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“I was bored, now I’m here,” says Maya coming through Riley’s window Sunday afternoon sitting on the bay window.
“Peaches!” Riley says excitedly.
“What are you doing?” Maya says gesturing to the phone is Riley’s hand.
“I’m reading Timothy,”
“Ooooh, are we finally dumping Lucas cause he sucks? I’m so proud of you,” Riley rolls her eyes and smiles.
“No, Maya, First Timothy, like from the Bible,”
“The church book?”
“Yup!” Riley says with a smile, “we should read it together!”
“Ehhh,”
“Pleeeeease?” Maya sighs.
“Fine, because I love you.”
“Yay! We’ll start with chapter two!”
“Weird place to start, but ok.”
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
“Ok but what if I’m not thankful for all people?” Maya starts, “or even most people, or anyone that’s not named Riley?” Riley looks at her fondly.
“I think it’s more like being able to be thankful about at least one aspect of or about someone.”
“So, I can be thankful that Ranger Rick isn’t here?” Riley softly glares.
“Maya!”
“Fine, I can be thankful that he’s good to you,” Maya says like a child who’s been scolded.
“There you go, Peaches,”
2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
“NO KINGS!” Maya chants.
“Correct, but! We can be thankful for…um…ok, I’m at a loss.”
“Maybe that he’s not actually a king?”
“Yes! That! Good job, Maya,”
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
“All of them?” Maya asks.
“Well yeah,” replies Riley.
“But people suck,”
“Yeah, we do, but what’s where grace and love come in.”
“Everybody?”
“Yes, everybody!”
“Ok, just checking,”
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
“A Medi-what?” asks Maya.
“A mediator, like me when you and Lucas fight.” Riley replies.
“Ah…Wait, so how does this Jesus guy stop me from fighting with God?”
“Well, if you would keep reading, you would find out.”
6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
“Rileyyyy, you know I’m not good with old words,” says Maya
“He’s a mediator BECAUSE He’s a ransom. He died so that if we trust Him and follow Him, we can be with Him and talk to Him, and one day live with Him forever.” says Riley.
“So what I’m hearing is ‘God is mad at us, and He needs us to follow Him to not be mad at us,”
“No, it’s…JOSH!” Riley calls to Josh in the other room, “Can you help me up here?”
“You didn’t tell me Boing was here!” Maya accuses. Josh opens Riley’s door.
“What’s up, Riley?” Asks Josh, “Hey, Maya,”
“Hi,” Maya says semi-dreamily.
“Help me explain God’s salvation and ransom and mediator-ness to Maya in a way that she won’t find icky.” says Riley with a pleading look at Josh.
“Just because Joshua has a pretty face doesn’t mean I’m gonna go easy on you guys or your God. Bro still seems like a bit of a narcissist.”
“Maya,” Josh starts, “would Van Gogh be a narcissist if he knew he was the best painter of his time?”
“No, he just knew his worth when other’s didn’t,” Maya replies.
“Exactly,”
“Ok, but Van Gogh didn’t need people to love his artwork to talk to him or have some sort of relationship with him,”
“No, but he did need the woman he loved to love him back before beginning the intimate relationship of marriage with her. And he needed her consent before treating her like a wife.”
“So we’re all husbands and wives to God?”
“Nope! We’re ALL the wife!” Riley says with a big grin!
“What if I don’t wanna marry God,” Maya says.
“Then you don’t have to,” Riley says gently.
“But then I go to hell right? Doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice in this,” They’re all quiet for a moment.
“Maya, let’s say that you’ve never met me,” says Josh.
“Sounds awful, but ok,” Josh smiles at her words.
“All your life, you’ve heard terrible things about me, but we’ve never met. You wouldn’t wanna marry me and for good reason at that point,”
“What a foolish girl,” Maya says making Josh laugh.
“The you who does know me would think so yeah. The point is that people, God, people, beings, we’re all complicated and are more than meets the eye. There’s a lot of information, some true, some false, even stuff we may never understand,”
“You’re starting to lose me, Boing,”
“What I’m saying is, we can’t know if we’re right about someone unless we actively try to get to know them. And if there’s even a chance there’s Someone who’s really amazing that loves me enough to die and come back from death, then it’s probably worth it to try to get to know them.”
“Fair enough, no promises to either of you, but fair enough,” Maya says. Her stomach growls. “For right now though, how about I get to know some lunch, who’s with me?”
“Sure,” both Matthew’s reply with a fond smile.