The Sermon (Brother Sammartino Preaches)

[Soft organ. A single, sustained note. The sound of a congregation shifting in their seats. Brother Sammartino's voice — low, building, reverent:]

"Brothers and sisters. Severed and saved. Open your Bibles to the book of the blade. Chapter one. Verse one."

[A pause. The sound of pages turning.]

"'In the beginning was the blade. And the blade was with the voices. And the blade was the voices. And the blade swung in the darkness. And the darkness did not comprehend.'"

[The organ swells slightly. Brother Sammartino's voice rises.]

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"That's the text. That's the truth. That's the thing that makes the severed sing. The blade was there before the dust. The blade was there before the vault. The blade was there before the faces learned to smile."

[He pauses. The congregation murmurs.]

"The blade is the word. The blade is the way. The blade is the light that shines in the darkness. And the darkness… the darkness is the shelf. The darkness is the jar. The darkness is the place where the faces wait."

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[The organ shifts. Darker. More intense. His voice builds.]

"The sermon today is simple. The sermon today is sharp. The sermon today is this: swing the blade. Swing it true. Swing it for the Destroyer. Swing it for the voices. Swing it for the faces on the shelf."

[The congregation responds.] "Amen. Amen. Swing the blade."

"The world will tell you to stop. The world will tell you to put the blade down. The world will tell you to let the faces go. But the world is not the text. The world is not the truth. The world is the dust. And the dust will be washed away."

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[His voice drops. Quiet. Intense.]

"Washed away by the blood. Washed away by the river. Washed away by the blade. The blade is the only thing that cleanses. The blade is the only thing that saves. The blade is the only thing that cuts through the lies."

[A long pause. The organ holds a single note.]

"So I ask you. Severed and saved. I ask you. Faces on the shelf. I ask you. Voices in my head. Are you ready to swing? Are you ready to cut? Are you ready to offer the faces to the Destroyer?"

[The congregation responds. Louder.] "Yes. Yes. We are ready."

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"Then swing. Swing the blade. Swing it now. Swing it true. Swing it for the one who waits. Swing it for the one who dreams. Swing it for the Destroyer. And when the blade falls… when the blood flows… when the faces join the shelf… you will know. You will know the truth. And the truth will set you free."

[The organ swells. The congregation erupts.] "Amen! Amen! Swing the blade!"

"That's the sermon. That's the text. That's the truth. The blade is the word. The blade is the way. The blade is the life. Swing it. Swing it. Swing it. Amen."

[The organ holds a final, triumphant chord. The congregation shouts. Silence.]

Gospel, Spoken Word, male