Rytius Records (Substack Edition), Ch. 10

Chapter 10. Naming

10. Naming

Naming is a matter of ultimate concern, and while there is neither accepted liturgy nor tradition, the ceremony is fired by the same holy spirit as that which descended upon the apostles on the first Pentecost. The church was indeed the proper place for the ceremony, but neither Fila nor Carnation thought a preacher was appropriate. So, the pulpit was empty, and Fila stood on the floor below, in front of the friends and family gathered in the pews. Fila was from a long line of preachers, and though he was not one himself, and while he had notions perhaps different from those of his forefathers, he would never do anything capable of being misconstrued as sacrilegious. And seeing as how he ran the church registry, if he were to disrespect himself or the Lord’s house in that manner, he might not hear any rebukes directly to his face, but he would swim, backbit, for who knows how long, in a dark sea of rumors, gossip, and all the flotsam and jetsam of resentment and unaired grievance.

But Fila was indeed from a long line of preachers.

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