Bouch And The King
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series IV, Cycle B
Bouch And The King
But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake. (vv. 32-37)
In a particular Chicago tavern you might have the good fortune to be served by a Moroccan waiter named Bouch. There's nothing extraordinary about Bouch, except that he has an ongoing correspondence with the King of Morocco! The king is King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, commonly known as Mohammed VI. The young king soon became known as a moderniser. He is known as a ruler who doesn't maintain a royal distance from his subjects, but instead interacts with them freely.
Shortly after he took the throne, he addressed his nation via television, promising to take on poverty and corruption, while creating jobs and improving Morocco's human rights record. True to his word, he is renowned for helping the poor, the handicapped, and those suffering injustice. Knowing the king's reputation, Bouch wrote to him. To his surprise, King Mohammed VI wrote him back! In fact, he and Bouch have exchanged a number of letters.
Bouch said to Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, "Look at the letters! These are letters from the king. If I meet him, I'll be so happy."
Kass talked to the Moroccan deputy consul general in Chicago and discovered it wasn't at all unusual for the king to write personal letters to his subjects who were abroad. The official explained, "It happens a lot. He loves his subjects."
Nevertheless, we might still join John Kass in wondering, "How many guys hauling beer and burgers in a Chicago tavern have a royal emperor as their pen pal?"
As Christians, we have two things in common with Bouch: First, we currently correspond with a king who loves us, without meeting him face to face. Second, we both wait with anticipation for the day that we will meet our king. For Bouch, this day may never come; he might not ever meet his king face to face. But for Christians, it's the king's promise. We only need to "stay awake" and "stay alert" for his arrival.
(John Kass, "Waiter's pen pal just cool guy who runs a country" Chicago Tribune, July 23, 2001.)
But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake. (vv. 32-37)
In a particular Chicago tavern you might have the good fortune to be served by a Moroccan waiter named Bouch. There's nothing extraordinary about Bouch, except that he has an ongoing correspondence with the King of Morocco! The king is King Mohammed Ben Al-Hassan, commonly known as Mohammed VI. The young king soon became known as a moderniser. He is known as a ruler who doesn't maintain a royal distance from his subjects, but instead interacts with them freely.
Shortly after he took the throne, he addressed his nation via television, promising to take on poverty and corruption, while creating jobs and improving Morocco's human rights record. True to his word, he is renowned for helping the poor, the handicapped, and those suffering injustice. Knowing the king's reputation, Bouch wrote to him. To his surprise, King Mohammed VI wrote him back! In fact, he and Bouch have exchanged a number of letters.
Bouch said to Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass, "Look at the letters! These are letters from the king. If I meet him, I'll be so happy."
Kass talked to the Moroccan deputy consul general in Chicago and discovered it wasn't at all unusual for the king to write personal letters to his subjects who were abroad. The official explained, "It happens a lot. He loves his subjects."
Nevertheless, we might still join John Kass in wondering, "How many guys hauling beer and burgers in a Chicago tavern have a royal emperor as their pen pal?"
As Christians, we have two things in common with Bouch: First, we currently correspond with a king who loves us, without meeting him face to face. Second, we both wait with anticipation for the day that we will meet our king. For Bouch, this day may never come; he might not ever meet his king face to face. But for Christians, it's the king's promise. We only need to "stay awake" and "stay alert" for his arrival.
(John Kass, "Waiter's pen pal just cool guy who runs a country" Chicago Tribune, July 23, 2001.)
