Urk. Alled
When God Calls Moses
I m-m-ay not b-be a great preacher, but no one can say I’m not a good shepherd f-f-for my flock, Urk thought. He hated that stutter but found it often went away after the first few minutes into his sermons. He wished he could preach better. The congregation had been very tolerant. He was grateful.
He knew people felt as if the world was falling apart around them. Some people were even talking of the Apocalypse or the end of the world. They desperately needed a powerful word to give them courage. He promised himself he would take some time to re-read those passages of Scripture that alluded to the end of the world. How should you live if you thought the world was going to end soon? He wasn’t a scholar, he thought, so it would probably be a waste of time. Still . . .maybe someday.
He entered the hospital and headed for the reception desk to get the room numbers of those members who were there. As he walked down the hall, he came to an intersection and glanced to his left where the hospital chapel was located. He noticed a strange light coming from the chapel. He turned to investigate.
As he walked, he noticed that the hall was strangely void of humans. It was like he was walking into a bubble as he approached the chapel. As he was about to enter, he had another weird experience. As he looked inside the chapel, he sensed this was holy ground. He knew, of course, that chapels should be treated with respect, but this was different. He didn’t hear a voice, but he knew he was hearing almost a command that he should remove his shoes. He glanced back and the hallway was still oddly void of people as he slipped out of his shoes and began to move inside.
He moved towards the altar and felt as if the light was becoming more concentrated there. It occurred to him that someone might be playing a bizarre joke, but it didn’t feel like it. He couldn’t explain why it felt like he was experiencing a light of truth, but he moved forward expecting to hear something fresh.
And then it happened. It was sort of a voice but something more than a voice. It was as if the Spirit that he had often mentioned in his sermons was present and he was hearing words directed at him. Was that his name he heard? Urk Alled. No, it sounded sort of like his name, but it was also different. It slowed as if it wanted to help him hear more clearly. URKalled
“Called to what?” he said aloud. “I’m a pastor. That’s a calling. I know I’m called.”
“You are called to tell Pharoah to let my people go.”
Now it was getting crazy. “Uh, you are in a different era, whatever you are. There aren’t any pharaohs now.”
“I’ve heard the groaning of my people. They have become slaves, each in their own way. Some are minorities suffering injustice. Others are locked in fear and guilt. Many refuse to exercise the kindness that could release them to reflect the Divine image. The Gospel that invites them to respond to the Kingdom that is near to them has been drained of its power by organizational repression.”
“OK, in a strange way I agree, but what can I do about it? I’m just a moderate pastor whose tongue is twisted in knots every time I try to speak. I’m hardly a courageous crusader. There are lots of others better qualified than me.”
One part of his brain said, “what, are you becoming some sort of religious kook? Why are you talking back?”
Are you having a mental breakdown right here in the chapel?
Another part caused him to want to continue this strange dialogue and see where it was going.
“I have chosen you to speak to the religious pharaohs that need to be liberated themselves. You know their faith, and you can awaken it.”
“Who are they? Are we talking about the pope, The Ecumenical Patriarch,—Methodists, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Baptist, Lutherans? The list could go on.’’
“Those leaders are trapped by their own fears and limitations. Even now they are experiencing the plagues of dropping membership, economic limitations, internal fighting, and a gospel polluted by the values of the world.”
“Then who? Even if I could convince someone, who has the power to make the changes necessary?”
“The Kingdom drew near in the birth of a small baby to impoverished parents in an almost forgotten village that was part of a third-rate colony of the now vanished Roman Empire. Do you trust that the same God can effect a new transformation?”
Urk fell to his knees. He wasn’t a mystic, but he knew that he was in the presence of Divine reality. This time he didn’t stutter. He uttered, “My Lord, and my God.”
Then he heard a familiar Scripture: “I am with you always to the end of the age.” Urk slowly realized that he had been in deep prayer and was unaware of his surroundings.
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Timeless & Timely