She continued to play with her necklace as the entrance to the oratory opened, and Pastor Marcel entered, followed by a small lamb on a leash. The congregation went silent as he made his way to the altar, the lamb trotting happily behind him. His white hair was close cut, his mustache trimmed neatly. He hooked the leash to the altar, then opened a Bible and quietly flipped through its pages. The lamb bleated, its hooves clacking softly against the floor.

Pastor Marcel found the page he was looking for and began to read. “Thessalonians, 4:17: ‘Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’”

Pastor Marcel paused as members of the congregation said words of affirmation. “The Beanmeister has been sent by the Lord to deliver us, the believers, from our mortal flesh and blood. Just as Christ delivered Himself unto us, allowing Himself to be placed upon the cross as penance for our sins, so too shall we allow ourselves to repent, here, today, so that we may find peace and be accepted into Heaven.

“But what is repentance? How does one repent for their own sins? Can one repent for the sins of others? You, all of you here tonight, have taken the first step towards repentance. All of you, except for three.” Pastor Marcel closed the Bible in front of him, grabbing a piece of parchment out from under it. He scanned the crowd. “I would like to call Thalia Hetz, Samuel Brandt, and Armin Gutenberg up to the altar.”

A young man and woman slowly walked to stand next to Pastor Marcel, followed by an elderly man. They stood silently, facing the rest of the congregation. The young man’s eyes were wide as they glanced between the faces of the men and women in front of him. The lamb bleated from the floor.

Pastor Marcel shook each of their hands, introducing himself to them, and gave each of them a Bible. He returned to the altar and continued. “These three have taken the initiative to begin their journey of repentance, presenting themselves to the Beanmeister in an attempt to not only better themselves, but also the world that they live in.” Pastor Marcel removed a small box from under the altar.

Pastor Marcel continued, smiling at the congregation. “I see many of you still recognize this box.” He opened it, removing three pieces of bread. He returned the box under the altar, this time bringing up a bottle of wine and three small cups. After pouring the wine, he motioned for the new members to grab a glass.

Krause smiled. She remembered the day she and Loretta joined the Church as though it was yesterday. She was so scared; at the time, she thought she was doing something heretical. But after her first meeting, she realized that she had been overreacting. Unfortunately, Loretta didn’t feel the same way; she had gone as far as to refuse to partake in the initiation ceremony. Despite this, she was still allowed to attend sermons.

“This bread represents the flesh of Christ, the wine His blood. Just as Christ fed His disciples His body and His blood, so too does the Beanmeister present Himself unto you. Drink His blood, and feel His essence enter your own.”

The new members glanced at each other before drinking. They returned their empty glasses to the altar, each grabbing a piece of bread.

“By drinking the wine, each of you have linked yourselves with Him. You have freed yourselves from the shackles of your humanity, taking the next step towards ascending to Heaven, to eternal peace with our Creator. Now, eat His flesh, and feel his soul become one with your own.”

The new members each ate their chunks of bread. Pastor Marcel smiled, and motioned for them to sit down. As they returned to their seats, the other members of the congregation congratulated them, some shaking their hands and patting them on the back. The lamb began to get restless, pulling against its leash.

Pastor Marcel continued. “The three of you, as well as every other member of this Church, are one step closer to becoming one with God. I wanted to use this service to remind each and every one of you about why we are here, both in this oratory this evening, and on this Earth.

“The reason we are here is twofold; we are here to repent for the sins of our fellow man, and to enact the will of God. Though Christ, the only son of God, sacrificed Himself for us, the sins of the past millennia have slowly built up, corrupting each man, woman, and child. We are nearing a breaking point, where the sins of our fellow man will bring about the End of Days.”

Pastor Marcel paused as members of the congregation booed. “But we are here, God has chosen us to prevent the End of Days from coming to pass! Our work here, as well as the work of our brothers and sisters, will bring a stop to the End of Days. And, for our sacrifice, we will enter the Kingdom of our Lord unrestricted. We are nearing the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which is soon to be brought about by the Beanmeister Himself.”

Pastor Marcel raised his arms to his side. “You, all of you, have taken the first step in helping the Beanmeister bring about the Great Tribulation. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, and I know that the Beanmeister will thank each and every one of you accordingly for your contributions to this Church. If nothing else, you should be happy that you have chosen to assist the Beanmeister, for He is enacting the will of God!”

The congregation stood, shouting words of affirmation and cheering. Krause joined them, smiling, fully engrossed by Pastor Marcel’s words. Next to her, Loretta was hesitant.

Pastor Marcel reached down, grabbing the anxious lamb from the floor and placing it upon the altar. “I would like to call Julia Krause up to the altar.”

Krause walked confidently up to him.

“Julia has shown immense dedication to the Beanmeister during her time in the Church. How long have you been in the Church, Julia?”

“Nearly six months.” She could barely hold back her smile.

“Six months! Such a long time, you must have been among the first to join this congregation.”

“Yes,” she replied. It hadn’t felt like a long time; the past six months had flown by her, the Church filling nearly every waking moment of her life.

“I’m proud of you, Julia.” Pastor Marcel turned to face the congregation. “Julia has been chosen, by the Beanmeister Himself, to become a member of our clergy as a priest in training. She will assist me in the work for the Beanmeister that I can not do alone. Just know that any of you could be the next member chosen by Him.” He returned his attention to Krause. “However, you have one more trial before you.” He reached under the altar, bringing up a fifteen centimeter knife. He gave it to Krause. “You have a daughter, do you not?”

Krause looked at the knife, confused. “Yes. Her name is Annemarie. She is almost two years old now.”

Pastor Marcel smiled softly. “The Beanmeister will not test your dedication as harshly as God tested Abraham on Moriah, but this test is not dissimilar. Just as Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, I want you to imagine that this lamb is your daughter, Annemarie. Are you willing to sacrifice her to show your dedication to the Beanmeister?”

She held the knife in front of her, looking into the eyes of the lamb. It bleated as it stared back at her. She noticed that her hands were trembling slightly, and willed herself to calm down.

“Julia?” Pastor Marcel asked. “I ask you again, are you willing to sacrifice your daughter for the Beanmeister?”

Krause raised the knife.

The lamb glanced curiously between her and the knife, the blade reflecting the orange torchlight of the nave.

It bleated again.

Krause swallowed. Her necklace weighed heavily against her chest.

She placed the knife on the altar. “I’m sorry. I’m not ready yet.”

Pastor Marcel smiled, turning to the congregation. “Weakness is inherent in us all. Julia’s weakness is neither something that she should be ashamed of, nor something that the Beanmeister is willing to punish. This weakness specifically is that which only a mother can truly know; the love for her daughter. By considering, even for a moment, to sacrifice this lamb as though it were her own daughter, Julia has undergone what God Himself went through when allowing His only Son to be sacrificed on the cross.”

Pastor Marcel grabbed the lamb and returned it to the floor, patting it gently on the head. “In the eyes of the Lord, all creatures are sacred. By refusing to harm another in exchange for one’s own desires, Julia has shown herself to be more than capable as a speaker for the Beanmeister.” He turned to face her. “I would like to congratulate you, Julia. As of tonight, you are officially a priest in training within the Church of the Beanmeister.”

Pastor Marcel returned his attention to the congregation. “Now, let us bow our heads and pray…”