of solos, actually.”
“Ah.” He grinned. “She is her mother’s daughter, isn’t she?”
Adrianne chuckled. “Yeah. But, to be honest, I haven’t sung in years.”
He couldn’t hide the disappointment from his voice as he said, “That’s a shame.”
“Well,” Adrianne continued on, “in all honesty, she’s far better than I ever was.”
“I doubt that.” Chris couldn’t remember anything clearer— or purer—than the sound of Adrianne’s voice as she sang out to the Lord. He had held on to that memory for eight years now. And her performances back in college had mesmerized plenty of people besides him.
“Well, I guess you’re just going to have to come and hear her for yourself. Then you’ll know I’m telling the truth.”
Chris smiled as he heard the pride in her voice. “Just name the time and place and I’m there.”
“I was thinking I could come by and pick you up after I drop off Lorelei for rehearsal. That way, we could spend a little time talking beforehand.”
His heart quickened. “Sounds good. What time will you be here?”
“Five?”
“Five. Okay. Dressy or casual?”
“Casual.”
“Casual it is.” Chris leaned back against the side of the building and paused a moment before saying the one thing he’d been dying to say since he took her in his arms last night. Finally, the courage gripped him. “Adrianne?”
“Yes?”
“I—I still love you. I do.” More than I can stand to say.
Her silence seemed to go on an eternity. When she finally did speak, he could hear the emotion in her voice and knew she was crying. “I—I know.”
Please say you love me, too. Say it, and I’ll know what to do.
“I. . .” Her voice took on a more practical sound. “I’ll pick you up at five.”
Though he suddenly felt the wind had been knocked out of his sails, Chris managed to eek out a quick good-bye. Then, with his back still pressed firmly to the wall, he closed his eyes and allowed the tears to come.
FOURTEEN
Chris entered the sanctuary of the inner-city church and looked around in amazement. The architecture of the Freedom Fellowship Church could hardly be compared to the grandeur of Christ Church, but something about this place just felt—right. Good.
“Wow. This is really cool. I’ve been to a lot of churches, but never seen one converted from a warehouse like this before.”
“It’s more of a storefront ministry,” Adrianne explained. “We do a lot of inner-city outreaches. And we minister to a lot of homeless people, too. I always like to tell people that we’re a little different right off the bat so they won’t be surprised. Our church has an inner-city ‘face,’ if that makes sense. Lots of people with lots of issues. New converts, I guess you’d say.”
“I understand. They sound a lot like the people I worked with in Nicaragua. People new to the faith, with a lot of things to unravel in their lives. Lots of alcohol problems, especially.”
“Same here.” She looked at him, eyes wide. “Sounds like we’ve kind of been working along the same lines all these years. Weird, huh?”
“Yeah.”
She led the way to the third row of chairs and gestured for him to take a seat. As he did, an older woman leaned over to shake his hand.
“Welcome.”
Chris nodded. “Thanks.”
“This is Mrs. Norris,” Adrianne explained with a nod. “She heads up our ministry to shut-ins.”
“Great to meet you.” He flashed a broad smile. Something about the woman reminded him a bit of Alejandro’s wife. Her colorful attire, perhaps? Her silver hair swept up in a bun?
“Do you have a child in the play tonight?” Mrs. Norris asked.
<
“Actually, I’ve got a—”
Thankfully, the musicians on stage began to play, signaling the beginning of the service. The woman shrugged and took her seat. Chris wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
“That was a close one,” Adrianne whispered.
“Yeah.”
At that moment, her parents slipped into their seats next to them. “Sorry we’re late,” her mother said. “I had a long-distance call from your brother. I finally told him that I had to go, that our little angel was playing the starring role in her first play.”
Adrianne smiled in her direction. “It’s fine. You didn’t miss anything.”
Chris’s thoughts shifted to the service as the worship leader, a young man in his late twenties, came to the center of the stage and asked everyone to stand. He led them in three or four worship songs, then turned the service over to the elementary director, whose face shone with excitement.
The children’s director introduced the production, and the lights went down. Moments later, a spotlight came up—on his daughter. Center stage. She wore a biblical costume, along with the brightest smile he’d ever seen.
For just a second, Chris was overcome with nerves for her.
No need. She dove into the opening song with great gusto, her beautiful voice ringing out loud and clear. She sang with the joy of a youngster, but the clarity and vocal strength of a grown woman. In fact, she sounded for all the world like her mother, the last time he heard her sing in church. Eight years ago.
Whether he meant to do it or not, Chris could not be sure, but he reached to take Adrianne’s hand and gave it a squeeze. She squeezed back, a good sign. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Were those tears?
Yes. She dabbed at her eyes with her other hand, never taking her focus off of the stage. Was she crying because of Lorelei’s performance, or had the events of the past few days finally taken their toll? He offered up another gentle squeeze and she responded by gripping his hand.
The play went on, creating both laughter and tears from those watching. Chris couldn’t remember ever having so much fun in church. And the fact that his daughter ripped his heart out with her obvious love for the Lord only made the evening more enjoyable.
When the production came to an end, the audience members rose and applauded. Chris stood, with tears in his eyes, clapping madly. Afterward, once the lights came back on in the auditorium, he caught Lorelei’s attention from a distance. She ran all the way from the stage, directly into his outstretched arms.
“Chris! You came!”
He did his best not to let the moisture in his eyes give him away. “I came. And I’m so proud of you.”
She wrapped her hands around his neck and gave him a squeeze. “Thank you. It was so fun!” After he put her back down, she pulled at her mother’s blouse. “Can we go out for ice cream with everybody else?”
Adrianne looked at Chris with a little shrug. “Several of us like to go out after church on Sunday nights. It’s kind of a tradition.”
