October, 2005

by Rev. Johanna Nichols
Middlebury, VT

It was 7:04 in the morning and it was Tuesday. I was awake at 5:30 appreciating the bands of red, yellow, and blue sunrise. However, I was still in my nightgown when the phone rang. It was Debbie at the Blue Spruce who needed to get to the bus stop by 8 a.m. and could I please find her a ride? She got my home number from the church answering machine.

I had heard some time ago that the Beaver Cab family went out of business. I didn’t have an answer for Debbie. I told her I would pick her up at 7:30. She didn’t seem too happy about that, but I assured her I could not arrive sooner. When she hung up, I called the desk at the Blue Spruce to ask if there was any way for their guest to be transported to the bus stop. The woman who answered told me of a bus, but she didn’t have any brochures there to look up the schedule. She gave me the number and I called. The woman assured me that they can divert their route to pick up people at the Blue Spruce, but they have to call ahead. I learned that the bus operates between 6 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.

I was sputtering about being called out on my day off, using gas, losing precious time at home in the cool of the morning. And then I remembered something from my ordination 17 years ago. Bucky Mckeeman, former President of Starr King School for the Ministry, and now over 50 years in our ministry, charged the congregation to “always remember that you are a bearer of the gospel of Unitarian Universalism.” Debbie had called a church for help. And she got through to me. If anyone in this congregation called me for help at any time of the day or night, my heart would say yes. So, why not say yes to a stranger? I put on my CVUUS tee shirt and off I went. And, it was going pretty well until I hit the construction on Route 7 South when, in a long line of waiting cars, I wondered if I would get Debbie to her bus on time.

Three days before, I gave up trying to get to the photo shop and parked my car at the meeting house to walk to the post office and bank. An out of state car pulled up to the sidewalk, and the driver asked me to give her directions to Havurah where she was late for a Bar Mitzvah. I began to help her with directions when a man on a motorcycle behind her car laid on his horn for her to move. I told him I was giving directions to a person from out of state and asked if he could be patient for a moment, to which he replied, “bite my –ss.” And so, I decided to introduce myself to him. “Hello. I’m the Reverend Johanna Nichols, and I’m asking you to be patient for just a moment while I help this person who is lost.” That didn’t impress him. “How should I know who I’m talking to?” Precisely, how can we know to whom we are talking? What if I am the only Unitarian Universalist this biker ever meets? Can I be a bearer of the gospel of Unitarian Universalism?

Debbie was waiting for me outside the office of the Blue Spruce. As she went to get her luggage, I stopped in the office to share the information about the bus schedule with the woman at the desk. She didn’t seem impressed either, but she didn’t swear at me. It was pretty early in the morning. Maybe she had been up all night. Debbie’s luggage consisted of a duffle bag with a rip but it seemed to be holding everything together. It was our good fortune that the construction line was moving in our direction. “So, what does your religion believe?” Debbie asked. (The elevator speech!) “We don’t have a doctrine, but we believe in kindness, and honesty, and making the world a better place. Anyone can belong—if you are Christian, or Jewish, or Muslim, or not—you can belong.” Debbie, who is from Texas, asked, “even Baptists?” And I smiled. “Yes, even Baptists.”

I pulled into the bus stop and went in with Debbie to be sure there was an 8 a.m. bus to Rutland and that she could get on her way. Everything seemed to work out. I’m sure the woman made it to the Bar Mitzvah. Maybe the biker had a better day. Maybe the next guest at the Blue Spruce will receive a bus schedule when he or she registers and know to call ahead. And maybe my heart will leap to yes when the next stranger finds my number and calls for help in a jam. I will remember that I am a bearer of the gospel of Unitarian Universalism. And you are too.