Dressing the devil in a cassock

Today after rehearsing for the next organ "performance", Nat who's an active church volunteer, lamented how he wished more people could help out.

He said the Church was not only short of musicians but also readers and altar servers. I joked, "Well, I can play the organ, then run down, do the reading and be an altar server all at the same time!"

Nat was like, "Really if you are up for it that'll be great! Would you like to be a reader and an altar server?" Nat thought again, "Wait, I don't want to get you too distracted, because you're already playing the organ."

I paused to think about the offer and my other commitments in life - work, running, traveling, friends, CEng professional exams etc; then agreed with a condition. "I will only do one at a time. Not all. I was just joking."

Before we parted ways, Nat promised to consult with the wife, who's another active volunteer, to get me in to the reading rota.

Back in Malaysia, I was never a volunteer. I am a passive participant of the Church. I was never playing the organ. I was never a reader. I was certainly not an altar server! Besides altar boys in Malaysia are usually children or teenagers. It's only in the UK that altar servers aren't gender and age specific.

Here in the UK, many things are possible. I've never played the organ for 15 years, now I'm playing again. I certainly can't speak the Queen's English, but asked to read. I certainly am a bad, bad, evil person, but now asked to serve at the altar. The Catholic church is already in so much trouble lately. Dressing a devil in a cassock is the last thing anyone should do.