“Will you come, Chris?” Lorelei looked up with a pretend pout, trying to woo him.
“I’d love to. I’m all for tradition.” Chris had the oddest feelings run through him as he spoke the words. He was suddenly aware of the time crunch, aware of the fact that he would be leaving tomorrow to return to Virginia Beach, and then on to Nicaragua shortly thereafter. Aware of the fact that he needed to take advantage of every possible moment with Lorelei.
And Adrianne.
He looked over at the beauty on his left. With her dark curls framing the splattering of freckles on her cheeks, she looked like something from a magazine. But there was more to her than physical beauty, for sure. Her inner strength, her passion for life—these were the things that made her the woman she was.
“Do you think it’s okay if I go with you two?”
Adrianne’s lips curled up a bit as she responded, “Of course.”
Right then and there, Chris’s heart took flight. Yes, he would go with them. To the moon, if they asked him to.
❧
Adrianne had spent the better part of the performance trying to catch her breath. She couldn’t tell which had her more unnerved, Lorelei’s amazing performance or the delicious comfort of Chris’s hand in her own.
Face it. You’re a wreck because you’re still in love with him.
Something about sitting here in church, with Chris at her side, felt so good, so right. And yet. . .
The whole thing seemed like a childish dream. In reality, he would leave tomorrow, returning to his work in Central America. Their conversation in the car had revealed that much, though the sadness in his eyes had been evident.
Yes, tomorrow Chris would walk out of her life, just as she had walked out of his all those many years ago. And she and Lorelei would be left alone to fend for themselves. Again.
FIFTEEN
After ordering two banana splits and a small hot fudge sundae, Chris and Adrianne joined a couple of others at a small booth in the back of the ice cream parlor. All along the way, he watched her as she interacted with others, fascinating thoughts taking hold. She’s just as social as she ever was. And her face still lights up like a maraschino cherry when she orders a banana split. Some things really didn’t change with time.
“Chris, this is our pastor, Jake Monahan.” Adrianne made the introductions with a smile lighting her face.
Clearly, she admired her pastor. Chris reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Jake introduced his wife, Katelyn, whose smile broadened as her gaze traveled back and forth between Chris and Adrianne. “Any friend of Adrianne’s is a friend of ours,” she said with a somewhat mischievous grin. “Are you from Philly?”
“No. Just here for a wedding.” Chris pondered those words as soon as he said them. This trip to Philadelphia might have started out as a simple wedding trip, but had rapidly morphed into something else altogether.
Lorelei appeared at the table, licking her lips as she gazed at the hot fudge sundae. “Is that mine?” she asked.
“It is.” Adrianne passed it her way. “But you owe Mr. Bradley a thank-you. He was kind enough to treat us tonight.”
“Thank you, thank you!” She took the sundae and, after asking her mother’s permission, sat at the next table with several of her friends.
Chris turned his attention back to Adrianne as she continued on with the introductions.
“Chris and I have been good friends since college. He’s in missions work,” she explained to the pastor and his wife. “Foreign missions, I mean.”
Pastor Monahan’s face lit up immediately. “Really? Where?”
Chris swallowed a huge bite of banana and ice cream, then answered, “Central America.”
“You’re kidding!” Katelyn and Jake looked at each other incredulously.
Chris shrugged, then spooned another bite of the gooey dessert into his mouth. “Nope. Why?”
Jake’s voice intensified as he explained. “We’ve been talking about sending out a team to Central America for ages now, but the timing just hasn’t been right. And we didn’t really have a connection. Maybe you could give me some information while you’re in town.”
The two men dove into a lengthy conversation about Chris’s work in Nicaragua. At several points along the way, Chris glanced at Adrianne to make sure she didn’t feel left out. No, she seemed enthralled, as did Katelyn. Lorelei, who at some point along the way had shifted out to the playground area with her friends, popped her head in the door every now and again to ask if they could stay longer.
When the adults wrapped up their discussion about water wells and remote villages, Jake looked over at Adrianne and smiled. “I like this friend of yours, Adrianne.”
“He’s a keeper,” Katelyn said with a wink.
Chris noticed Adrianne’s cheeks flush, and shot a glance over at the next table, hoping to distract everyone. “Looks like Lorelei’s having fun.”
“Oh, yes,” Katelyn agreed. “She’s very social, have you noticed?”
“I have.”
Katelyn added her thoughts on the matter. “Now that’s one great kid. She has the sweetest spirit. She’s the spitting image of her mother.”
She is at that.
Jake chimed in with a gleam in his eye. “And I guess it goes without saying she’s very talented.”
“She is.” Chris couldn’t help but dive in. “And she sings just like her mother. You should have heard Adrianne back in college. She. . .” He caught himself just before giving too much away. Perhaps Adrianne didn’t want her good friends knowing so much about her past.
“You never told us you sang, Adrianne.” Katelyn turned to stare at her in surprise. “We would have signed you up for the worship team.”
“Oh no.” Adrianne threw her hands up in the air. “My singing days are behind me. Trust me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Jake’s smile seemed to light the room as he spoke. “It’s a funny thing. Just about the time we say ‘never again, Lord,’ He opens a door.”
“Or just the opposite,” Katelyn suggested. “Sometimes when we’re convinced that we know exactly what we’re supposed to be doing, God sends us off on a detour in a completely different direction.”
Whoa. A message for me, perhaps?
Chris leaned back in his chair and listened quietly as the pastor and his wife dove into an animated story of how they’d met on just such a detour. Every now and again, Adrianne would look Chris’s way. When she did, her eyes seem to speak something. . . What was it? Hope? Longing?
Just about the time he thought he’d calmed his heart, Lorelei approached their table, stifling a yawn. Right away, Adrianne snapped to attention, glancing at her watch.