I Didn't Know it Would be Earl
© 1998 Don Rogers
Fran said:
My friend Naomi (whose real name is Ruth but she prefers to be called Naomi) and I were talking as we waited on the steps of the seminary chapel for the service time. We talked about how some churches weren't ready yet for having a woman as pastor. We might be the first ones.
So I told her about my friend Earl. Earl, an African American, had worked in the conference office for some years and then was the first cross-racial appointment. He went to an all white congregation. A year later I was at a meeting and wandered into the dining room for breakfast, didn't want to sit alone, so asked if I could join three ladies at their table. They were gracious and we introduced ourselves and I found that they were from the church where Earl had been appointed. I wanted to know, how was it going?
They said it was going fine. The church was moving along. Then one lady smiled and said, "You know I heard they were sending us an African American to be our pastor. But I didn't know it would be Earl."
I told this to Naomi and said that maybe someday a church would have the appointment of their first woman as pastor, one of us, and maybe we can be such good pastors that they will say, "Well, I heard they were sending us a woman to be our pastor, but I didn't know it would be Fran, ....or Naomi."
We went into the chapel for the service. It was a good Advent service and ended with the eucharist. Naomi and I stepped out into the aisle when our turn came and proceeded to the front. But as we were moving forward I felt this strange warmth come over, like all my senses were turned up a bit, and I heard a voice in my head, the voice I hear from time to time in my dreams, and the voice said, "I knew they were sending us a Messiah, but I didn't know it would be Jesus." Just then Naomi looked back at me in this strange way and held my hand for a moment.
The service ended, song , prayers, benediction. On the steps outside Naomi leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I knew they were sending us a Messiah, but I didn't know it would be Jesus."