What Will Happen When It's Your Turn?
Anyway you looked at it; he was a master with words, especially when it came to introducing guest speakers. It became something of a friendly joke among the faculty to see how President Stanger would introduce a special lecturer, or on occasion even a faculty member to the chapel congregation. "It is right and proper," he would begin, and then he was off! Sometimes he would take more than five minutes telling us of the accomplishments of the speaker...and the way he wove his words together...pure artistic elegance!
Dr. Frank Bateman Stanger was President of the seminary for fifteen of the twenty-seven years I spent teaching there. And what I always wanted was to be introduced by President Stanger...just once, that's all. One time would do it. He had introduced many other faculty members and always with that familiar flourish of words.
Then it happened! I had been asked to speak in chapel, a daunting experience in itself with some 700 teachers and students in front of you. But on this day...this beautiful spring day...President Stanger was to introduce the speaker...and the speaker was me! Finally, it was my turn.
I told my wife, Ruth, and so she came to chapel that morning. I told her jokingly that she might not recognize me when President Stanger got through introducing me. So she waited. We sang some hymns, prayed some prayers, made an announcement or two. Then President Stanger rose from his chair, looked at me and smiled. He made his way to the pulpit, stood at attention and gazed at those seated in front of him. It was perfectly at ease. He opened his mouth. It was going to happen! Now was the moment!
"All of you know Professor Mercer," he said. "He is Professor of Preaching and will speak to us today."
He turned and sat down. That was all! Fifteen, twenty seconds at most! I couldn't believe it! Is that it? I rose and walked to the pulpit. I looked down at Ruth; she looked back at me. Yes, that was it. Nothing more. What had I expected? A lot more than that! I can say that in spite of the damage done to my ego the Lord blessed us that day; it was a wonderful chapel. But I never got another chance.
Not long after that President Stanger retired. And not long after that his body died from cancer. He was a Christian statesman, a man who believed it his destiny to guide the seminary into a new day...and he did it. It became my solemn responsibility and honor to design his funeral service. His grave site is on a small rise in a cemetery not far from our house. I remember the man with appreciation and respect.
I have thought about that chapel many times across the years and laughed at my reaction. Because of my vocation as teacher and speaker I have been introduced many, many times. An introduction is a wonderful thing since your host's talk about your better accomplishments and you get to sit and hear someone say you are great. I must confess though that I did not always feel "great" as I realized that in a few minutes I would be standing up and saying something to that group. I have felt bad on occasion and wished I was home and so I sat there wondering why I had accepted the invitation in the first place. But the host did not know my deepest feelings and I would smile and under my coat break out in a sweat.
But suppose the host at the time knew what I was thinking!
"We are pleased to have Professor Mercer with us for this special series. Even though he doesn't want to speak to us tonight He is a specialist in Wesley studies but he did not prepare well for his opening address and wishes we would have an electricity outage or something so we would all go home."
It could get complicated in a hurry, couldn't it? I am sure the day is coming when I will have some explaining to do...except the Lord knows what I would say and how lame it would be.
Suppose, in a flight of fantasy, President Stanger had to be absent the day I was to be introduced and God agreed to do it for him. How would the righteous God have introduced me to the congregation? What do you think God would say about me? Or better yet, suppose you were the speaker and God introduced you to the seminary congregation. What would the Lord say to the group about you? This is not quite as far-fetched as you might think.
The Bible speaks of a future day when the deepest part of us will be open for all to see...and the Lord will not have to say a word. Fortunately I am giving you fair warning and you have time to amend what God might say. I hope he says this about you and me:
"My children, our speaker tonight (your name) is a sinner of the worst sort...and yet, he/she has asked mercy from me and I am giving it."
And about that time the congregation will break our in cheers and clap and whistle while the angels smile.
Jerry Mercer
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