The Shop

It was a typical early Monday morning, and Jon was never late. He always seemed to be the first person at the door when the Father opened the Shop. It was actually quite impressive how Jon was never late— but Jon wouldn’t agree to that. His friends used to joke that Jon only went to the Shop because it was located beneath his flat. But that’s not why Jon went.

Jon knew that the Shop wasn’t an ordinary shop. He’d been to other shops, and other shops weren’t like the Father’s Shop.

Although the Father went by different names, Jon called Him the Father. The Shop was known for having the best everything in town. But it wasn’t the goods that brought Jon to the Shop. It was the Father’s kindness that brought Jon in every morning. 

The Father was there for every thing Jon went through. Wether it was sitting with him at breakfast before the big AP social studies exam. He stood with Jon the day Jon heard the news that his own grandfather had passed away. The Father—no matter what was going on in Jon’s life—would always sit down and talk with him. Jon even did his homework in the Shop. After his first big breakup, it was the Shop that Jon went to. When he set his eyes on the Father, his eyes burst into tears. Jon befriended the other kids and their families who visited the Shop. The Father listened to everything Jon said and spoke to him in calmness and love. It was like everyone who came into the shop felt the same way Jon did! They loved being in the Shop and held onto every interaction with the Father.

The Shop is so much more than a shop. It gave Jon life. It brought the community of the town together. 

The Shop was family run. The other managers werethe Father’s Son and of course, the Dove.

The Dove was the most beautiful bird Jon had ever seen and Jon was always fascinated with it. It flew around the Shop, but it never disturbed anyone. The Father and Son left it uncaged because they knew it could bring peace to anyone who came into the Shop. 

The Father would often explain to His customers that they didn’t need to fear the Dove, and Jon would always echo that to those unfamiliar with the Shop. He had seen the Dove bring joy to the face of a child and change the day of a man worn out by work and worry. 

But Jon could never forget about the Father’s Son. It was the Son that Jon always looked at with the same awe as the Father and the Dove. The Son was a legend. Jon would never forget the story he had heard of the Son. 

A few years ago, some workers at the shop stole from the Father. One of them was the first worker the Father had ever hired, and the Father had a deep affection for him and his wife. They had helped open the Shop, set the prices, and stock the shelves. They had been part of the Father’s family. 

One day, a fellow worker named Samael told the couple that the Father was keeping a special kind of produce locked away in the back garden. The man and his wife had heard about the back garden, but the Father had told them they didn’t need to go there.

Samael whispered that the Father was hiding something from them. The couple grew curious. The woman went first. She saw the fruit—beautiful and filled with promise. She hesitated, remembering what the Father had said, but her curiosity won. She took the fruit, tasted it, and shared it with her husband.

Almost immediately, something changed. They wanted everything in the shop. They went wild—knocking things off shelves, running through aisles, until they hid in shame. When the Father found them, He called out, “Where are you?”

The man blamed his wife. The wife blamed Samael. The harmony of the Shop was broken.

The Father locked the garden and began to set things in order. He decided to hire workers—people He knew would help rebuild the Shop. He gave them the freedom to manage and care for His beloved Shop. For a while, things went well. The Shop was lively again—shelves restocked, doors open, people welcomed.

But over time, some workers grew proud. They stopped listening to the Father, so the proud workers started making their own prices. The prices grew astronomically high. People would come in, look around, and leave discouraged. The town would reminisce of the times when the Shop was truly the talk of the town. 

Still, the Father didn’t storm in to take control. He let the workers work. He had trusted them with the Shop, and His patience was deeper than anyone could understand.

But when  Shop began to lose its purpose, the Father knew what He had to do. He had to send His Son. The Son knew the heart of the Shop. He knew how it was meant to function, how it was meant to operate in love. Surely, they would listen to Him.

When the Son arrived, some understood Him, but many didn’t. He spoke to the workers, went out into the streets, and began to tell everyone that the Shop was open for everyone. The prices of the Shop was about to change, and everyone was welcome back in! They were going to have bread, water, and wine that is out of this world! There was also going to be a place where people could sit and talk with the Father. The proud managers were stunned. “How could the Father agree to this?” they said. “He’s changing everything! This isn’t the Shop we want!”

The Son told them that people like the ones who had stolen from the garden were welcome again. The managers were furious. They conspired against Him and brought Him before the town judge, accusing Him of turning the Shop upside down.

The judge examined Him and said, “I find nothing wrong with Him.”

Then Samael re-appeared. He even conspired with the proud managers, and there was a plan to try and get the Shop how they wanted. Driven by hatred and envy, he stormed into the Shop, waving a gun at everyone inside.

Panic filled the room.

But the Son stepped forward. “Take me, not them,” He said.

Samael sneered. “You’d give your life for these?”

The Son didn’t reply. He simply went with him.

The managers were silent and watched in awe as the Son went willingly to what would most likely be His death.

The police captain, trembling, whispered, “Surely this man was good.”

The Shop closed. No one forgot that Friday that the Son took the place of everyone in the Shop. The lights went out. For three days, the Shop felt dark. The town buzzed with confusion. Some said the Son had been a fool; others said He had been the only one who truly understood the Father’s wishes. 

Then, on the third morning, two of the Son’s closest friends woke up. Something stirred in them. They walked down to the Shop and turned the corner. The lights were on. Warm, golden light poured through the windows.

Inside stood the Father and the Son. The Son’s hands were scarred, His eyes full of life, and now there was the Dove, circling above them. They couldn’t believe their eyes. They rushed to Him and were embraced with outstretched loving arms. 

The Shop was not just open again—it was better than ever. The bread was richer, the water purer, the atmosphere alive. People came from all over. The Shop, once broken, was whole.

And the Dove flew around greeting everyone who entered.

Legend has it that while ransomed, the Son was beaten and killed. When His last heartbeat faded, the Father came. He lifted His Son into His arms and carried Him to the hospital, where life was placed in Him again.

Jon could remember when his family first moved to the town. Everyone talked about the legend of the Son and the Shop. It had the best coffee and bread, and the water was unbelievably pure. Every morning, people came to refill their jugs and get their bread and other groceries. 

At first, Jon went reluctantly, dragged along by his parents. But when he finally met the Father, he understood. The kindness in His eyes, the way He spoke—it was a peace Jon had never known. When Jon ate the bread on his favorite PBJ, he swore there was no other PBJ like it. He would whistle with the Dove and watch it dance through the air.

Jon fell in love with everything in the Shop, and more than that, he felt loved by the Father, the Son, and the Dove. On the days Jon didn’t go to the Shop, he felt off. His heart was restless; the day felt heavy. The next morning, he’d go back, knowing exactly what he needed. The moment he stepped through the door, the Father would smile and say, “We missed you,” while the Dove circled him playfully. Jon would laugh at himself for thinking he could go without the Shop, even for a day. He might not know much, but he knew one thing for sure:

Always go to the Father’s Shop. Because it’s not just a place—it’s where life, peace, love and so much more begin.