The rain was pouring down monotonously and had been doing so every day during my recent week in Ålesund, a beautiful and picturesque town on the west coast of Norway. My rainwear did a good job, however, and I had a quiet, prayerful walk on “Kirkegata” (Church Street) before my evening meeting started at 7:30 pm in another part of the town.  A cigarette smoking gentleman was suddenly heading for me. 

“Is there anything I can do for you?” he asked me in a jolly and relaxed way.  “Maybe”, I said, “What´s going on in this town?” -  “Nothing”, he said. – “But what  goes through your heads here?”  -  “Nothing”, he repeated. -  “But doesn´t it ever occur to you that you are not going to be on this earth forever?” -  “I´m going to die when I get old…” -  “What about God?” – “I´m on friendly terms with Him!” – “But if you should die this very night, would you go to be with Him?” – “Yeah, well, I have to go now!”  The gentleman went his way.

Suddenly he turned around and shouted, “You scared me!”  I went up to him and put my arms around his shoulders.  “Don´t be afraid of me.  I just like to tell you how much God loves you, and how He has sent His Son to die for your sins, and if you turn to Him, we´ll meet again some day!”  The ice began to thaw, and we were now on friendly terms.  I gave him my little gospel card, and he left me again. A few moments later he walked by my side.  “What do you want?” I asked.  “I just want to walk along with you a little!” – At a big apartment building where there was some shelter for the rain he wanted me to explain the text of my little card, but I was interrupted as two boys came by whom the gentleman introduced as his sons.  They got my card too.

“Don´t you want to be with me tonight at the place where I´m going to speak?”  Oh no, he was going to have a drink somewhere, so we parted, as the rain was still pouring down.  My prayers were chasing him however, as they are doing with others I happen to meet on my way.

The big imposing parish church was, as it is customary, beautifully floodlit on that very street as a rather dead monument though, but the disciples of Christ also “appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (Phil. 2:15-16), i.e. the word of the gospel in a gospel estranged and lost world despite all its religious monuments.

-jn-