Children of the Messiah (final chapter in the American Messiah series)

Chapter Two

Oak Ridge Cemetery

Springfield, Illinois

Hordes of citizens occupied the 365 acres. For hours they stood in the hard rain. They waited to pay their last respects to their iconic father-figure. Their tears mingled with the downpour to formed puddles of despair.

In the bloody aftermath of the war, Springfield, Illinois was selected as the nation’s new capital. It was only fitting that Abraham Lincoln’s tomb and final resting place be selected as the site of the service. Because the Messiah’s body was never recovered, he was honored in effigy. A glossy black casket, empty as their souls, sat nestled in a bed of white roses.

A colossal bust of Lincoln gazed down upon the podium. The president said a few words and turned the dais over to Monrovia, daughter of the deceased. Suddenly, the rain halted as if on cue. Monrovia rose to eulogize her slain father. She scanned the crowd before starting.

“Most of you remember my father as a great commander,” pausing to allow her words to have their affect. “His victories on the battlefield are legendary.

“But he was more than that. He was a loving father, a devoted husband, and one who loved his country. And, he was willing to give his life to protect all three. ‘The dark cannot claim what the light doesn’t surrender’, he would say. It is for that reason that he took up the fight.

“More than a soldier, my father was a student of the ancient mystical sciences. And, his very life personified its universal laws. And that was to seek self-knowledge before all else. He taught that man is an expression of the Creator and that all thoughts are divine. He would comfort the troubled by reminding them that: “Earth has no sorrow that heaven can’t heal’.

“Through his Kemetic Mystery School, he taught that man is born to create because God, the Great Creator, resides in us. As the Messiah, he was a means to God’s end. My father was chosen to show that man’s powers are without earthly limit. And, being the humble servant that he was, he devoted his life to unveiling that life-altering truth.

“Before the war, America was beset with death and suffering. They were the residual effects of a nation long since gone astray. America had withdrawn from the Light and descended into the depths of darkness. Through his words and deeds, he offered a path out of that darkness.

“By sheer will he moved the nation toward true freedom, a freedom only given lip service in the past. And after stripping away the inequities of the past, he helped usher in an era of shared abundance.

“To combat institutional injustices, pervasive violence, and the spreading, immorality, he turned to Ma’at, one of the governing principles of all creation. By way of these ancient African teachings the nation had begun to move toward social harmony.

“My father was no tyrant. He afforded every American the freedom to or not to embrace his teachings. But, regardless of their choice, all were lifted by the rising tide of Ma’at. At its essence, Ma’at is the opposite of chaos, injustice and evil.

“Before his death, my father battled an ageless evil. While forced back into the shadows, his flock persist. They are at the heart of the escalating turmoil. The inexplicable drought plaguing the east maybe a harbinger of the evil one’s return.

And, if we’re not vigilant in battling this malevolence, my father’s vision for America will soon be rendered nothing more than a lovely yet forgotten dream. Since I was a young girl, I’ve had the benefit of my father spiritual guidance.

“And now that he’s gone, I’ll look to the School of Mysteries to continue what my father started. So, in the coming days, I will undergo initiation in preparation for the priesthood. Like my father, I will dedicate my life to serving the will of Atum, the self-created from the primordial waters of Nun. Hotep.”

Monrovia walked back to her seat to thunderous applause. A sparkling sun now shone majestically through breaks in the clouds. Lots of leaders addressed the crowd that day. But as the huge crowd dispersed, Monrovia was all they talked about. Some wondered if she had the gift. In contrast, nearly all condemned her seldom seen twin brother for failing to appear.