Alter/ Altar Call

Last night I did something I haven't done for a while, I went to the altar. I usually pray at the altar during communion, but other then that some of my upbringing has made me leery of going up. However, the altar also has many good memories for me. Holding friends that were crying at the altar. Praying with another. Having moments of spiritual enlightenment. But I've been blocked from that for so long.

But last night I went to the alter. And God spoke, friends, very very clearly. I went up after a sermon that disturbed me. The sermon was on the lectionary gospel message about the Blind Man, Barthatmu. The preacher was making light of those suffering from homelessness and the lack of justice in an offensive way. So I went to the altar with grief, and left altered. I left with a radical message as I was confessing the bitterness in my heart about a huge issue that I'm having with ministry. And God said very tangibly to me, "Michelle this message is why you need to be in the pulpit - to cry my justice truthfully, not like this". This altar/alter call came on the tail end of a friend of mine telling me that she sees me being a famous justice person some day. Talk about shell shocked when I walked back. But when we go to the altar, our lives should be changed. Are we ready for that?