"You got this covered"

I attend a contemporary worship service on Sunday evenings. From time to time I am asked to give the sermon at the service. But not earlier tonight, the pastor of the church, Jim, was giving the sermon.

Just as the band was beginning their last song before the sermon, a man came in. I had never seen him before but he sat down behind this guy named Joe and started talking to him. I wondered if he was just some guy looking for handouts but by the way he just started talking to Joe I assumed they knew each other. He spoke to Joe for a minute, I saw Joe shake his head no and the man got up. He came to me. He told me some story about how he was low on gas and he needed a ride to get back to his wife and baby who were in his car at some gas station several miles away. The story he told was insignificant to me as his breath had the yeasty sent of beer. I wasn't going to give this guy any money, and definitely not a ride somewhere.

When he realized I wasn't going to be of any help he moved on to another rube. He happened to ask Pastor Jim next. Now keep in mind all of this is taking place while the band is playing their last song before the sermon and I can forsee some awkwardness as the band will soon finish and Jim is still talking to this grifter. I watch out of the corner of my eye. Jim talks to the man, then taps a guy name Ron on the shoulder and asks him a question. Ron is probably the biggest, most intimidating guy there and he also doesn't smile often. Ron gets up and talks to the guy with Jim. I'm not sure what's going on but Jim is the type to give someone’s story the benefit of the doubt and want to help him. And as Jim approaches me, with that look on his face like he needs to ask me a serious favor, I think to myself "man, this is going to suck."

"Ron and I are going to take this guy to his car. You got this covered?"

As in can I do the sermon in his absence. The sermon that is about to start in less than thirty seconds. Can I do an impromptu sermon and make it actually mean something. That is what he was asking with his nonchalant, "you got this covered."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?" I respond.

"Or I could give you the keys to my car and you could take him."

"I got this. I'll do the sermon."

I felt a whole lot more comfortable getting up completely unprepared and doing a sermon than I did giving this other guy a ride to his , probably non-existent, family.

Jim and Ron and the guy left as I got up and said "Uhhhh... anybody got a bible with them?"