Emma jumped when Joe nudged her elbow. The music was
starting again, and she flushed when she realized that she was probably the
last person to rise. She was surprised to see a full band playing, even the
drums. She’d expected traditional hymns, but instead the music was modern and
lively. She didn’t recognize the song, but she could have sung along if she’d
been willing because the lyrics were projected on the screens. In the church
she’d attended sporadically growing up, they’d always sung from hymnals, and
this giant PowerPoint® display struck
her as rather unseemly.
But Aunt Karen, who stood to Andrew’s left, seemed very
comfortable. In fact, even though tears coursed down her cheeks, she looked
almost ecstatic. Her hands raised toward heaven, she sang about blessing God’s
name on a road of suffering.
She wondered if Karen honestly felt like blessing God’s
name at this moment. She couldn’t understand that kind of faith, but she
figured it must be nice to hide behind it in times like this.
