It is packed at the Durban Christian Palace on Sunday. Rumours have spread faster than a wildfire. People have heard what transpired between Pastor Ngcobo and Bishop Likau. They want to see this young pastor who toppled the revered Bishop Likau; unmasked him as a drug dealer.
There is a heavy police presence outside the church because Pastor Ngcobo has been receiving death threats from Bishop Likau’s inner circle.
In the back room Pastor Ngcobo looks at himself in the mirror. Mbali and Lwazi are on either side of him. They all smile, looking at their reflections.
“We are proud of you,” says Mbali.
“Thank you, my love. It is only because of your clear-thinking and determination that this has come to pass.”
Pastor Ngcobo smiles, hugs his family and takes to the stage. He still walks with a slight limp. He still has bruises on his nose, mouth and ribs from the beating he got from Bishop Likau’s gang. He stands for a while looking at his church, which is full to the rafters. His congregation waits in anticipation. A whole minute passes. Whispered rumblings start to spread in the audience.
Pastor Ngcobo begins, “Most of you know me as your God fearing pastor. You know me as your good pastor. You know me as your trusted pastor. You don’t know the wretched man hiding under this robe I’m wearing! I am an evil and sinful man!”
Pastor Ngcobo takes a moment to catch his breath. Shocked, whispered rumblings spread through the audience.
“What is the Pastor saying? What is he talking about?” they ask among themselves.
“I can see that you are confused, but bear with me. I fell into temptation. I embraced temptation. I got entangled with the Devil himself because I wanted power, and adulation, and yes I will say it, my dear brothers and sisters, I wanted money! I ended up using evil muthi for these powers. Yes I used muthi!”
“Hayi bo! What is Pastor saying?”
“Has he bewitched us?”
“What is the matter with him?”
“I have never in my life heard such a sermon!”
Pastor Ngcobo tells the whole story of his temptation from beginning to end. He includes even the tiniest details.
“That is why I’m saying to you today I am stepping down as your pastor. I am not worthy to stand on this pulpit, the same pulpit my father stood on. I am not fit to be a pastor,” he says.
He looks at the shocked reactions in the faces of his congregation. He takes a slow, painful walk of shame in the direction of the room behind the pulpit.
“Pastor Ngcobo wait! The church forgives you!” says MaThusi. She looks back at the congregation and asks, “We forgive the Pastor, don’t we?”
“Yes!” comes from the congregation.
“There is no better pastor for the Durban Christian Palace than you. We all make mistakes. We thank you, Pastor Ngcobo, for baring your soul to us as your congregation. We thank you for trusting us enough to tell us your deepest, darkest weaknesses,” says Mr Msweli.
“Do you really forgive me?”
“Yes!” comes from the congregation.
“You have been given another chance at life. You have faced temptation and won,” says Mr Mbambo. “Preach, my Pastor! We want to hear what you learned during this trying time. We want you to teach the youth and all of us about temptation.”
Pastor Ngcobo walks back to the pulpit. He looks at his congregation and starts his sermon.
“I used to hear people say that ‘not all that glitters is gold’. I have personally learned this lesson. You see, dear brothers and sisters, temptation comes in all guises. It comes shining and glittering. It comes to blind you and you forget what is important in your life. You forget your family. You forget your true friends. You forget the voice of God speaking to you, guiding you to do right …”
***
Tell us what you think: Are the congregation right to forgive Pastor Ngcobo? Will all this make him a better Pastor?
